Contacts troubles with dry eyes

Hi Group,

I'm 46 yrs old, just starting out with contacts. I've been wearing Acuvue
Advanced for Astimatism, slowly building up the wear time. I was OK at up
to 8 hours. I wore them for over 12 hours last Wednesday, then my eyes got
very dry and sore. Almost a week later my eyes still feel dry and I can't
put the lenses in for more than a few minutes. There is nothing visible, no
redness or anything I can notice. When I look at my eyes up close they seem
quite glossy, i.e. they don't appear dry.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Dave

On Mar 13, 10:33 pm, "Dave" <benzofree2...@telus.net> wrote:
> Hi Group,
>
> I'm 46 yrs old, just starting out with contacts. I've been wearing Acuvue
> Advanced for Astimatism, slowly building up the wear time. I was OK at up
> to 8 hours. I wore them for over 12 hours last Wednesday, then my eyes got
> very dry and sore. Almost a week later my eyes still feel dry and I can't
> put the lenses in for more than a few minutes. There is nothing visible, no
> redness or anything I can notice. When I look at my eyes up close they seem
> quite glossy, i.e. they don't appear dry.
>
> Any ideas?

I'm not a doctor, but ... if it were me ... I'd be making an
appointment with the prescribing eye doc as soon as I could.

Possible infection. Possible abrasion. Possible inflammation. Also,
dry eyes don't have to /look/ dry to /be/ dry. Excess tearing, for
example, is a classic symptom of dry eye.

Don't wait. Good luck!

Neil

"Dave" <benzofree2...@telus.net> wrote:

I wore them for over 12 hours last Wednesday, then my eyes got
> very dry and sore. Almost a week later my eyes still feel dry and I can't
> put the lenses in for more than a few minutes. There is nothing visible, no
> redness or anything I can notice.

Hi Dave-

I think Neil is correct. You might have dry eyes. I wear contacts and
have very dry eyes, and have experienced the exact same thing you're
describing: when I wear certain contact lenses for too many hours, it
seems I can never wear them again. I say "certain contacts" because my
eyes will not tolerate many brands. I don't know the exact cause, but
I believe the constant friction, dryness and rubbing on the cornea
subtly damages the tissue. Springtime pollen can aggravate the
problem, too--do you have allergies?

I have noticed that if my eyes are really in good shape--dryness under
control--then I can wear an incompatibile (new brand or type) of
contact lens for a full day (8-10 hours). Then after that, I can never
wear the lens again.

Go to your eye doctor first, and if you do have dry eyes, you will
probably have to try a different lens than Acuvue Advance. And give
your eyes time to heal--stay out of contacts for a week or two before
trying again.

C66

If you are using Renu or any of the generic solutions to store the
lenses in, that would be the problem. Even if you are using the proper
solution (like Optifree or Clear Care), you should be rubbing the lens
to clean it after each use. Make sure you are also dumping out the
solution and rinsing the case out after each insertion.

Dave wrote:

>Hi Group,
>
>I'm 46 yrs old, just starting out with contacts. I've been wearing Acuvue
>Advanced for Astimatism, slowly building up the wear time. I was OK at up
>to 8 hours. I wore them for over 12 hours last Wednesday, then my eyes got
>very dry and sore. Almost a week later my eyes still feel dry and I can't
>put the lenses in for more than a few minutes. There is nothing visible, no
>redness or anything I can notice. When I look at my eyes up close they seem
>quite glossy, i.e. they don't appear dry.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Dave
>
>
>
>

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies (summarized below). I went back to the fitter and
she had a cursory look and didn't see any problems. She suggested giving a
few days without even trying to put the lenses in, which I will do. In
general as the days go by my eyes are feeling better.

C66 - what lenses do you find work best for your dry eyes? I've recently
seen some testimonials that Proclear Compatables may be better for dry eyes.
I may ask for a trial pair of those.

I've got Clear Care now. Would you rub the lenses with another solution
before treating them with C.C.?

Thanks,

Dave


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the eyes are sore even without wearing contacts, you may have
picked up a virus or have allergy. Get back to your fitter.


Dr Judy



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If you are using Renu or any of the generic solutions to store the
lenses in, that would be the problem. Even if you are using the proper
solution (like Optifree or Clear Care), you should be rubbing the lens
to clean it after each use. Make sure you are also dumping out the
solution and rinsing the case out after each insertion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Dave-

I think Neil is correct. You might have dry eyes. I wear contacts and
have very dry eyes, and have experienced the exact same thing you're
describing: when I wear certain contact lenses for too many hours, it
seems I can never wear them again. I say "certain contacts" because my
eyes will not tolerate many brands. I don't know the exact cause, but
I believe the constant friction, dryness and rubbing on the cornea
subtly damages the tissue. Springtime pollen can aggravate the
problem, too--do you have allergies?


I have noticed that if my eyes are really in good shape--dryness under
control--then I can wear an incompatibile (new brand or type) of
contact lens for a full day (8-10 hours). Then after that, I can never
wear the lens again.


Go to your eye doctor first, and if you do have dry eyes, you will
probably have to try a different lens than Acuvue Advance. And give
your eyes time to heal--stay out of contacts for a week or two before
trying again.


C66

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not a doctor, but ... if it were me ... I'd be making an
appointment with the prescribing eye doc as soon as I could.


Possible infection. Possible abrasion. Possible inflammation. Also,
dry eyes don't have to /look/ dry to /be/ dry. Excess tearing, for
example, is a classic symptom of dry eye.


Don't wait. Good luck!


Neil

On Mar 15, 3:26 pm, "Dave" <benzofree2...@telus.net> wrote:

> C66 - what lenses do you find work best for your dry eyes? I've recently
> seen some testimonials that Proclear Compatables may be better for dry eyes.
> I may ask for a trial pair of those.

