Sunday, December 21, 2008

Contact lense dry, irritate and itch my eyes?

I have never been able to wear contact lenses comfortably. I am 38 now and ive been struggling with them on and off since I was 16. Nowadays I use Baush and Lomb soft disposables, and wear them just for 2-4 hrs every other day or so, when I go out.
If I wear them longer, or god forbid wear them on the comp, my eyes just swll up, and feel itchy and heavy and dry.
I probably need good water hydrated ones, but bear in mind nothing has worked. It would be great to get a solution, because I look like a jackass in spectacles.

Probably you're suffering from the dry eyes.
Apply artificial tear drops as required.
Use humidifiers in your home, especially if you have central heating.
Drink plenty of fluids to keep the body well hydrated. Just pure water, avoid coffee and soft drinks.
Try to blink your eyes often to produce more tears especially when you are concentrating on a task.
Try to avoid fumes, dust and smoke which can irritate your eyes.
Try not to rub your eyes as this may make them sore.
Wear wrap-around sunglasses outdoors to stop the wind drying your eyes too quickly.
when you wear your contacts, use a "wet solution " to keep your eyes more hyrated, and less irritated.
Take fish oil supplements - 1000 mg, 3/day.
Evening primrose oil: 500 mg, 3/ day.

Its probably that you have dry eye syndrome - my optician described it thus: When you wear contact lenses, your eyes dry out quicker, meaning that your eyes have to produce more tears to keep your eyes lubricated - but they are only able to do this for a certain period, and then they get 'tired', hence contact lens wearers usually get dry eyes after wearing their lenses for extended periods of time. I use the Bausch and Lomb soflens 66's, and find i get the same issues - i can wear mine for a bit longer than you, but they are still terribly uncomfortable and make my eyes red, itchy and very dry. I believe they are of a fairly high water content, so can make already dry eyes worse. I'd suggest trialing one of the new types of silicone hydrogel lenses, which are supposed to be very good for oxygen permeation, or else trying lenses with a LOWER water content. There are a few now that are supposed to be good:
Acuvue advance, Purevision, Proclear, Acuvue moist and Acuvue Oaysys.
Can't hurt but try, can it? You never know, you may find your ideal lenses by trying out a few!

When I take my contact lenses out, there is a film on them. What is that and how can I make them more comfy?

I am constantly putting rewetting drops in my eyes and the contacts stay wet - I know this because I don't get any halos around lights like I do when they got dry. But, throughout the day I become more and more conscious of them being in my eyes and when I take them out, they stick to themselves when folded and there is a strange film on them almost like what your fingerprint leaves... but when I rub the lens with my finger, the film doesn't move or change...
What is that film? Could it be from the rewetting drops? What can I do to make the lenses more comfortable?
I have a very high prescription (-12.5, -14.00) and have tried Focus Monthly's, O2Optix, and CooperVision's Proclear and the same thing happens with all three brands... I have tried different rewetting drops as well (Bauch & Laum for sensitive eyes, Blink, Clear Care, Optifree, as well as a prescription drop), but I have found that many of them sting, burn, or itch. I have only not had a problem with the Complete rewetting drops.
I am new to wearing contact lenses, so could the increasing discomfort during the day be because my eyes are not used to wearing them? My optometrist says we have pretty much run out of options, but I can see so much better with the contacts! I don't want to give up!!!

You really have tried about everything. I was going to mention switching to a non-ionic (protein resistant) material like ProClear--I would definitley stick with this material because it''s great for dryness, is deposit resistant and comes in a very wide power range. I would also keep using the Clear Care--by far the best system for cleaning and reduces chances of solution sensitivity--sounds like you have a pretty good eye doc for trying all these.....one thing though, you mentioned you still use re-wet drops which says to me your eyes ARE dry but also if you always have a film and your contact moves when you blink--you may have GPC-- a condition where the papillae under the upper eye lid get irritated from contact lens wear, the papillae secrete a sticky mucous that catches your lens every time you blink, makes your eyes feel dry and causes your lenses to gunk up. Get the doc to flip your eyelids inside out to check--if you have it, steroid drops and taking out your lenses for like 1-2 weeks will help but it could return if you don't clean your lenses well or wear them too long.
you don't mention your age but chances are you do actually have "clinically" dry eyes-- I would actually visit with an ophthalmologist
(MD) and they can prescribe drops that are proven to help dryness called "Restasis", also you may need something called "punctal plugs" which plug up the tear ducts so your tear fluid doesn't drain as quickly.
Worse case scenario--you may just not be a candidate for contact lenses--- there is a small percent who just cannot wear comfortably.

