Contact lens wearers have long suffered from dry eyes, however dry eyes do not have to be a symptom you live with. There are many solutions to erasing the problem that allow you to enjoy wearing your contact lenses instead of dreading it.
Dry eyes can occur for a variety of reasons, some which may be attributable to contact wear and others can develop for other reasons. If it’s a result of contact wear or overwork, you can simply switch lenses or wear your lenses for shorter periods of time. However, if you have dry eye syndrome or an eye disease, your doctor probably has more suggestions for you.
First, you should determine the cause of the problem. Is it environmental factors, related to contact wear, or something else? Once you know what you have you will better be able to treat it.
Artificial tears are often time the best remedy for dry eyes. Artificial tears are simply lubricating drops that will alleviate the scratchiness and dryness. The wonderful thing about artificial tears is you can use them as often as you like and they are easy to carry. If for some reason artificial tears do not work for you, then you probably need something stronger like Restasis drops. These drops help more than artificial tears because they actually stimulate your eye to produce more tears. When your eye has more tears you have less scratchiness and dryness.
If your dry eye problem is caused by the environment then there are several precautions you can take. First, use a humidifier indoors if the air is drying your eyes out and always wear sunglasses outside to reduce sunlight and debris.
If your dry eye problem still persists, you might need plugs to reduce your tears evaporating so quickly or eye duct surgery. Some optometrists have also found there are supplements available that contain fatty acids that protect against dry eyes.
Regardless of why you have dry eyes, talk with your optometrist to make sure you are handling the dry eye situation as best as possible.