About 41 million Americans wear contact lenses and many are putting themselves at risk of serious long lasting eye damage.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five contact lens-related eye infections reported to a federal database involved a patient who experienced eye damage.

Patients reported suffering scarred cornea, needing corneal transplants and some loss of vision.

More than ten percent of the reports indicated patients had to go to the emergency room or urgent care center for immediate attention.

The government report also found some people had to go to the eye doctor daily or use eye drops hourly to treat infections.

“Around 41 million people in the United States wear contact lenses and benefit from the improved vision and comfort they provide,” said Jennifer Cope, M.D., M.P.H., medical epidemiologist in CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch.

“While people who get serious eye infections represent a small percentage of those who wear contacts, they serve as a reminder for all contact lens wearers to take simple steps to prevent infections.”

She says the CDC recommends that you do not sleep in contact lenses. Sleeping in lenses increases the chance of infection by 6 to 8 times.

Don't top off or add contact lens solution to old solution that's been sitting the case and replace lenses as often as recommended by your eye doctor.