If you suspect an eye infection from your contact lenses, the single most important first step is to remove your lenses immediately and not put them back in. Contact lens infections range from mild conjunctivitis to serious corneal ulcers that can threaten your vision, so getting the right treatment quickly matters. Most infections clear up well with prescription eye drops, but the type of drop depends entirely on what’s causing the infection.
What to Do Right Now
Take your contacts out as soon as you notice symptoms. Don’t try to “wait it out” with the lenses still in, because every additional hour of wear gives the infection more opportunity to worsen. Once the lenses are out, don’t throw them away. Place them in their case with solution and bring them to your eye care provider. The lenses and case can be cultured to identify exactly which organism is causing the infection, which helps guide treatment.
Resist the urge to use over-the-counter redness relief drops. These work by constricting blood vessels and can mask the severity of the infection without treating it. They can also interfere with the diagnosis when you do see a provider. Preservative-free artificial tears are fine to use for comfort while you arrange an appointment, but they’re not treatment.
How to Tell What Type of Infection You Have
The symptoms you’re experiencing offer clues about whether your infection is bacterial, viral, or something else, though only an eye care provider can confirm the diagnosis.
Bacterial infections tend to produce thick, yellowish or greenish discharge. You may wake up with your eyelids crusted shut. The eye is red, painful, and may feel like something is stuck in it. Bacterial infections are the most common type among contact lens wearers and typically respond well to antibiotic drops.
Viral infections look different. The discharge is watery rather than thick, and the eye feels burning and irritated with significant light sensitivity. You may notice a swollen, tender lymph node just in front of your ear on the affected side. Viral conjunctivitis often starts in one eye and spreads to the other within a few days. It usually resolves on its own, though some viral infections can affect the cornea and need closer monitoring.
Fungal infections are less common but more serious. They progress slowly and can be harder to diagnose because symptoms overlap with bacterial infections. If your provider suspects a fungal cause, treatment involves antifungal eye drops, typically applied every four to six hours for mild cases or every one to two hours for more serious ones.
How Infections Are Treated
Treatment depends on the cause, which is why seeing an eye care provider is essential rather than trying to self-treat.
For bacterial infections, you’ll be prescribed antibiotic eye drops. The frequency can be intense at first. For moderate to severe infections, it’s common to start with drops every 30 minutes around the clock, including overnight. This aggressive schedule usually lasts for the first 24 to 48 hours, then tapers as the infection responds. For severe corneal ulcers, your provider may have you place a drop every five minutes for the first half hour as a loading dose before moving to the half-hourly schedule.
Viral conjunctivitis doesn’t respond to antibiotics. Treatment focuses on comfort: cool compresses, artificial tears, and time. Your provider may prescribe antiviral drops if herpes simplex virus is suspected, since that strain can cause blisters on the eyelids or face and may damage the cornea if untreated.
Fungal infections require antifungal drops and tend to need a longer course of treatment than bacterial infections. You can expect weeks rather than days of therapy.
Corneal Ulcers: The Serious Complication
A corneal ulcer is an open sore on the clear front surface of your eye, and it’s the complication that makes contact lens infections dangerous. Sleeping in contacts is one of the most common causes. Corneal ulcers are considered a medical emergency because they can cause permanent scarring, reduced vision, and in severe or delayed cases, blindness.
The warning signs that an infection has progressed to a corneal ulcer include severe eye pain (not just irritation), a white or hazy spot visible on the eye, pus or heavy discharge, extreme light sensitivity, and blurred vision. If you notice any of these, seek care the same day, ideally from an ophthalmologist. Delays in treatment significantly increase the risk of lasting damage.
The Parasite Risk From Tap Water
One of the most serious infections contact lens wearers face comes from a microscopic parasite called Acanthamoeba, found in tap water, pools, showers, and lakes. Using tap water to rinse or store your lenses is the single biggest risk factor for this infection. Swimming, showering, or even washing your face while wearing contacts can also introduce the organism.
Acanthamoeba keratitis is notoriously difficult to treat and extremely painful. Research from the United Kingdom found that completely avoiding water contact with lenses and using effective disinfecting solutions prevented the disease in over 90% of both soft and rigid lens wearers. Disposable lens users who reused lenses, skipped disinfection, or relied on saline rather than proper disinfecting solution faced up to a 50-fold increase in risk.
Recovery Timeline
Mild surface infections and small corneal abrasions from contacts typically heal within three to five days with proper treatment. Most small abrasions resolve in 24 to 48 hours. If your symptoms haven’t improved after three days of treatment, that warrants a return visit or referral to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation.
More serious infections take longer. A bacterial corneal ulcer may require weeks of treatment, and even after the infection clears, corneal scarring can affect your vision permanently. Fungal and Acanthamoeba infections can take months to fully resolve.
You should not wear contact lenses again until your eye care provider explicitly clears you. Putting lenses back in too early is one of the most common ways people turn a healing infection into a recurring one. When you are cleared, start with a fresh pair of lenses, a new lens case, and a new bottle of solution. Your provider may also recommend switching to daily disposable lenses, which carry a lower infection risk because there’s no case to contaminate and no overnight storage involved.
Preventing the Next Infection
Most contact lens infections are preventable. The habits that matter most are straightforward but easy to let slide over time.
- Never sleep in contacts unless they’re specifically approved for overnight wear and your provider has recommended it. Even then, the risk of infection increases significantly.
- Replace your lens case at least every three months. Cases are a major reservoir for bacteria and fungi. Rinse them with fresh solution (never water), and leave them open to air dry between uses.
- Use fresh solution every time. Don’t top off old solution in the case. Dump it out, refill completely, and never substitute tap water or saliva.
- Keep water away from your lenses. Remove contacts before swimming, showering, or using a hot tub.
- Follow the replacement schedule. Two-week lenses aren’t meant to last a month. Overwearing lenses allows protein and bacterial buildup that increases infection risk.
- Wash and dry your hands before handling lenses every single time.