Dry eye syndrome is a common condition where you don’t produce enough tears, leading to irritation, burning, and blurred vision. Wearing contact lenses can make these symptoms worse since they may disrupt the tear film and reduce moisture. This increases your risk of dryness and discomfort.
Fortunately, there are solutions. As Dr. Travis Thompson explains, you can significantly reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome and its symptoms by following a few easy steps:
- Choose daily lenses
- Choose the right solution
- Choose the right drops
3 Tips for Contacts and Dry Eye Syndrome
Contacts can cause or worsen dry eye syndrome, leading to irritation and discomfort. You can manage these symptoms with daily lenses and hydrogen peroxide-based cleaning solutions. You should opt for preservative-free artificial tears. Proper hygiene and smart product choices are key to maintaining comfort and eye health for contact lens wearers.
1. Choose Daily Lenses
From extended-wear to daily disposable lenses, there are more types of contact lenses available today than ever before. However, not all lenses are created equal. As Dr. Thompson explains, dailies are the best choice for reducing dryness and other forms of discomfort.
Dr. Thompson says:
Daily disposable lenses are the absolute best option if you have any discomfort with contact lenses.
Hygiene plays an important role in wearing them. You want to make sure that you:
- Handle them correctly
- Keep your storage case filled with\solution
- Keep the case tightly closed with your lenses in them
- Replace your lens case every few months
Cutting even the slightest corner when caring for your contacts can increase your risk of infection or inflammation. In fact, the CDC found that 99% of those who wore lenses had at least one hygiene behavior that increased their risk of an infection or inflammation.
Reusable lenses also continue to collect debris even if you clean them properly. This doesn’t help with symptoms of dry eye syndrome, especially if you suffer from airborne allergens that can stick 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. These, along with other bacteria and deposits, build up on your contact lenses over time. 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, such as an allergy. In other instances, you may prefer to keep using your 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 like Equate or similar products. They can be of lower quality or incompatible with your lenses, degrading their quality, comfort, and clarity.
3. Choose the Right 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 dryness worse, whether you wear contacts or not. In addition, not all drops are designed and approved to be used with contacts.
The preservatives in many options can make symptoms of stinging, burning, or tearing worse. As Dr. Thompson explains:
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.
Advanced Dry Eye Treatment in Knoxville, Tennessee
Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical offers advanced dry eye treatment. We use the Lumenis OptiLIGHT Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, the only FDA-approved IPL device for dryness. It targets the underlying causes of dry eye, specifically the dysfunction of meibomian glands.
IPL works by delivering gentle light pulses to the eyelids, which help to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Unclog blocked glands
- Improve tear film stability
IPL therapy provides long-lasting relief beyond traditional artificial tears or prescription drops. The treatment is non-invasive, safe, and typically well-tolerated. It includes personalized plans tailored to your needs for optimal results.
Come to Hardin Valley Eyecare & Optical For Dryness
Hardin Valley Eyecare offers comprehensive solutions for people who wear contact lenses. If you suffer from dry eye or experience lenses that are dried out, we can recommend options based on your specific needs.
These include silicone hydrogels for more oxygen, helping maintain comfort and healthy tear films when they’re being worn. Our team also suggests proper lens care systems, such as multipurpose or hydrogen peroxide solutions. These help to reduce irritation and prevent complications for lens wearers.
For dryness, we offer daily lenses or specialized treatment options to maximize comfort and vision health.
Contact lenses can worsen dry eye. Relief is possible with daily disposable lenses and hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners. Preservative-free artificial tears are also a great source of relief. Proper hygiene and professional guidance help maintain comfort and healthy vision. Advanced treatments like IPL therapy also offer long-term relief from persistent dryness.
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.
