For any medical device there will always be a fine balancing act that has to be achieved, and this will involve a careful weighing up of the lesser of the two evils. If the benefits of the medical device (whatever it maybe) happens to outweigh the risks (both actual and potential) then the device will (usually) be used. Sometimes however the risks and or side effects are inevitable and must therefore be duly prepared for in order to minimise their actual severity.
A common misconception about contact lenses focuses around the issue of contact lenses and dry eyes. One particularly prevalent myth is that all hard contact lenses will automatically cause dryness of the eyes as well as irritation. This is something of a fallacy although an extremely understandable one given that there is actually a grain of truth present. In order to more adequately explain this, we will need to review what actually causes irritation and infection of the eyes.
Our eyes product tears in the tear ducts in order to wash away any impurities and debris that accumulate within them, and in order to achieve this, the eyes need oxygen. Hard contact lenses tend to block the passage of oxygen into the eye and this as a result causes irritation and infection.
One of the most straightforward ways of resolving the lenses and dry eyes issue is by making use of soft lenses instead. Soft contact lenses are specially designed to allow greater volumes of oxygen into the eye and this is typically achieved by the materials typically used to create them which are usually very lightweight and porous as well.
Please note however that not everyone will be a suitable candidate for these particular types of lenses.