One of the biggest mistakes contact lens users make is choosing to sleep in them, but people who make less money often find themselves doing just that to make their dollars stretch longer, according to a recent survey. 

In the survey of 1,095 contact lens users, it was determined that people who earn less than $30,000 a year are more likely to sleep with their contact lenses, according to a report published by All About Vision.

Other key takeaways in the survey include: 

• 96% of contact lens users wait longer than recommended to replace their contacts, and nearly one in two contact wearers do so to save money.
• Nearly one-third of contact users don’t know how long they’re supposed to wear their prescribed lenses.
• 38% of contact users sleep with their contacts in, with 25% of those people — one in four — doing it to save money. 
• 52% of respondents said they don't consider replacing their contact lenses before they cause them problems. 
• Almost one-third of the survey respondents admitted they do not know how often they should replace their contact lenses. 
• On average, respondents reported wearing the same lenses for 26 days. 

Further, many respondents reported disturbing habits that could lead to eye infections:

• 39% of respondents used tap water to clean their contact lenses.
• 28% of respondents had cleaned them in their mouths.
• 39% of respondents cleaned their lenses daily. 
• 96% of respondents wait longer than recommended to replace their contacts, with Gen Zers most likely to do so.

The survey questioned 1,095 contact lens wearers. Among them, 49% were men, 50% were women, and 1% identified as nonbinary. Another 22% belonged to Generation Z, 47% to millennials, 20% to Generation X and 11% to baby boomers.  

Meanwhile, there are technology giants who are working on smart contact lenses, which will be designed to provide real-time information to users while they're doing other activities, so they can stay focused without being required to look at a screen. 

The high costs of such lenses though may make some people wary, especially when data privacy also may come into question, the website notes. 

The FDA has recently approved drug-eluting contact lenses, which allow lenses to dispense drugs directly into the eyes of patients who suffer from ailments like eye diseases, complications from glaucoma, or allergies. 

Currently, many patients with glaucoma avoid visiting eye doctors because they are required to get eye injections, but drug-eluting contact lenses may replace the injections. They may also guarantee patients get the medicines they need, as well as replace eye drops. 

Many contact lens users, however, aren't open to trying such lenses, fearing potential infections, costs, and eye damage. 

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