Dealing with dry eyes can be a frustrating experience, especially if you rely on contact lenses for clear vision. Wearing contact lenses that are incompatible with your ocular health and visual needs can aggravate dry eye symptoms.
Fortunately, several contact lens options are available that aim to provide comfort for dry eye sufferers, including:
- Soft Daily Disposable Lenses
- Silicone Hydrogel Lenses
- Scleral Contact Lenses
Understanding Dry Eyes
Dry eye disease is a common chronic condition where your eyes don’t obtain the moisture required to keep the eye’s surface lubricated. Tears play an important role in maintaining eye health and providing clear vision. When the tear film becomes unstable, we experience dryness, discomfort, irritation, and sometimes blurry vision.
The severity of dry eyes can range from a mild annoyance to a serious issue impacting daily activities and overall quality of life. While many experience periodic dry eye symptoms, for some, the condition can lead to more significant complications, including eye infections or damage to the cornea if left untreated.
The sensation of dry eyes can vary between individuals, but common symptoms of dry eyes include:
- Redness
- Blurry vision
- Gritty or sandy feeling in the eye
- Feeling as if there’s something in the eyes
- Excessive tearing to compensate for dryness
There are two main types of dry eye disease:
- Aqueous Tear-deficient Dry Eye: This type occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough of the watery component of tears.
- Evaporative Dry Eye: Where deficiencies in the oil glands along the eyelids reduce necessary oil secretion to prevent tear evaporation, resulting in tears evaporating too quickly from the eye’s surface.
Dry eyes can develop from several factors, including:
- Certain medications
- Environmental factors
- Tear gland dysfunction
- Prolonged contact lens wear
Having dry eyes can lead to various adverse effects on both eye health and vision. When tear production is insufficient or of poor quality, it can result in inflammation and irritation of the surface of the eye, leading to discomfort and a persistent feeling of dryness.
Therefore, managing dry eyes is necessary not only for comfort but also for preserving long-term eye health and good vision.
How Contact Lenses Affect Dry Eyes
For those who experience chronic dry eye symptoms, wearing contact lenses comfortably can be a challenge.
Wearing contacts that are incompatible with the severity of your dry eyes can lead to further discomfort and exacerbate symptoms of dryness. Since contact lenses are designed to rest directly on the eye’s surface, on the cornea, the flow of oxygen to the eye becomes restricted, preventing the natural tear film from stabilizing.
Plus, contact lenses can absorb tear moisture, further drying out the eye’s surface. When the eye’s surface becomes severely dry, lenses can stick to the corneal surface, causing further irritation and discomfort.
Contacts can also trap heat and moisture against the eye, leading to increased evaporation of the tear film. This evaporation is particularly pronounced with certain lens materials that are less breathable, further limiting oxygen delivery to the cornea and heightening discomfort.
Additionally, lenses can create a barrier that restricts the natural spread of tears when you blink, further reducing lubrication. When contacts are worn around environmental triggers like prolonged screen use that can exacerbate dry eyes, these triggers can cause the lens to absorb moisture from the tears that are already in short supply.
However, despite the various ways contacts can exacerbate dry eyes, having dry eyes doesn’t mean that you have to give up wearing contacts. Advances in contact lens technology have led to the development of contact lenses that are suitable for dry eye sufferers. The key is finding the contact lens type that is suitable for your specific visual and ocular needs.
Best Contact Lenses for Dry Eyes
Fortunately, several contact lens options are available for those with dry eyes, providing wearers with comfort and hydration. To discover which contact lens option is most compatible with your needs, visit your optometrist for a contact lens fitting.
Soft Daily Disposable Lenses
Soft daily disposable lenses are particularly beneficial for individuals with dry eyes due to how frequently they’re replaced.
By using a fresh pair of lenses each day, individuals drastically reduce the risk of irritation from buildup caused by tears, oils, and environmental contaminants that can be found in reusable soft contact lenses.
Plus, daily soft contact lenses also discourage individuals from overwearing their contact lenses for 10+ hours or sleeping in their contacts, which can further irritate sensitive eyes.
Silicone Hydrogel Lenses
Silicone hydrogel lenses stand out due to their exceptional oxygen permeability.
By allowing more oxygen to reach the cornea, these lenses prevent dryness and irritation that is often exacerbated by wearing traditional hydrogel lenses. These lenses’ moisture retention properties also help to keep the eyes hydrated throughout the day, providing comfort for extended wear.
Plus, these lenses’ thin design enhances tear film stability by reducing friction during blinking.
Scleral Contact lenses
Scleral contact lenses are hard gas-permeable lenses that offer a unique solution for severe dry eyes. Unlike traditional contact lenses, they’re larger in diameter, allowing them to rest comfortably on the sclera and vault over the cornea.
By vaulting over the cornea, a fluid reservoir is created between the lens and the eye, providing a constant source of moisture to the eye. Meanwhile, the lenses shield the corneal surface from environmental irritants that can aggravate dryness and help maintain a stable moisture level.
These lenses are a great option for those experiencing severe dry eyes or for those with corneal irregularities.
Schedule a Contact Lens Fitting
Experiencing dry eyes isn’t ideal, but it shouldn’t have to stop individuals from exploring contact lenses. Fortunately, soft daily disposable contacts, silicone hydrogel lenses, and scleral contact lenses offer options for those who suffer from dry eye disease.
Connect with our team at Tutt Street Optometry Clinic to schedule a contact lens fitting to discover which contact lens option is most suitable for your unique ocular needs.
