What causes Contact Lenses Discomfort?

What causes Contact Lenses Discomfort?

Contact lens discomfort may occur for a few reasons. In order for contact lenses to work the way they’re supposed to, it’s important for us to care for them properly, follow the maintenance and replacement schedule. These guidelines help to keep your eyes healthy and comfortable in contact lenses. If they’re not followed, problems with vision, comfort and other safety issues may occur.

You should be alert if these following problems occur:

• Eyes stinging, burning, itching (irritation), or eye pain
• Less comfortable when lens was placed on the eye
• Abnormal feeling of something in the eye (foreign body, scratched area)
• Excessive watering (tearing) of the eyes
• Unusual eye secretions
• Redness
• Reduced sharpness of vision (poor visual acuity)
• Blurred vision, rainbows, or halos around objects
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Dry eyes

If you notice any of theses symptoms:

Remove your lenses.

If the discomfort or problem stops, then look closely at the lens. If the lens is damaged in any way, do not put the lens back on your eye. If the lens has dirt, an eyelash, or other foreign body on it, or the problem stops and the lens appears undamaged, you should thoroughly clean, rinse, and disinfect the lenses; then reinsert them. After reinsertion, if the problem continues, you should immediately remove the lenses and consult your eye care professional.

When any of the above problems occur, a serious condition such as infection, corneal ulcer, neovascularization, or iritis may be present. You should keep the lens off your eye and seek professional help and prompt treatment to avoid eye damage.

Ensure that you clean your lenses after each use. This make sure that your lenses stay comfortable and your eyes stay healthy.

Poor Fit

Your eye care professional should perform a few measurements to make sure that your contact lens is well-fitting.

Symptoms: Feeling a foreign object in the eye, slight pain or irritation, redness, fluctuations in vision

Treatment: Contact your eye care professional – they will reexamine your eyes and lens selection to give you a better fit. This is important, as improperly fit lenses may cause surface abrasions to the cornea.

Contact Lens Associated Dry Eyes

People with dry eyes may not produce enough tears to keep eyes moist and lubricated. This creates discomfort when they wear contact lenses. Dry eyes may be inherent (associated with a number of medical conditions), or acquired (linked with risk factors such as smoking, computer use, caffeine, certain medications, and more).

Symptoms: Tired eyes, dry eyes, and discomfort

Treatments: Get a lubricating/rewetting solution for your use. Moisturize your soft contact lenses to soothe your eyes and minimize lens dryness and discomfort while wearing them with a lubricating and rewetting drop. Find a drop that’s compatible with your contact lenses.

Environmental Allergens

Your eyes may become irritated when there are large amounts of environmental allergens. These allergens can stick to the surface of lenses, causing irritation for the wearer.

Symptoms: Redness, irritation, dryness

Treatments: Frequent cleaning is crucial to remove any buildup that may occur on lenses. If problems persist, switching to a daily disposable modality can provide a fresh pair of lenses every day. If it’s seasonal allergies that are affecting your eyes, be sure to remove your contact lenses before using an eye drop that isn’t specifically intended for use with contact lenses and wait 15-20 minutes before inserting your lenses.

Underlying Conditions

Irritation in your eyes may not come from your contact lenses. If your eyes become red, swollen, or if you experience discharge, you should contact an eye care professional. Your symptoms may be a result of infection, or underlying disease and should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. You should not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection or while using certain topical eye medications.

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