The film is most likely eye mucus (the stuff you get if you have hay fever or allergies - the stuff eye "bogie's" are made of when you wake up in the morning).
Your eyes are irritated by a foreign body resting upon them, so they produce a residue to soften and protect. This is the film that you are seeing over your contact lens.
This stuff can blur your vision while you wear the contact lens. Blinking helps to remove the blur.

Using the drops is watering down this residue and causing it to cling to your contact lens. Unfortunately, this is necessary - dry eyes can get damaged by a dry contact lens.

I would suggest reducing the wear of your contact lens for a little while, and slowly building up the time. As a rule I wouldn't suggest any more than 8 hours use in one sitting.

I also suggest experimenting with the various ranges of soft contact lens. Some absorb less moisture from your eye. In the past I used contact lens you could sleep in. They were more porous than usual contacts. I didn't sleep in them very often, but they made my eyes less dry.

Contacts are great, but some people don't like the way they feel. they aren't for everyone. When i first started using them it was quite irritating, but after 6 months it was very natural. I always had problems with a mucus film, but this was only when my eyes were tired or I had allergies.

The real problem I found with contacts was the abuse I used to give my eyes when I'd take them out or put them in.

Stick at it for a few months, just reduce the wear slightly and make sure your eyes are fully awake when you put them in. I would also suggest other options. Specsavers do a nice selection of contacts - there are many about and big brands aren't neccessarily best.

Be warned of opticians. Many of them don't wear or need glasses - this is something I've always found hard to understand. How can they know what it's like if they don't have that in common with you? Know your own body.

Contact Lense infection.

k im using 30 nights and days contact lenses and i didnt remove them from my eyes for 30 days it is about 6 months that when i remove my contact lense my eyes itch and i feel pain around my eyes but when i put my contact lenses in my eyes all thing return to normal do i have infection please help...it is about 9 hours that i have this problem
It sounds like an infection. A friend of mine did the same thing and went to the doctor. They gave him some medication for his eyes and he had to wear glasses for a week until the eyes cleared up.

Your eyes are probably just really used to having the contacts on. That happens with me, and I only wear them during the day (although I wouldn't say i feel PAIN). You should talk to your doctor just to be safe...maybe you do have an infection.
Personal opinion: Give your eyeballs a chance to breathe...wear regular daytime only contacts. I know they say those 30 day ones are breathable, but only to an extent really.
I use the same contacts. Once a week you are supposed to remove them, and sleep without them. I have also done the same as you, and did end up with an infection.
Go to the doctor. They will give you drops for your eyes (to treat the infection) and new contacts. Do not continue to wear the contacts that are in your eyes.

Contact lens infection?
I fell asleep wearing my colored contact lenses on the plane. When I removed my lenses, I was already wearing them for over 12 hours. my eyes were red and I was unable to keep them open. They don't itch and there is no discharge but they hurt when I try to keep them open for longer than a few seconds.
I tried spalshing them wih cold water and using cold milk over my eyes but nothing seems to be working. Please help. It's hurting a lot and I just want to be able to use my eyes normally.

You'll be okay. The reason your eyes hurt is because when you sleep, your eyes reduce the amount of tears they make, which means your contacts dry out while they're in your eyes. The dry contacts rub against your eyes, causing irritation. This isn't an infection.
You should take your lenses out of your eyes for about 24 hours to let your eyes rest. Try not to sleep with your lenses in. An over the counter painkiller will help you feel better also.

i have colored contacts and one i fell asleep but thats happended but to only one eye. i wore my glasses for a couple days and it got better. dry visine. leave our contacts out for a couple days

What is the limit for contact lenses?

