Dry Eyes and Contact Lenses: An Irritating Combination
When your contact lenses sit on top of your eyes, there is the chance that it can prevent sufficient moisture from lubricating the entire top surface of the eye. Depriving your eye of lubrication can result in irritation, itchiness, and burning sensations in the eye. If you already suffer from dry eye syndrome, wearing contact lenses can make matters even worse. This is why it’s important for people with dry eye to get the right kinds of contacts for their condition or to simply wear glasses instead.
Dr. Walter Choate has helped plenty of people in and around Nashville, TN find the right contacts for their dry eyes. The team at Choate Eye Associates would like to consider some treatments for dry eye as well as various kinds of contacts that can help patients.
Treatments for Dry Eye in Contact Lens Wearers
There are many potential remedies for dry eye that patients can consider. This includes the following:
- Use of Lubricating Eye Drops - If you struggle with dry eye, be sure to carry lubricating eye drops with you at all times to help relieve these sudden attacks of dry eye.
- Taking Eye Vitamins - Eye vitamins are specially formulated to keep your eyes healthy and properly lubricated.
- Removing and Cleaning Your Contacts - Sometimes the dry eye is caused by your contacts drying out or having grit trapped beneath them. Try cleaning your contacts and then putting them back on.
- Avoiding Environments That Trigger Dry Eye - Dry, smoky, or dusty environments can lead to dry eye attacks. Consider avoiding these kinds of places to prevent dry eye attacks.
Soft Contact Lenses
Rather than wearing hard contacts, switching to soft contacts may be ideal. These types of contacts tend to help the eye breathe better and have lower instances of dry eye.
Scleral Contact Lenses
These types of contacts are rigid but they cover the entire corneal surface of the eye. This helps keep eye moisture sealed in, which prevents bouts of dry eye one may experience with normal contacts.
Daily Disposable Contact Lenses
If your normal contacts are giving you problems, switching to daily disposable contacts could be helpful. These contacts do not have time to accumulate dirt or other deposits on them.
Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
These soft contact lenses are made of some of the most advanced materials available, offering greater comfort than other kinds of soft contact lenses. These contacts also allow up to five times more oxygen than their predecessors.
Low Water Content Lenses
Though it may seem counterintuitive, contact lenses with high water content could potentially trigger dry eye. The lenses can draw moisture away from the eye, and may also dehydrate due to environmental factors. Lower water content in contacts may be more ideal.
Switching to Prescription Glasses
If changing contacts and other preventative measures do not alleviate your problems, it may be a good idea to just switch to glasses. We can go over all of these issues in more detail during your visit to the practice.
Contact Choate Eye Associates
For more information about contact lenses and addressing dry eye, be sure to contact Choate Eye Associates. We will find an ideal corrective lens option for you and your needs. You can also reach out practice by phone at (615) 851-7575.