Health and Fitness

For those who have dry eyes wearing contacts can be difficult. With healthy eyes, tears will always form a layer below your lenses. If this layer begins to dry out, the lenses will start to feel very dry. This will be be very irritating, uncomfortable, and can cause you to rub your eyes which will only cause more irritation.

Although lenses may be one reason for dry eyes, there are other causes as well, including your natural level of tear production.  People vary in the amount of tears they produce and as we age, our ability to produce tears can decrease.

Your environment could also play a part.  If your job entails you working in a dirty environment, or or one where the air is full of dust, your eyes may well become too dry. Spending  along time in these kinds of situations will make the problem worse.  Exposure for a few hours may be enough to cause you to remove your contact lenses as the dryness causes so much irritation.

There are however, contact lenses which can can make dryness worse. A majority of lenses are produced of polymers and water, many being more than 50% water. The lens may feel moist and comfortable when first inserted, once in your eyes the water begins to dry out. As this occurs, the contact will draw moisture from the tears in your eyes, resulting in less tears and dry eyes.

As dryness is such a common problem for the majority of people who wear contact lenses, contact lens manufacturers are always working to create contact lenses that are comfortable to use for longer periods. The most common cause of irritation is dry eyes, and one of the main reasons why some people give up wearing lenses and go back to spectacles to correct their vision.

Acuvue Oasys are one of the more popular makes of contact lenses. Although they are fairly new, they have quickly become popular as they are specially made for anyone who spends a lot of time in a dry environment. These lenses incorporate a special agent for re-wetting purposes, which enables the contact lens to remain moist, even when you are not producing adequate tears.  These are daily lenses which should be soaked overnight in solution and must be replaced frequently.

Even though dry eyes are very common, the right type of lense can make a big difference.  You can also use artificial tears or re-wetting solution if your eyes start to feel dry. These are readily available at the same place you bought your lenses.