Dry Eyes
I have been battling dry eyes for a few years now and on one eye have a dry patch (feels like it is on the upper part of my eye under the eyelid). My optometrist recommended several eye drops (from the drug store) that I use 3-5 times per day. Normally I would wear contacts during the day (put them in around 7:30 am and take them out around 6pm, never sleep in them, use rewetting drops during the day 1-2 times and wear my glasses primarily on the weekends). My issues is that 6 months ago the dry patch has gotten worse, and I am now not able to wear contacts. At first it will be ok, but after an hour or two the eye with the dry patch hurts and the contact seems to move around which affects my vision. I've tried wearing glasses for 2 months but within an hour or two of trying to wear contacts, I'm having the same issues. I like to hike and run and so would love to be able to get back to wearing contacts for at least part of the day. I am planning on making an appointment with an opthamologist but wanted to see if any one had experienced something similar and was able to get back to wearing contacts? I replace the contacts monthly and was wondering if daily contacts would be better? Thanks!
Parent Replies
For how many years have you been wearing contacts? I had a similar issue a few years ago and my eye doctor told me that people's eyes often start to reject contacts after about 20 years (which was how long I had been wearing them). I needed to have an alternative to glasses so I could continue to do sports, so I ended up getting Lasik. I hope this doesn't discourage you, and I would certainly talk to the ophthalmologist about your particular situation, but for what it's worth, not having to deal with contact lenses has made my life easier in many ways. Good luck.
Hi, so sorry to hear and I empathize so much. I’ve has severe dry eyes as part of my leukemia treatment complication. I learned about prose lens, and since I got them, it’s been life changing. My insurance covered it but I can’t say if that’s the case for everyone. It’s aboout $15k out of pocket, I believe. But UCSF is very good at advocating on your behalf to fight with insurance. Feel free to send me a rivate message...
https://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PROSE-Treatment/About-PROSE
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/prose/
YES!! This happened to me. I am a lifelong contact lens wearer and then started really suffering from dry eyes and even a sensation of heat/pain and sensitivity to light. It turns out that the contact lens solution I was using was the culprit. I had been using Alcon Optifree for YEARS, but apparently they changed the ingredients at some point, and I developed irritation (maybe even an allergy?) According to the folks at the UC Berkeley Eye Clinic, this is really common, and it's the preservatives in the solution that are to blame.
I switched to using ClearCare to disinfect my lenses and Rinse & Go (which is preservative-free and, gee, way cheaper than all the other saline solutions), and now I am back to wearing contact lenses 12+ hours a day and can see perfectly.
Hope you get this sorted out. Dry eyes suck.
I have developed dry eyes as a result of an autoimmune condition and had to stop wearing my daily lenses. I encourage you to go to the UC Berkeley Dry Eye clinic for a consultation. They may recommend that you switch to hard lenses.
I did get back to wearing contacts, after I changed a few things to reduce indoor air pollution. A partial list of pollutants: perfume, air freshener, gas stove, new carpet, new paint, scented laundry detergent, scented dish detergent, fabric softener, toothpaste, catnip. Almost anything in the room can offgas and cause problems. I hope you are able to solve the problem.
Yes! I have had lots and lots of eye issues, including cornea transplant, and many years of wearing contacts.
Get tear duct plugs. An ophthalmologist puts them in. They are amazing! You may actually get a little "teary", but it is so worth not having dry eye. My incredible ophthalmologist, Dr. David Vastine, now retired, made the recommendation after I had already been to a special eye clinic at UCSF and had seen at least 5 different ophthalmologists. He made my eyes feel better in 10 minutes. Truly a miracle.
I have dry eye and wear Acuvue Moist daily disposables for 12+ hours per day. I also use Systane gel eye drops and Refresh lubricating eye drops. Daily disposables aren't cheap but I can't stand wearing glasses.
FWIW, both my husband and I were recommended by UC Optometry (different clinicians) to use a warm compress every day for 20 minutes and then put in artificial tears. My husband complained to them of dry eyes and they noticed my tears ducts were atrophying (though I hadn't noticed any issue with dry eyes). They recommended Thermalon or something similar that you can put in the microwave as a warm washcloth loses its warmth too quickly. We don't wear contacts and your issue might be different, but it's worth a try at least in the short term.
I wear RGPs and struggle with dry eyes, especially during the winter months. At one point, at the recommendation of an ophthalmologist, I even tried tear duct plugs, which helped retain moisture but ended up irritating my eyes because they didn't sit completely flush. The three things that have helped are switching to Clear Care disinfecting solution. cleaning my lids daily with OcuSoft foaming eyelid cleanser, and Zatidor antihistamine eye drops. Warm compresses help too but I never seem to have time for it.