My contact lenses feel dry?

Question

i have been wearing contact lenses for around 3 years now but recenlty after around an hour of putting them in my eyes start to feel really dry and the lens feels uncomfortable and sort of picky in my eye. What is causing this?

Answer 1

I'm not a doctor but I have very dry eyes and am a contact lens wearer.

Protein builds up on your contact lenses after a while and makes the lenses harder to lubricate, to let your eyes "breathe", etc.  If you're looking at this building up over 3 years, that's very likely.

Your lens may just be drying out or your eyes may be drying out because of above.  If tears can't properly lubricate your eyes, this could cause discomfort.

It's also possible that your lens may be slightly torn or have a rip.  This can cause a prickly feeling in your eye.  You wouldn't even necessarily notice the tear while wearing.

I'd recommend:

1) going to an eye doctor to get a check up (I'd recommend going to somewhere that isn't a walmart or costco and asking the doctor specifics about your eyes)

2) possibly getting new lenses (I use two week disposables)

3) consider using theratears to lubricate your eyes during the day, celuvisc (sp?) at night, and taking flax seed oil and fish oil supplements to keep your tears nice and healthy.

But keep in mind, I'm not a doctor and this is friendly advice.

Answer 2

It's your body.  The contacts "drain" your eyes.  Your eyes can be comfortable for 16 hours in the wind and sun and rain. The minute you put in a contact lens, the eye's moisture is drained off into the contact. Even a "hard" contact will force the eye to produce extra moisture.

I was down to 1 hour a day with my contacts. Even when i switched to the ones that can be worn for a week (very thin) they were taking too much moisture.  Your eyes warn you when they are unhappy.  Listen to your body.

Maybe in 6 months, you will be able to wear the contacts 8 hours a day.  Maybe you have worn your last lens.  Time will tell.  Artificial drops are not the answer.

Answer 3

It might be time for new ones. Always keep a little bottle of solution with you. I f you keep your eyes open tooo long the air drys them.

Answer 4

It could be time to change them, it could be allergies (tis the season), it could be the solution you are using. When was the last time you changed them? What kind of solution are you using? What brand are you wearing? Some brands of contacts are better for people with dry eye issues. You can try lubricating drops, but if it's only an hour after your put them in, there is usually an underlying problem. When you put in drops, be sure to keep your head back, put a drop or two in each eye, pinch (gently) your tear ducts and allow the drops to absorb into your eye tissue for 30 seconds to a minute before you lower your head. If you just put them and let them run down your cheeks, they won't do your eyes any good and the are proven to do nothing for your cheeks.

Answer 5

You may just need to carry some eye drops with you.

It could be that your eyes are not producing enough tears.