Monument Valley, Northeast Arizona and Southeast Utah

Russ Quiring, O.D.

Are You Bothered by Dry Contact Lenses?
...Here's the "Solution."

The number one problem for contact lens patients is that their lenses dry out, especially later in the day or while at the computer or TV.

The source of the dryness is usually not the contact lens; it is usually the care solutions you use to care for your lenses. That’s right, the solution system that you use to soak and clean your lenses is usually the culprit. True, the type of lens you are wearing does factor in; conventional, non-disposable lenses are the worst with dryness, then planned replacement and disposable and finally the single-use, daily disposables are the lenses that create the least problems. So, the more often you replace contact lenses the less dryness problems you are likely to encounter. Plain and simple; the cleaner a contact lens is the better it accepts moisture and is less likely to dry.

If you are like most contact lens patients, you use a multi-purpose solution to care for your lenses. There are brands that work better to avoid dryness than others like AMO's Complete Moisture Plus.  It is the best solution and is the solution I recommend to my patients. Some solution system brands can actually promote dryness problems for their users.

But if after trying Complete you still have dryness issues, the next best solution system to try is a peroxide system from Ciba Vision, like Clear Care, QuickCare or AOSept.

If after trying a peroxide system and you still have dryness problems, the best “solution” is to be fit with different lenses; Ciba Vision Focus Dailies. These are single-use lenses that don’t require the use of any solution. Focus Dailies are an excellent choice for patients wanting to avoid dryness problems. And wearing lenses one time is not as expensive as you would expect …and you don’t have to spend money on bottles of solutions, which does factor into the entire cost of wearing contact lenses.

Another Important Note: Drink plenty of water. You should drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day... yes, two liters! Studies show that the amount of water you drink directly affects how much tear volume (amount of tears) you produce. Also, reduce your intake of things that dehydrate your tears like coffee, tea, Nutrisweet, and also allergy and sinus preparations.

The Bottom Line: Most of us can be successful contact lens patients with the proper choices of lenses and care solutions. So even if you “gave up” on contacts years ago, there are much better options for moist, comfortable and clear vision.  ~RLQ

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