I am currently 18 and have a script of 6.75 (short sighted). I was told that this was really bad for my age which was strange because i dont use the computer very much, although i do study. Anyways, was wondering what was the upper limit for contact lenses because i have another 5 years to graduation and with all the studying, my eyes can only deteriorate more.
Oh, sorry for being ambiguous. I meant how bad can my script get before contact lenses no longer caters for my shortsightedness

Do you mean how old do you have to be to get them? Or how old can you be before you have to stop using them?
Ok, well i don't know about that but wearing glasses or contacts may help improve your eyes a little bit or at least keep your sight at the same level.
Ask your optician next time you go they'll be able to answer any questions and don't worry about sounding daft when you ask questions, if you don't ask you don't learn do you!

You can get Acuvue Oasys up to -12.00. Some contact lens manufacturers will custom-make soft contacts in higher prescriptions, but it will cost more.
And if you're willing to go with RGP lenses, you can pretty much get those in any prescription that you could get glasses in (though I'm told they might not be comfortable past about -20.00)...
Most likely, your eyes will not deteriorate past that point though, especially if you are 18 and only a -6.75 now. A friend of mine was a -6.50 by the third grade and his eyes leveled off around -9.00 (He wears contacts too).
Also, your prescription will be lower with contacts than it will be with glasses. I'm a -6.50 for contacts or a -7.25 for glasses. This is because the distance of the correction from your eye changes the strength you need.
However, if you get past that point, you can always get LASIK...

Do you mean how high can prescriptions go? standard contacts usually go to -12 and then there are some brands that offer extended range(usually special order) that go higher than that. Near sightedness has nothing to do with age or eye strain, but you should consider a pair of glasses to give your eyes a break from your contact lenses.

How long am i allowed to wear daily contact lenses?

I have recently started using daily disposable contact lenses and was wondering how long i am allowed to wear them for.
You should start of gradually ...ie only for a couple of hours a day at the start then build up to all day ...........
Do not leave them in after a drunken night out ...I did once not good believe me.
Confirm with your local opticians for the best advise.

The idea of the daily wear lenses is for the convenience of not having to buy solution to clean and store them.
So, if you are going to do that anyway by wearing them longer than a day, why don't you get the 2 week disposables instead. It would be a lot cheaper than the daily wear.
You are defeating the purpose of a daily wear lens, so why pay for them. Daily lenses are the most expensive way to go.

I've been using Focus Dailies for a long time now. I have worn them for close to a whole day, but I do not recommend it. By that point your eyes will get dry and the contacts might fall out. I usually wear them from 7am to 10pm or so...you just have to find out what is comfortable for you. But when you first get the contacts, you need to start out wearing them for 3-4 hours, then each day wear them an hour longer so your eyes can adjust.

You can wear them for as many hours as you like - just take them out before you go to bed and throw them away.
If your eyes start to get really dry and drops don't help, it's time to take them out.

How to put in contact lenses for a beginner?

I got contact lenses a couple of days ago and when the doctor was teaching me to put them in I learned right away and put them in easily. But the next morning I couldn't put them in!!! Its so stressful and I need to learn how to do it fast because the first day of school is in about 6 days and field hockey tryouts are on the first day and I cant play with my glasses on because they ALWAYS fall off my face!
Use the same technique that you learned in the doctors office. I am sure it is correct. The reason they went in so easy the first time is probably because your eyes were dilated. When my eyes are that way my contact go in right away. Everyone is different and it will only take time. For me personally I know that I will always have a hard time getting the right contact in, so I do that one second because I don't want to get my left eye all watery before I even put a contact near it. I also have a slight twitch in my one eye. And for that I have to hold the contact lense a different way. It will only come with time. Try practicing. Try to put them in, three different times a day, but once you have them in keep them in for atleast an hour. This way your eyes will have a chance to adjust to them and you will get used to putting them in. If you get so frustrated that you are getting mad, then step away and try again later. It will only make it harder if you angry.

You need to sit in front of a mirror and practice. Make sure your hands and contacts are clean. It will take a couple of weeks for your eyes to get use to them. When I first got contacts, it could take me 30 minutes in the morning to get them both in! Don't worry, it gets better, but it takes time!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Will I lose my contact lenses on a rollercoaster?

