Dry eyes and contacts

Question

starting last december my eyes began to get really infected

like they would turn red and itch and burn. at that time i was

wearing contact lenses and i began wearing them last summer.

they worked perfectly fine before. the optometrist told me i eye

was infected and that i should stop wearing the contacts until my

eye cured up and he gave me some medicated drops.

2-3 weeks later it cleared up and i went back to contacts again

and again, they got infected. i went back and he just told me

i can't wear them but he never told me why.

so then i went to my primary doctor at kaiser (the other one was

just a local optomitrist .) and she told me that i had dry eye syndrome

and that i had to put in drops. then in june

i wore my contacts again and put in drops like every 15-30 min.

for the first days it didn't get infected but one day at work

when i forgot to put in drops it got infected.

so pretty much my point is, does anyone have a problem like this?

like im going to the optometrist again and i want to know if

the contacts i have right now if theyre giving me the infection

and if i need to switch to some for people with dry eyes.

also how much are the contacts for dry eyes? like around. ?

p.s. i wear my glasses everyday. i have for a long time. but sports are coming up and swimming and such so its wierd. and im pretty much blind. not really but i have really bad vision.

Answer 1

Proclear is a good brand for dry eyes, they cost $37.50 a 6 pack at my office (price will vary depending on where you go). Also, the kind of solution you use can affect dry eyes, try Clear Care, but read ALL of the instructions and follow them perfectly, if you don't you are going to give yourself a nasty chemical burn, it will hurt, but not do any permanent damage to your eyes. Also, talk to your doctor about restasis, it's a new prescription eye drop that will help your eye produce more tears, so you are not dependent on eye drops your whole contact life.

Oh- and take fish oil supplements (or flax seed if you are a vegetarian like me!)

And yes, I hear about this all the time, you are not alone.  

Answer 2

I wear contacts and have dry eyes and eye allergies along with astigmatism.  (I use Accuvue Oasis Monthly lens.)  You have to be sure to wash your hands before doing anything with your lens or eyes.  Always rinse your lens with saline before putting it in your eye or in the storage case for the night.  Never use regular water.  Do not wear your lens while you sleep.  You might want to try a daily lens that is thrown away at the end of the day, or if you are using monthly lens be sure to only use them as long as you are supposed to.  Follow all directions regarding removing your lens before using any eye drops.  Most require you to take your lens out and then leave it out for a short time when you apply the drops.  

The reason you are getting infections is because bacteria is being introduced to your eye.  The only way for that to happen is by not washing your hands and not taking care of your lens storage properly.  Talk to your eye doctor about the proper care and length of time before you throw your lens away.  Also allergies cause your eye to become more sucesptible to infection with the increased blood flow and irritation.  Check into wether or not you have eye allergies and what medication is best for you and your type of lens.  There are many over the counter meds that work really well for allergies.  Also sinus allergies and infections can affect your eyes.  My daughter get a nasty discharge from her eyes every time she gets a sinus infection.  

Good luck.