People often think that contact lenses and dry eye don’t go well together. This is mainly due to the fact that when people put on contact lenses that contain a huge percentage of water, they end up feeling quite uncomfortable. Often, when the water from the lenses evaporates the wearer is left with the feeling of having sand rubbed against their eye.
What is dry eye syndrome? Can people with this condition wear them?
Eye dryness syndrome can be brought on by different things such as less tear production or increased tear evaporation, and it can even be brought on by the environment that a person is in. Take for example a person working in an air-conditioned workplace. The air conditioning will increase the likelihood of eyes drying out, so if contact lenses are worn they dry out faster when they contain a high amount of water. Any tear that the eye produces almost immediately dries up as well, leaving no cushion between the lens and the eye. This then leads to eye dryness and irritation that makes it almost too inconvenient to wear them. People working in front of the computer also suffer from eye dryness as they have a tendency to blink less and increase the likelihood eye dryness.
Contact lenses and dry eye syndrome can still co-exist without any added inconvenience to the person wearing it. Contact lens manufacturers are now producing more lenses that can be used comfortably by people with eye dryness. Previous lenses usually had high water content which amounted to around 70%, this though led to water evaporating quickly and the lenses absorbing the tears that eye produced. This exacerbated the feeling of grittiness in the eyes and made them quite uncomfortable to wear. The new lenses produced have a lower water content that makes it more comfortable for people with dry eyes.
What type should people with dry eyes wear?
People that suffer from eye dryness should look for contact lenses made with less water content. Normally, they would have around 60% or so of water, so for contact lenses and dry eye to be comfortable, water content of around 30% is recommended. These lenses with less water content are made with silicon hydrogel and with the new polymers they’ll stay moist longer.
To be sure about wearing correct piece even with dry eyes, a visit to the doctor would be ideal. Some though might recommend rigid gas permeable lenses which do not contain any water at all. They are ideal for people with eye dryness as they won’t dry out the eyes but they’re more uncomfortable than soft lenses.
Other alternatives that a person can consider are Acuvue Oasis and Pro clear Compatibles. These lenses were made with dry eye people in mind and would be ideal to use even when working in environments that can contribute to this condition.
A lot of contact lens wearers think that contact lenses and dry eyes don’t go well together. However, manufacturers have made contact lenses and dry eye syndrome a focus and thus produced the newest types of soft contact lenses in the market specifically made to combat such condition.