Contacts Making Your Eyes Dry? Here Are Some Remedies

One of the most common complaints heard from contact lens wearers has to do with eye dryness. Luckily, this is a problem highly unlikely to warrant discontinuation of lens wear given the variety of lens brands and care products available on the market today. Dr Gary Heiting, senior editor of AllAboutVision.com, has provided a list of possible solutions to the problem.

There is no particular type of contact lens for dry eyes but a number of manufacturers offer products designed to alleviate dry eye symptoms caused by lens wear. Silicone hydrogel contacts, which have high oxygen permeability, could be the answer you are looking for. If standard soft lenses leave your eyes dry, switching to silicone hydrogel lenses may improve your condition.

Sometimes the answer may lie in choosing the right contact lens solution. You should bear in mind that not all solutions are suitable for all contact lenses. This is particularly true in the case of silicone hydrogel lenses, many of which call for specific care products to deliver the highest possible comfort level. Make sure that you stick to the care products recommended by your eye care practitioner and don’t switch brands without consultation.

Speaking of solutions, the otherwise highly convenient multipurpose solutions could be the root of your problem if you turn out to be sensitive to the preservatives in them. A way out of this conundrum is to go for daily disposable lenses, thus eliminating the need for care products.

There is yet another thing you can try: eye drops. Also known as comfort drops or artificial tears, their occasional use can relieve dry eye symptoms. While the effect is typically short-lived, recently introduced drops promise to make the relief longer-lasting.