Dry Eyes and Contact Lenses

Anyone who suffers from dry eyes will agree that dry eyes and contact lenses go together like cats and dogs...in other words, they don't. That is, until now.

Since the invention of contact lenses, contact lens wearers have known what the contact lens industry is just figuring out; that dry eyes and contact lenses are an incompatible combination.  However, what contact lens wearers might not know (and that the contact lens industry has figured out) is why. 

It is estimated that nearly ten million people suffer from dry eyes in the United States alone. Most people who suffer from dry eyes can be divided into two groups: those whose dry eye syndrome is a result of a condition of the eye, and those whose dry eyes are a cause of their environment. For both groups, dry eyes and contact lenses seem an unlikely match.

Dry eyes are a result of the eye's inability to produce sufficient tears that not only keep the eye moist, but also protect the eye from irritants.  Unfortunately, wearing contact lenses only seems to magnify the problem; therefore contact lenses and dry eyes have never been a good combination. 

However, thanks to improvements in contact lens technology, eye care specialists now understand why contact lenses seem to make dry eyes worse. There are two main problems; oxygen permeability and dehydration.

The first contacts, what we know as hard contacts, were literally made of a true plastic material.  This prevented any oxygen from reaching the cornea at all.  However, the cornea needs oxygen in order to function properly, as well as to produce tears and its protective moist coating; and that is why hard contacts were so uncomfortable for just about anyone who wore them.  Scientists have, over the years, created new materials from which soft contact lenses are made; which allow much more oxygen to reach the eye than ever before.  This allows the eye to still produce tears, although in people with extreme dry eye syndrome, it's not enough. 

The other problem is that contact lenses are made partially of water.  As the day wears on, the water evaporates from the lens.  The lens reacts by absorbing water from the eye, creating drier eyes.  That is why many people who only have mild dry eye syndrome have problems wearing contact lenses. 

However, in recent years the contact lens industry has found ways to allow dry eyes and contact lenses to work together instead of against each other; and most brands now have specially designed contact lenses for dry eyes.    These lenses all are made of new and improved materials, which are designed to keep the eye moist and oxygenated over long stretches of time. 

If you have tried wearing contact lenses in the past but they were too uncomfortable, you might want to try again.  These new advances have made the difference for millions of people who swore off lenses forever.  Your best bet is to find a website that offers free samples of contact lenses and “try on” a pair for awhile before investing in a specific brand. 

Don't believe that dry eyes and contact lenses have doomed you to glasses forever.  Try a new pair today, and see the world through new eyes. If you want to keep current with the site updates, subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss any of the news!

Other Topics to read:
Contact lenses and dry eye syndrome
Dry Eyes and Contact Lenses
Contact Lenses for Dry Eyes