Contact Lens Problems
Contact Lens Problems
Tips for Total Comfort
Disposable, extended-wear, soft, hard, gas-permeable.Whatever kind of contact lenses you wear, it's still a foreign object in your eye. So it only makes sense that to avoid problems--like redness, irritation and infection--your eyes need special attention. You already know that. But what you may not know is that being female can create a unique set of problems.
Hormonal changes that occur as a result of pregnancy and menopause can make your perfect-wear lenses suddenly less than perfect. And some ingredients found in makeup and hair spray can stray into your lens-covered eyes and cause infections, leading to impaired vision, says Anne Sumers, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
"The chemicals in hair spray coat your lenses as they coat your hair," says Sumers. "If you sprayed hair spray on your car windshield, it would be hard to see through."
And then there are universal problems. Almost everyone who wears lenses has experienced dryness, redness or irritation from a piece of grit trapped under a lens.
WHAT TO DO RIGHT AWAY
When your contacts find you literally crying for help, here's what to do.
Remove the lens. If you try to tough it out and leave an uncomfortable lens in your eye, it will increase the irritation and may lead to infection, says Dr. Sumers. If a lens feels uncomfortable, remove it.
Rinse, clean and (maybe) reinsert. If you pop a dirty lens back in your eye, you may not get rid of the irritant, and you could end up with an infection, says Dr. Sumers. So make sure that you clean it with a sterile saline solution. "Remember, bacteria live in 'clean' water, and distilled water is not sterile water."
Make sure your lenses are in correctly. An inverted soft lens (inserted with the convex curve against your eye) will feel uncomfortable. "It may sound obvious, but it's quite common to do this. Especially if you're in a rush or are a first-time contact lens wearer," says Gerri Goodman, M.D., an ophthalmologist and an instructor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Soft contact lenses are made to feel very comfortable on the eye. You know that you have it in wrong if your eye feels really uncomfortable. Take it out and check it.
Right lens, right eye? If your lenses feel okay but your vision is blurry, "check that the left lens is in the left eye and the right lens is in the right eye," says Dr. Goodman.
If your vision is still blurry, take out your lenses. Protein deposits can film up your lenses, making it seem like you're looking through a smeary windshield. Once protein deposits settle on your lenses, cleaning won't help. You'll need a new pair. This process of accumulation may take months or years, depending on how meticulous you are, among other factors. "Those who are allergic will build up deposits more quickly. It also happens to those who aren't as meticulous with their lens-cleaning," says Dr. Goodman.
When To See A Doctor
The following are signs of possible infection; they also can cause an infection that jeopardizes vision. See a doctor if you wear contacts and experience any of these symptoms. * Persistent redness or irritation in the eye * Eye pain * Blurry vision * Vision loss * Eye discharge
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Look for specks. Eyelashes, bits of makeup, grit, sand and, yes, even bugs can get in your eyes, causing contact lens discomfort, says Dr. Sumers. To get them out, remove your lens, rinse your eye and lens with a sterile saline solution and reinsert the lens.
Refresh with artificial tears. They'll remoisten your eye and help flush out debris that you can't see, says Dr. Sumers.
If it still hurts, take it out again. If you continue to wear a lens that hurts, you might scratch your cornea, the eye's front window. Cuts and scratches are painful. And they can develop into a secondary infection, causing scarring and resulting in a very hazy window, says Penny Asbell, M.D., associate professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and president of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists. "The eye should feel comfortable without the lens," says Dr. Asbell. "If it doesn't, don't reinsert the lens."
If the pain or discomfort doesn't subside within 30 minutes, make an appointment right away so that you can rule out serious conditions like corneal infections, says Dr. Asbell. It's a good idea to always carry a pair of glasses and your lens case for just these types of situations.
FINDING A "LOST" LENS
Lenses can't really get lost in your eye, Dr. Sumers says. A thick membrane called the conjunctiva keeps the lens from going behind your eye to your brain. But a lens can slip off your cornea and under your upper lid, where it seems to disappear.
You may have to try more than one tactic to retrieve the prodigal lens. Here's what to do--in this order.
Rewet your eye. One or two drops of artificial tears can help unstick a lens, says Dr. Sumers, especially if your eyeball is dry.
Or exert gentle pressure. If your lens has slipped off your cornea and onto the flatter part of your eyeball, don't put your finger in your eye. "Close your eye, press lightly on the lens underneath your eyelid and guide the lens back onto your cornea, which is more curved to keep your lens in place," says Dr. Sumers.
