ADDED TO CARTHow to fix dry eyes from contacts?
If you’re a seasoned wearer of contact lenses, you’ve probably come across it at some point: dry eyes. Dry eyes is an eye condition in which your eyes don’t make enough natural tears to keep your eyes properly hydrated, or when the tears that your eyes do produce dry out too quickly. Symptoms of dry eye include red, itchy or sore eyes, eyes that feel excessively tired or fatigued, a stinging sensation in the eyes or even light sensitivity and blurred vision.
Dry eyes may also be brought on when your allergies flare up, when you’ve spent too much time in air conditioned or humid areas or when your eyes don’t receive enough oxygen flow. Dry eyes can also be brought on from wearing contact lenses: if you keep your lenses in for too much time you can bring on a bout of dry eyes.
Dry eyes from contact lenses: why?
Contact lenses can bring on dry eyes by disrupting the layer of lacrimal fluid that your body develops over the surface of the eye. Ideally, the contact lens should sit over the layer of fluid on the surface of your eyes, but sometimes the lenses can disrupt the layer of fluid or prevent the fluid from becoming evenly distributed across the surface of the eye. This becomes increasingly likely if the lenses are not properly fitted to the eye or if the lens quality is poor or if the lenses have expired (just in case you were asking yourself whether you can wear expired contacts or not, the answer is no!).
Dry eyes can also occur if you’ve been wearing your lenses for an extended period of time or if the lenses haven’t been cleaned properly. As a result, you wind up with the burning, red eyes associated with dry eyes. Read how to clean contacts carefully to avoid causing dry eyes.
When you wear your contact lenses for too long, they can begin to dry out. Most contact lenses on the market today are made of a water-retaining plastics called hydrogels, and due to their porous nature, when the lenses begin to dry out, can absorb some of the liquid from the fluid layer covering the eye, contributing to the development of dry eyes.
How to fix dry eyes from contacts?
What can you do to alleviate dry eyes? When you start to feel that burning, itchy sensation in your eyes, it’s time to reach for the lubricating eye drops. Eye drops can help to rebalance the layer of lacrimal fluid covering your eyes and provide relief from the discomfort of dry eyes. Note, however, that not all eye drops and contact lenses are compatible, so you should carefully check the ingredients of the eye drops before applying them.
What should you do if you’re unable to use eye drops to relubricate your eyes? Take out your lenses and give your eyes a break - try to wear your lenses only for a few hours at a time and avoid wearing them while watching TV or using your laptop, since these activities can contribute to developing dry eyes. If you find that you are prone to dry eyes, don’t wear your contact lenses for an extended period of time, and make sure that you are regularly switching to a fresh pair of lenses as prescribed by your doctor.
If the problem persists, schedule an eye exam and speak with your doctor. You may need to schedule a re-fitting of your lenses or explore other contact lens materials that won’t dry out your eyes as much. Then you can order your contact lenses online and have them mailed right to your doorstep.
