Dry eyes happen when the tear film, a three-layer coating that keeps the eyes moist and protected, breaks down or doesn’t produce enough tears. Contacts and dry eye syndrome often go hand in hand, worsening your symptoms. Fortunately, you can greatly reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome and its symptoms by following a few simple steps for eye care and contact lens use.
According to Dr. Travis Thompson, the three best tips for preventing contacts and dry eye syndrome working together are:
- Choose daily lenses
- Choose the right solution
- Choose the right eye drops
3 Tips for Contacts and Dry Eye Syndrome
Daily disposable contact lenses are the best option for people with dry eye syndrome. They help prevent the buildup of proteins, bacteria, and allergens that can make dryness and discomfort worse. For those who wear reusable lenses, good hygiene is essential. Using a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaning solution can also improve comfort.
Additionally, preservative-free artificial tears designed for contacts provide safe symptom relief without irritation. These strategies help maintain eye moisture and reduce inflammation linked to contact lens wear.
1. Choose daily lenses
From silicone hydrogel lenses to scleral lenses for damaged corneas, contact lens wearers have more options than ever. However, not all contact lenses are created equal. Daily contacts are the best choice, according to Dr. Travis Thompson. This is because they help reduce the interaction of contacts and dry eye syndrome.
According to Dr. Thompson, “Daily disposable lenses are the absolute best option if you have any discomfort with contact lenses.” This is good news for one group that was surveyed by the CDC. They found that 99% of contact lens wearers in the survey had at least one habit that could raise their risk of an eye infection or inflammation.
Hygiene plays an important role when you wear contact lenses. You want to make sure that you:
- Handle them correctly
- Keep your storage case filled with contact solution
- Keep the case tightly closed with your lenses in it
- Replace your contact lens case every month
Cutting the slightest corner when caring for your contacts can increase your risk of infection or inflammation. Daily lenses also continue to collect deposits even if you clean them properly. This doesn’t help with dry eye symptoms, especially if airborne allergens stick to your contact lenses. They can worsen dryness and discomfort as they cling to your lenses.
Tears can also play an important role in your symptoms. Depending on the chemistry of your tears, hard-to-remove proteins and lipids can accumulate on your lenses. Bacteria, deposits, and other particles gather on your contact lenses over time. They make dry eye syndrome worse by increasing irritation and discomfort linked to wearing contacts. This makes it harder for tears to spread evenly across the surface of your eyes and provide relief.
Starting each day with a new pair of daily lenses will help eliminate the opportunity for any type of build-up. It also lets you off the hook if you tend to neglect caring for your contact lenses properly.
2. Choose the right solution
There are cases where a person may not be able to wear daily contact lenses. In other instances, a person may prefer to keep using their extended-wear lenses. Whatever the reason may be, using the right disinfecting solution is extremely important. Making the right choice is also essential for your contacts and dry eye syndrome.
According to Dr. Thompson, “Hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners like Clear Care are the best for getting proteins off the lenses and
making them the most comfortable.” He recommends avoiding store-brand solutions when suffering from dry eye. They can be of lower quality or incompatible with your lenses, degrading their quality, comfort, and clarity.
3. Choose the right eye drops
The selection of eye drops and artificial tears at your local drugstore is sure to send your head spinning. It doesn’t help that the wrong choice can make your dry eye worse, whether you wear contacts or not. In addition, not all eye drops are designed and approved to be used with contacts. This is an important factor for contacts and dry eye syndrome.
The preservatives can make symptoms of developing dry eyes worsen, such as stinging, burning, or watery eyes. As Dr. Thompson says, “The best drops for dryness with contact lenses are labeled as preservative-free artificial tears. The brand Refresh makes a few different kinds, and in my experience, they are the best.”
Choose Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical for Dry Eye Treatment
Hardin Valley Eyecare is the perfect choice for fighting the connection between contacts and dry eye syndrome. This is thanks to our use of advanced, FDA-approved Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy with the Lumenis OptiLIGHT device. It treats the root causes of dry eye, such as inflammation and Meibomian gland dysfunction. This supports long-lasting relief that goes beyond traditional treatments like artificial tears.
Our experienced optometrists do full eye exams. They create custom treatment plans for each patient. These plans may include IPL, prescription eye drops, lifestyle changes, and other therapies. We provide safe, non-invasive treatments right in the office. They cause little discomfort. The goal is better eye comfort and clearer vision in a local, trusted place.
The best option for contacts and dry eye syndrome is switching to daily contact lenses. They ensure that you get a fresh pair every 24 hours. If those aren’t an option, make sure that you’re using a high-quality solution to keep your lenses as clean as possible. Eye drops are a great option to keep your eyes hydrated. Opt for preservative-free artificial tears for the best results.
Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical has been serving Knoxville since 2009. Located at 10904 Spring Bluff Way, you can schedule an appointment online or give us a call at (865) 888-0892.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for comprehensiveness and new information.
