Acuvue Oasys contact lenses not working out.

I got my new Oasys trial lenses yesterday. My OD said to wear the
lenses 8 hours a day and to see him in a week. He said he needed to
check my eyes because the Oasys lenses only come in 8.4 base curve, and
I normally wear 8.7 (I used to wear 9.3, but went to 8.7 Acuvue 2's
when J&J stopped making them a while back). He said they may be too
tight for me. I think he may be right (a previous optometrist had once
told me that my corneas were the flattest she had ever seen).

I took the lenses out of their little packages and rinsed with aerosol
saline spray. I wore them for 4 hours last evening, and although comfy
when they first went in, my vision was poor. The left lens (+.50) was
not strong enough, and the right lens (-.75) was fuzzy at a distance.
Not sure if it was too weak or too strong. And they were irritating. I
can't explain this very well, but they didn't burn or sting. It felt
like I was hovered over a bowl of chopped onions, but without the tears
and odor. And I had a good deal of lens "awareness".

When I took them out, I cleaned and soaked them in AMO Complete
Moisture Plus solution. This morning, I put them back in and
encountered the same thing. I wound up removing them after 5 hours. My
naked eyes felt better after about an hour. I had no visible redness
and my vision was actually better *without* the lenses. I didn't see
any red rings around my pupils or corneas.

Last month, I tried the Acuvue Advance lenses and I experienced the
same thing, but a bit more intense.

Is it possible that I may be having a reaction to the silicone material
in the lenses? Or is this a result of too-tight lenses?

I will try again tomorrow. If this doesn't get better, I'll stay with
my Acuvue 2's, unless there might be something else I can try. (The
Acuvue 2's are comfy and my vision is really crisp, but they dry out
often).

-Tom in Scranton, PA USA

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it
is a duck. In this case, the duck would appear to be dry eye.

Maybe you should be evaluated for dry eye and treated for dry eye
first.

Another observation is that your prescription is pretty minor, in which
case the "noise" from lens dryness is exceeding the "signal" of the
correction.

DrG

Thanks for replying, Doc.

I'm sure I have dry eyes, but none of these problems happen when I wear
my normal Acuvue 2 lenses. The only problem I have with Acuvue 2s are
that they dry out after 5 to 7 hours and sometimes won't move on my
cornea. But I never get the same discomfort I've experienced with
Advance or Oasys lenses. I expected equal or better comfort, and for a
longer period of time.

-Tom in Scranton, PA USA

Dr. Leukoma wrote:
> If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it
> is a duck. In this case, the duck would appear to be dry eye.
>
> Maybe you should be evaluated for dry eye and treated for dry eye
> first.
>
> Another observation is that your prescription is pretty minor, in which
> case the "noise" from lens dryness is exceeding the "signal" of the
> correction.
>
> DrG

When your eyes are really flat, like yours and mine are, an 8.4 will
NEVER fit well. Period. The fact that Oasis comes in "one size" means
simply that its cheaper to make it that way. They aren't doing you any
favors. Period. Finally, when a patient is allergic to the silicone
component of the silicone hydrogel lenses, he gets a "ass-backwards"
response that these super-wet lenses feel extra dry. Sounds like you.

So, the bottom line is that Oasis would never fit your eye, and you
sound as if you are allergic to it anyway. I have super flat eyes, and
I personally love the Biomedics 55 Aspheric lens, also known as
Biomedics Premier. The fact that it is an aspheric lens lets it lay
down on a flat eye without pinching. If you are as flat as you say you
are, the 8.6
Biomedics Aspheric will beat that Acuvue 2 anyday. I love mine.

Thanks, Doc My Eye, for your response. When I go for my one-week check
up, I'll mention Biomedics. I'm willing to try anything that will give
me acuity of Acuvue 2, but last a couple hours longer!

I've been reading up on Proclear Compatibles. Are these worth a try?
Are they under a new name now?

-Tom in Scranton, PA USA

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your posts. I am interested in how your case turns out. It
seems similar to what I am trying. Please update you progress.

Doctor said he likes the way the Biomedics allow him to see, and
suggests that you might like these as well. I tried them, and they were
great, except they dried out in a day's wear time, before I was ready
to take them out.

You mentioned you had looked into proclear compatibles. The thing is, I
understand the new Biomedics XC is basically the same lens as the
Biomedics Premier, but in the proclear material. This lens has just
recently come on the market, have you tried it?

Doctor, have you tried the Biomedics XC yourself? What do you think?

Thanks,
Chipster