I wear an Extreme H2O in my left eye and a Biomedics XC in my right
eye. Biomedics XC is similar to ProClear, but a little bit more
"sturdy." I have found a lot of information on this forum; for
example, I look up the threads/comments on particular brands of lenses
(that's where I got the idea of trying Biomedics XC). At
sci.med.vision, you can quickly learn the pros and cons from both the
patients' and doctors' points of view. The other soft lenses I've
heard of (and tried) for dry eyes are the ProClear, Acuvue Oasys,
Focus Night & Day, and Purevision. These are comfortable lenses even
if you don't have dry eye. I don't know which ones come with
astigmatism correction--you'll have to ask your eye doctor.

C66

On Mar 15, 5:02 pm, callimic...@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Mar 15, 3:26 pm, "Dave" <benzofree2...@telus.net> wrote:
>
> > C66 - what lenses do you find work best for your dry eyes? I've recently
> > seen some testimonials that Proclear Compatables may be better for dry eyes.
> > I may ask for a trial pair of those.
>
> I wear an Extreme H2O in my left eye and a Biomedics XC in my right
> eye. Biomedics XC is similar to ProClear, but a little bit more
> "sturdy." I have found a lot of information on this forum; for
> example, I look up the threads/comments on particular brands of lenses
> (that's where I got the idea of trying Biomedics XC). At
> sci.med.vision, you can quickly learn the pros and cons from both the
> patients' and doctors' points of view. The other soft lenses I've
> heard of (and tried) for dry eyes are the ProClear, Acuvue Oasys,
> Focus Night & Day, and Purevision. These are comfortable lenses even
> if you don't have dry eye. I don't know which ones come with
> astigmatism correction--you'll have to ask your eye doctor.
>
> C66

Contact lens solutions are often a contributor to dry eye-like
symptoms and irritation. Otherwise, I haven't run across a single
study that points to contact lenses as a cause of permanent dry eye,
and a number of studies have been done over the years. There is
something known as a temporary contact lens-induced decrease in
corneal sensitivity, which seems to be related to lack of oxygen and
corneal metabolic changes. But, after a few days to a few months
without wear, this apparently goes back to normal. Those of us in the
eye care professions see practical implications of that all the time
when a patient goes without their RGP lens for just a few days. They
are much more aware of it when they resume wear.

Neurotrophic keratitis is something altogether different, and
permanent.

DrG

On Mar 15, 5:53 pm, "Dr. Leukoma" <d...@leukoma.com> wrote:
>There is
> something known as a temporary contact lens-induced decrease in
> corneal sensitivity..
..
>But, after a few days to a few months
> without wear, this apparently goes back to normal.
>
> Neurotrophic keratitis is something altogether different, and
> permanent.
>
> DrG

Thanks for clarifying that.

The short-term problem I've experienced from over-wearing soft lenses
is corneal edema/roughness--but as you say, this heals up if I stay
out of contacts for a week or two. The long-term problem with contacts
has happened since I've developed dry eyes---there are just some
lenses that are incompatible with my eye condition.

Most of the time, I feel the contacts actually protect my corneas--
make them more comfortable. But I have my limits--I just have bad days
sometimes and have to remove the lenses. One thing I've been doing
lately is to leave them off at least one full day a week--usually
Sunday--to give my eyes a rest.

C66

On Mar 15, 8:05 pm, callimic...@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Mar 15, 5:53 pm, "Dr. Leukoma" <d...@leukoma.com> wrote:
>
> >There is
> > something known as a temporary contact lens-induced decrease in
> > corneal sensitivity..
> .
> >But, after a few days to a few months
> > without wear, this apparently goes back to normal.
>
> > Neurotrophic keratitis is something altogether different, and
> > permanent.
>
> > DrG
>
> Thanks for clarifying that.
>
> The short-term problem I've experienced from over-wearing soft lenses
> is corneal edema/roughness--but as you say, this heals up if I stay
> out of contacts for a week or two. The long-term problem with contacts
> has happened since I've developed dry eyes---there are just some
> lenses that are incompatible with my eye condition.
>
> Most of the time, I feel the contacts actually protect my corneas--
> make them more comfortable. But I have my limits--I just have bad days
> sometimes and have to remove the lenses. One thing I've been doing
> lately is to leave them off at least one full day a week--usually
> Sunday--to give my eyes a rest.
>
> C66

Yes, and sometimes soft contact lenses are used as a bandage to
protect extremely damaged epithelium....along with rewetting drops, of
course.

DrG

In article <1HMJh.107057$cE3.78678@edtnps89>,
"Dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Hi Group,
>
> I'm 46 yrs old, just starting out with contacts. I've been wearing Acuvue
> Advanced for Astimatism, slowly building up the wear time. I was OK at up
> to 8 hours. I wore them for over 12 hours last Wednesday, then my eyes got
> very dry and sore. Almost a week later my eyes still feel dry and I can't
> put the lenses in for more than a few minutes. There is nothing visible, no
> redness or anything I can notice. When I look at my eyes up close they seem
> quite glossy, i.e. they don't appear dry.
>
> Any ideas?


I'm not a doctor, but I have several ideas. Some contacts just don't
work for some people. I tried one, and it just kept drying up and
falling out.

We went on a hike once. We got hopelessly lost. It was supposed to be
a short hike, and we didn't have enough water. I got home and one
contact was so dry that when I blinked, it just fell out. Be sure to
drink enough. Coffee and alcohol don't count, they dehydrate.

I used rewetting drops (simple saline). At work, the air was so dry
that for certain times of the year, that wasn't enough. There are other
drops that you can buy that work better. They are expensive, but worth
it.