I haven't been to an amusement park since getting my contact lenses, but I'm going in a few weeks. There are some pretty good rollercoasters there and I plan to ride them. Will I lose my contacts from the wind force? I'd take them out while there, but I can't see a thing without them.
you can loose your lunch, you can loose your hat but not your contacts. i sometimes wear contact and its perfectly fine. the only thing is make sure you take eye drops. because of the wind (due to the speed of the coaster) your eyes could get dry. other than that you are fine. i have never even lost glasses when i have been on coaster... although i always had them strapped in so that might be why.
Not if you keep them properly moisturized. I keep my rewetting drops in my pocket when I go to amusement parks just in case they get a little dry.The only coaster I have ever been on where I felt the edge of my contact starting to flutter was Millennium Force at Cedar Point. It reaches 93 mph and doesn't slow down for anything. I closed my eye for a couple seconds and it was fine for the rest of the ride.

same i wear contacts and i have done the craziest thing with them on going swimming with it on and sleeping all night with it

ive been to 6 flags a bunch and times and it will not fall off...unless its the hard onesand i am totally blind without them

It is possible. I've lost a contact on a Cedar Point roller coaster. It's only happened once, though. Now I just pack an extra pair just in case, but haven't lost another one.

I think you should be ok, I wear my contacts safely. Although it might not hurt to throw an extra/spare contact in your bag just in case.

I didnt, they can get a little dry, bring drops and an extra set of contacts just in case, but you'll be fine.

How many hours should I be wearing my contact lenses?

Hi guys,got my first contact lenses today. I think the doc said 8 hours. Does it matter if I go two hours over time? These are daily contacts and I don't have any drops..
not really i got my contacts last year and i wore them the frist day for like 7 hrs and by the next week i was wearing em from like 8:30-11:30 at nite :) it doesn't really matter if u feel them like coming out or sticking to your eyes rewett them with re-wetting drops or just take em out and use your glasses :)
I would take the advice of your dR. It takes your eyes a while to get use to wearing lenses for the first time. Your eyes can get dried out and sore if worn too long . It pro bally won't hurt you going a little past 8hr. but really should be a gradual process approx.2weeks till your eyes get use to them. Never sleep in them however. Mt dr. told me one girl did so and eventually went blind .. so be very careful & to prevent burning wash hands rinse extra well before putting in and when removing.

Is there any way to keep a pair of one day contact lenses useable for two days?
I used a pair of one day contact lenses today but now I don't have any more left for tomorrow!I can't get any from the opticians cos they're all sold out so I've ordered them and they're coming on Wednesday.My question is though, is there any way I can preserve the lenses overnight so I can wear them tomorrow?

Not a good idea to reuse or extend a 1 day lens. Just wear your glasses until the contacts come in (and if you dont have glasses you should make that a priority). The lenses are only approved for 1 day use. No, even with cleaning fluid, they break down after a while. Have you ever noticed how much softer and weaker they feel when you take them out at the end of the day?
Just place them in the cleaning solution. Just promise to throw them away after your second use. It is not healthy to reuse a one day disposable contact lenses.

What are the safety rules for contact lenses ?

Ok so im getting my contact lenses soon and i was wondering what are the things that i should stay away from ; safety rules ?

find the only thing that causes trouble is bits of dust, dirt or eyelashes getting in your eye. Normally they get flushed out by blinking but with lenses in they can get stuck on the edge of the lens and pushed under your eyelid, where they cause soreness and potentially infection. If you feel something go in your eye don't be tempted to leave it - take the lens out and rinse it. Be careful in situations where there is a lot of dust or other stuff flying about - wear sunglasses in dusty conditions and use goggles when doing DIY.

If your eye feels sore, leave the lens out if you can. You will probably find you can get by with only one.

Also, you should always rinse the lens with saline after you have touched the inside surface, never put it straight in your eye.

What is the maximum amount of time one is allowed to wear daily contact lenses?
For Focus Dailies (All Day Comfort) Contact Lenses, what is the maximum amount of time one is allowed to wear these daily contact lenses per day ( - b4 disposing them)? - what is the limit?

