Approximately, 10 million people in the U.S. suffer from dry eyes. One risk factor for dry eyes that might be surprising is the fact that wearing contact lenses may actually cause or contribute to dry eye symptoms. It's important to understand why contact lenses can cause dry eye problems and also to realize that with the advancements in contact lens materials, there may be a pair of lenses you can wear without suffering the discomfort of dry eyes.

Why do my contact lenses cause my eyes to feel dry?

Contact lenses are manufactured from one of two types of polymeric materials. Soft contact lenses are made from hydrophilic plastics that contain water. In fact they may contain anywhere from 30-75% water depending on what type of wearing schedule they are designed for. In general, the more water a soft contact lens contains, the more prone it is to dehydration and losing its water. This is not a desirable attribute because as water evaporates from the front surface of the lens while being worn, it reacts by absorbing water from your natural tear film, causing you to have symptoms of dry eyes.

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses are manufactured from polymeric materials that do not contain any water all. One would think that this is preferred to having the possibility of water evaporating from the lens and causing dry eye symptoms. However, the very nature of the Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lens polymer is that is “hydrophobic” and tends to repel water and thus the tear film. Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses must be specially formulated to enhance their wetting characteristics so that they are compatible with the tear film. Even with these formulations, their surfaces are more prone to drying and creating dry eye symptoms.

Recent research indicates that contact lens wear and dry eyes can be a vicious cycle. Dry Eye Syndrome makes contact lenses feel uncomfortable, and the rubbing of the lenses against the conjunctiva seems to be a cause of dry eyes.

Fortunately, dry eye symptoms from contact lenses are usually temporary and can often be minimized or eliminated by changing lens materials or lens type.

What can I do if I think my contact lenses are causing my dry eye symptoms?

Request an appointment at the Dry Eye Clinic in Charlottesville, VA for a evaluation of your dry eye and a treatment plan consisting of prescription and over the counter medicines and lifestyle changes that will help control your dry eye symptoms. Also, our dry eye doctor is an expert is choosing contact lens styles and materials that can minimize or eliminate your dry eye symptoms.