Risks of Wearing Expired Contact Lenses

Do Contact Lenses Expire?

Yes, contact lenses do expire. Both unopened boxes and individual lenses have an expiration date printed on the packaging. This date indicates how long the lenses will remain sterile and safe to use. If you are one of the approximately 37 million Americans who wear contact lenses, you may wonder what happens if your contacts get old. Perhaps you are using contacts you got several years ago. Or you are trying to save money by wearing your two-week lenses over a more extended period. It may seem like a good idea, but wearing old contact lenses can damage your eye health.

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How Long Do Contact Lenses Last?

There are many kinds of contact lenses. Each comes with information about the recommended use, as well as when they should be replaced. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates contact lenses and other medical devices. They conduct testing on such products to determine how long the product is considered safe for use. So before you open a new package of lenses, note the expiration date.

The experts at the American Academy of Ophthalmology advise users to replace contact lenses when recommended. This means you should wear one-month contact lenses, for example, for one month after the package has been opened. After that, you should discard them.

Why Do Unopened Contacts Expire?

It’s a common question: “If the box is sealed, how can the contacts possibly go bad?” The critical thing to understand is that it’s not the contact lens itself that expires, but the sterile environment it’s stored in. The expiration date is the manufacturer’s guarantee that the blister pack’s seal will remain intact and the solution inside will remain sterile.

After that date, the seal is no longer guaranteed. Two major problems can occur:

1. Risk of Contamination: Over time, the foil and plastic seal on the blister pack can degrade. Microscopic breaks, invisible to the naked eye, can form. This allows bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microorganisms to get into the sterile saline solution, turning it into a dangerous petri dish.
2. Risk of Lens Damage: A failing seal can also allow the sterile saline solution to slowly evaporate. A contact lens that loses its moisture becomes brittle, warped, and abrasive. Putting this damaged, dry lens in your eye can cause significant discomfort, blurry vision, and painful corneal abrasions (scratches on your eye).

So, while the lens in an expired pack looks fine, it could be either contaminated with infection-causing bacteria or physically damaged. This is why you should never use a contact lens after its expiration date—the risk of a serious eye infection is simply not worth it.

Risks Of Wearing Expired Contact Lenses For Too Long

Your contact lenses touch your eye, so lazy hygiene and replacement practices create a risk of eye infections. Some infections may cause serious damage to your vision. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a million eye infections are reported each year. Many of these are related to contact lens use.

What Happens If You Wear Expired Contact Lenses

While “eye infection” sounds general, the conditions caused by expired or over-worn contacts are specific, painful, and can pose a serious threat to your vision. When you wear a compromised lens—whether it’s contaminated with bacteria or physically degraded—you are exposing your cornea to direct harm.

Here are the medical conditions you risk:

1. Microbial Keratitis

This is the most common and dangerous risk. Keratitis is a direct infection of the cornea (the clear, front part of your eye) caused by bacteria, fungi, or other microbes.

• How it Happens: A contaminated lens, one that has been sitting in a non-sterile, expired solution, acts as a delivery system, trapping these germs directly against your eye’s surface.
• What it Feels Like: Severe pain, intense redness, blurry vision, extreme light sensitivity, and excessive tearing. Keratitis is a medical emergency that can lead to scarring and permanent vision loss if not treated immediately.

2. Corneal Ulcers

If an infection like keratitis is left untreated, it can lead to a corneal ulcer, which is an open sore on the cornea.

• How it Happens: The infection essentially eats away at the corneal tissue, creating a sore. These can also be caused by severe dry eye or a physical scratch that gets infected.
• What it Feels Like: Symptoms are similar to keratitis but may also include a visible white or gray spot on the cornea and a constant feeling that something is stuck in your eye. Corneal ulcers can cause irreversible scarring and blindness.

3. Corneal Abrasions

This is a physical scratch on the cornea. While it’s not an infection itself, it opens the door wide for one.

• How it Happens: An old, expired lens that has dried out (due to an evaporated solution) can become brittle, warped, or rough. When you put it in your eye, or even as you blink, that abrasive lens can physically scratch your cornea.
• What it Feels Like: A sharp pain, watery eyes, redness, and a gritty feeling. Any scratch on your eye makes you extremely vulnerable to infection, which can then progress to keratitis or an ulcer.

4. Corneal Hypoxia

Hypoxia is the medical term for a lack of oxygen. Your cornea doesn’t get oxygen from blood vessels; it “breathes” directly from the air.

• How it Happens: Contact lenses naturally reduce this oxygen flow. However, older lenses (especially those worn past their replacement date) are often covered in protein deposits and debris. This build-up makes the lens even less permeable, effectively suffocating the cornea.
• What it Feels Like: This is often a slower, chronic problem. Symptoms include discomfort, blurry vision (especially at the end of the day), redness, and eye swelling. Chronic hypoxia can lead to corneal neovascularization, where new, fragile blood vessels grow into your cornea trying to supply oxygen, which can threaten your vision.

What to Do if You Accidentally Wore Expired Contacts

If you’re reading this after you’ve already worn expired lenses, don’t panic. In many cases, you may not have an issue, but you must be smart and cautious.

Follow these steps immediately:

1. Remove the Lenses Immediately. As soon as you realize your mistake, wash your hands and take the lenses out.
2. Throw the Lenses Away. Do not try to “clean” them or store them in fresh solution. The risk of contamination or lens damage is too high. Throw away the expired pair.
3. Give Your Eyes a Rest. Avoid putting in a new pair of contacts right away, especially if you feel any irritation. Wear your glasses for the rest of the day to let your eyes recover and “breathe.”
4. Monitor Your Eyes Closely. For the next 24 hours, pay close attention to how your eyes feel and look.
5. Call Your Eye Doctor Immediately If You Notice Any Symptoms. Do not wait to see if it gets better. Call your optometrist right away if you experience any of the following:
   • Redness or “bloodshot” appearance
   • Pain, discomfort, or a gritty feeling
   • Blurry or hazy vision
   • Watery eyes or excessive tearing
   • Sensitivity to light

These are all warning signs of a potential infection or corneal abrasion. It’s always better to be safe and get a professional opinion.

Can Expired Contact Lenses Damage Your Eyes Over Time?

As you wear your contacts, germs, protein deposits, and other residues build up on the surface of the contact. Over time your eyes will become irritated by the deposit buildup and risking eye infection.

Contact lens prescriptions usually expire in one year. It is essential to have your annual eye exam to make sure your eyes are healthy and that your prescription has not changed. If you are experiencing discomfort, vision problems, or have questions about the safe and proper use of your contact lenses, ask your eye doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do contacts expire if the box is unopened?

• A: Yes. The sterile seal on the blister pack is what expires, not the lens itself.

What about expired contact lens solution?

• A: Yes, solution also expires. More importantly, it has a “discard date” (e.g., 90 days after opening) because it loses its disinfecting power. Using old solution is just as dangerous.

What’s the difference between the lens expiration date and my prescription expiration?

• A: The lens expiration date is about the product’s sterility. Your prescription expiration (usually 1 year) is a legal and medical requirement to ensure your vision hasn’t changed and your eye health is still good.

How should I dispose of old contact lenses?

• A: Don’t flush them down the toilet or sink, as they don’t biodegrade and can harm wildlife. Throw them in the regular trash.