3 Worst Things Dry Eye Sufferers do with their Contact Lenses
Sep 10, 2019
My patients will sometimes tell me that they can’t wear contact lenses because their eyes are too dry. There have been tons of innovations in both contact lenses and contact lens care in recent years. For the most part, the idea that you can't wear contact lenses when you have dry eyes is a myth.
Sometimes, not being able to wear contact lenses will be a short period of time while you are undergoing dry eye treatment is true for a short while. But, my goal is always to find a way to get my patients back into contact lenses or have some kind of refractive surgery, if they are a good candidate - read this blog here. Some patients do need to take breaks from their contact lenses because of years of abuse they have put their eyes through. These are the three worst things patients can do with their contact lenses.
Worst Thing #1: Wear them too long
Here I’m talking about 3 scenarios: 1) not throwing their contact lenses out on time, 2) wearing them too many hours each day, or 3) wearing them for days and days on end without removing there. If you have read my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, you know that in Chapter 5 I dive deep into the rules of contact lens wear.
First, you must understand that contact lenses have an expiration date. In the case of soft contact lenses, they are either FDA approved for daily, 2 week, or monthly use. After 1 day, 2 weeks, or 4 weeks of opening the container, you must throw the lenses away. The FDA makes these determinations from careful study of both the lens material and parameters.
My patients often tell me that they throw them away when the lenses begin to feel bad. Yes, many brands of lenses have lubricants in them that express out of the lens over time. However, you don't want to wait until all of it is completely gone. That would be like driving on bald tires. It's dangerous whether we are talking about cars or contacts.
Second, don't wear them too many hours in a given day. As a contact lens wearer, you need to have a pair of glasses to wear when you remove your contact lenses. Only wear your contact lenses when you need too. If you work, take them out when you get home rather than waiting to take them out before bed. Wear your glasses while you are at home and give your eyes a break.
Third, never sleep in your contact lenses. The golden rule a contact lens wear is to always take your contact lenses out every night. There will be no sleeping in your contact lenses never, ever, ever. I am so adamant about this rule because I see too many terrible infections at my office. Sleeping in your is a recipe for disaster. Contact lens-related eye infections can lead to scarring and loss of vision, not to mention they are terribly painful.
Worst Thing #2: Clean Them Improperly
There are many contact lens solutions on the market. Please do not use any contact lens cleaner when you have dry eyes. You should not be using anything that says: no rub or a generic cleaners in general. Your dry eyes have special needs and thus deserve to have special care.
Were you ever told, as a child, that getting to do something was a privilege? Maybe you didn't want to turn the TV off when it was time to go to bed, or maybe you decided you didn't want to go to dance practice because you wanted to hang out with your friends. Your parents may have told you that watching TV or going to dance classes was a privilege. Not everyone got to do it, and it could be taken away if abused.
As an eye doctor, I feel that getting to wear contact lenses is one of those privileges in life. Not everyone can wear them. You may have some kind of special prescription or corneal scarring that eliminates the wear of contact lenses from your list of possibilities. And, if you abuse your lenses, they can be taken away.
When my patients ask me which cleaner is best for their dry eyes, I have only one answer. Clear Care Plus with HydraGlyde is truly the best contact lens cleanser on the market at this time. It kills more bacteria than any other, and there are no preservatives. That means there will not be any chemicals left on the contact lenses to irritate your eyes the next day.
If you have never used Clear Care contact lens solution before, you need to read the instructions carefully. I have gone over these instructions in detail in this blog here. Please make sure you either watch the video, or read the blog, or read the box carefully before using this solution.
Worst Thing #3: Giving Up Too Soon
Some patients may find that their current contact lenses dry their eyes are giving up on wearing them. Before my patients drop out of their lenses, I advocate trying 3 different things: 1) a different cleaner, 2) a different brand, or 3) a different modality.
First, a different cleaner. As I stated in #2, the hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners are truly the best way to clean your lenses as a dry eye sufferer. If you are having problems with your current contact lenses, that would be my first suggestion to help the situation. Change cleaning solutions.
Second, change brands of contact lenses. Contact lens companies spend millions of dollars every year in research and developing better contact lens materials. Just because you loved the contact lenses you are currently wearing when you were in high school doesn't mean there isn't something you could love more on the market now.
Have you ever loved the car you were driving until you took it to the dealership for maintenance? They gave you a loaner vehicle with the heated seats you never knew you had to have until now. Well, the same can be said of newer contact lenses. Did you know that there are currently contact lenses on the market that you can't even tell are in your eye? No joke, they are that comfortable. And, they stay that way until you are ready to take them out that night.
Lastly, you may need to consider changing modalities. Meaning going to a lens that you dispose of more often. A daily disposable contact lens may be a dry eye suffers best friend. Being able to use a brand new contact lens each time you wish to wear your contacts is truly heaven. That new contact lens feel is always the greatest. And daily disposable contact lenses give you that sensation each time you wear them.
These days, many prescriptions are available in a daily disposable contact lens. There are spheres, colors, astigmatism correction, and even multifocal. About 80% as prescriptions are available in some form of daily disposable contact lens.
And, if you still can not tolerate even a daily disposable contact lens, you may be a candidate for scleral contact lenses. Scleral lenses are a great treatment option for dry eye sufferers.
If you have not heard of scleral contact lenses, they are large-diameter rigid lenses that are custom fit to your eye's specific parameters. These contact lenses can fit a variety of patients who may have previously been told that they couldn't wear contact lenses. Some of the most common reasons to fit this type of contact lens are moderate to severe dry eye, previous corneal surgeries, scars, or an eye disease called keratoconus.
The benefit of scleral lenses is that they bathe the eye in preservative-free saline. The lenses are fit large over the front surface of the eye and provide a fishbowl of liquid. Also, this type of contact lens provides excellent, sharp vision.
Conclusion
So there you have it, contact lenses aren’t automatically to be disregarded in patients who suffer from dry eyes. In fact, sometimes we use them to treat dry eyes. Always remember to dispose of your contact lenses on time, clean and care for them properly, and consider changing brands or modalities before you give up on your contact lenses. And, if you are not a candidate for a daily disposable contact lens you may ask your doctor if scleral contact lenses would be a good choice for you.
Comment below on your favorite type or brand of contact lenses.
