What Can You Do for Dry Eyes With Contact Lenses?

Dry eye is a deficiency of lubrication and tears in the eye that causes symptoms like grittiness, burning and foreign body sensation. There are many causes of dry eye such as medications, the environment and lid problems. However, another common cause of dry eye symptoms is contact lens wear. Contact lenses impact the tear film of the eye, and it might seem that people with dry eyes would not be able to wear contact lenses. However, there are strategies for contact lens wearers to try to improve the comfort of wearing contacts and relieve dry eye symptoms.

Contact Lens Rewetting Drops

• Since contact lenses can cause dry eyes because they can absorb some of the water in the tear film or because they interfere with the balance of the tear film in the eye, replacing the tears in the eye can improve the symptoms of dry eyes in these patients. There are specific drops called contact lens rewetting drops that are created specifically to improve the comfort of contact lens wear. However, preservative-free artificial tears can also be used while wearing contact lenses as well.

Removal of Lenses During the Day

• The longer a person with dry eyes wears contact lenses during the day, the more uncomfortable the lenses become. Another way to lessen this discomfort is to remove the contact lenses and place them in contact lenses solution for a few minutes. The lenses rehydrate while in the solution, and the patient's eyes get a brief rest from the contact lens. Often, the contact lens can be reinserted by the patient in a few minutes and can be worn comfortably for the rest of the day.

Functional Changes

• For some people, wearing contact lenses may interfere with the rate of blinking -- it may be too quick or too slow. Rapid or infrequent blinking can both interfere with the tear film and cause dry eye symptoms. Computer users who wear contact lenses also complain of dry eye symptoms because of infrequent blinking. Being conscious of one's blinking can improve these symptoms for contact lenses wearers.

Contact Lenses Care

• Contact lenses develop deposits over time with wear; a good cleaning regimen can help remove these deposits. These deposits make the contact lenses uncomfortable by increasing the dryness of the lenses. Daily cleaning of the lenses as well as weekly cleanings if recommended by the eye doctor are an important way to manage these deposits. Replacement of the contact lenses when damaged or as recommended by the lens manufacturer can also decrease dry eye symptoms also.

Different Types of Contact Lenses

• For patients who wear rigid contact lenses or certain types of soft lenses, there are other options to improve the wearability of contact lenses. There are specific types of lenses that have been found to be more comfortable for patients with dry eyes. New permeable silicone gels also allow more oxygen to reach the cornea increasing comfort. Using frequent replacement lenses may also lessen dry eye symptoms too.

Prescription Eye Drops

• Patients who wear contact lenses and have dry eyes and have to use artificial tears multiple times a day may benefit from the use of prescription eye drops. One drop, Restasis, which reduces inflammation, is an ophthalmic solution of the medication cyclosporine and is often used for severe dry eye. For other patients who have allergy symptoms as the cause of their dry eye symptoms, prescription allergy eye drops may improve the condition. Patients have to remove their contact lenses when using these eye drops but can replace them after a short while.