Contact Lenses for Dry Eyes Prescribed by a Colorado Springs, CO Optometrist
Contact lenses are a popular choice for vision correction because of their convenience. However, people with dry eyes often can't wear them comfortably. However, Chapel Hills Vision Clinic, serving Colorado Springs, CO and the nearby region, offers lenses specifically for people who have dry eyes.
About Dry Eyes
Dry eyes occur when your eyes aren't hydrated properly. This condition either stems from improperly balanced tears or your body not producing enough tears. While it's more common as you age or if you're a woman, some people develop dry eyes after having LASIK eye surgery. Sometimes, medications you take for depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, or allergies will lead to you having dry eyes.
People who have dry eyes often experience burning or pain in their eyes. They may notice a stringy mucus building up in their eyes. In many cases, people who have dry eye notice that their eyes try to compensate for the dryness by producing excess fluid, which leads to increased tearing.
Prescribing Contacts for Dry Eyes
Before we prescribe contacts, we try to get to the underlying cause of your dry eyes. If this isn't possible, we recommend contacts that retain moisture better than a standard pair of contacts in order to optimize your comfort.
Special soft contacts are available for our patients who have dry eyes. These ones are known to retain moisture better than others. For instance, Bausch + Lomb Ultra lenses are made from a hydrogel formula. This allows theses lenses to keep the moisture inside of them. The manufacturer claims the moisture in these lenses lasts for up to 16 hours. Many other brands offer the same type of design, and we pair you with the type that keeps in moisture in your particular prescription. We even have brands that attract water in addition to maintaining it. Silicone-based hydrogel lenses are another type that holds moisture well. We advise all patients who have dry eyes to use daily lenses, so they're continuously having fresh lenses in their eyes each day.
Another option is scleral lenses, which have a larger diameter. The larger size inhibits your eyes from drying out as much. Depending on your vision problems, they may optimize your vision better. Ortho-K lenses are gas-permeable, and you wear them overnight. They correct your eye's shape while you sleep, and then you take them out in the morning. Therefore, you don't have to contend with discomfort during the day.