Although I DONT RECOMMEND IT, I've worn the dailies for up to 3 months and I've worn 2-week disposables up to 6 months - BUT that is with taking them out every night and using a daily cleaner daily and a protein remover tablet weekly. Be very careful though. Keep them clean and if you see any impurity that will not come off or if it tears, get new ones!!!

If you are near sighted do contact lenses distort your near vision?

I am thinking about getting contact lenses. I have terrible far-sight but my near sight is good and when I wear glasses they distort my near vision so bad that I have to take my glasses off when I am stepping off a curb, say or reading. But this is fairly easy to do with glasses, do contacts also do this? If I wear contacts to correct my far vision will it distort my good near vision?
I can't see a thing at a distance, but I can read the tiniest writing on the chart up close. I wear contacts and they do not bother my near vision at all. Neither do my glasses. You wouldn't happen to have bifocals would you? I hear they can cause what you are discribing... if not, I would see a new eye doctor.. because I don't have any of those problems.
When you cannot see far away, you are near-sighted (your near sight is good); when you cannot see close you are far-sighted. Yes, contacts will correct your vision so you can see far things, but you might not be able to see close-up so well. I had lasik surgery done to correct my far vision, but then I needed reading glasses, which was ok with me because I'd rather be able to see far. once, I lost my glasses and spent hours feeling my way around a room trying to find them. That's when I decided to have the surgery.

That's interesting that your glasses do that, since (when I wore glasses) I never had trouble with my near-vision. I can only assume that you have a pretty strong perscription for that to occur.
Consult your opthamologist; I'm fairly certain the same principle that makes contacts work is the same as the one that makes glasses work (essentially acting as an artificial cornea), so it's possible that the same perscription could do the same thing with contacts.

Are you around, or over 40 years of age? This could be presbyopia--a natural part of aging where the lens in the eye starts to harden up and is no longer capable of rack focusing--changing from near to far focus through single vision lenses. When most people first start to experience this, they can no longer read, and usually have to move into bifocal, or progressive eyeglasses, or bifocal or multifocal contact lenses. All of these options for presbyopic eyes have disadvantages, and you should research them or talk to your doctor about what these are if presbyopia is now an issue for you...
However, if you are not at that age, and this is not presbyopia, then you have been given a prescription that is too strong, or you may have astigmatism that was under Rx'd, or mis-Rx'd. All of these are factors that allow for glasses and contacts to give great distance vision, but blurry close vision to the younger eye--and this is an unacceptable situation for healthy younger eyes.
I'm not sure how old your prescription is, but if it's not too old, march back to your doctor and let me them know that this is not working. Most doctors stand behind their exams to this extent. If you are younger than 30-something and have healthy eyes, you should have no problems changing focus from near to far with properly prescribed vision correction lenses of any sort. You may not have the incredible stellar distance vision you have now with over Rx'd spherical ratings--but, with a proper prescription you will have very good distance vision, AND be able to see near and intermediate as well (and you should rarely have to remove your glasses).
I'm not sure how old your prescription is, but if it's not too old, march back to your doctor and let me them know that this is not working. Most doctors stand behind their exams to this extent. If you are younger than 30-something and have healthy eyes, you should have no problems changing focus from near to far with properly prescribed vision correction lenses of any sort. You may not have the incredible stellar distance vision you have now with over Rx'd spherical ratings--but, with a proper prescription you will have very good distance vision, AND be able to see near and intermediate as well (and you should rarely have to remove your glasses).
You really do need to discuss this with a qualified doctor--there could be reasons you have lost the elasticity in your eye's lenses (most notably presbyopia as mentioned), or you may just need a more "tweaked" prescription that will allow you to see both far and near in single vision lenses.
I went through the same thing a few months ago--my first doctor assumed I was presbyopic by my 40-something age and over-shot my eyeglass prescription that made everything near, within 4 feet, very blurry; but a month later when being fitted for contacts by a much more experienced OD, she discovered that I had against-the-rule lenticular astigmatism, and gave me a much different prescription for glasses and contacts that have allowed me to see excellent both near and far with single vision lenses (for at least a few more years until I truly turn presbyopic).