Contact Lenses For Dry Eyes

By Lamont Bunyon, OD

When a contact lens wearer is having problems, the complaint often is “My contacts make my eyes feel dry.” Fortunately, there are several remedies.
Dryness is common in contact lens wearers and non-wearers alike. Thankfully, if you suffer from dry eye symptoms when wearing contacts, today there are many lens care products and new types of lenses available, and the right combination of these products often can improve the comfort of wearing contacts.
While “contact lenses for dry eyes” is not really a particular type of lens, certain lenses may relieve your dryness. Supplementing your contact lens with lubricating eye drops approved for use with contacts also can help. The contact lens cleaning and disinfecting products you use also should be evaluated, as different products may work better to keep your contacts moist and comfortable.
Fixing the problem starts with a visit to your eye care practitioner so he or she can evaluate the cause of your contact lens-related dry eye symptoms and determine the best solution to increase your wearing comfort. Sometimes contact lens wearers avoid talking to their eye doctor about discomfort for fear that they'll be told they can't wear contacts any longer. But with today's variety of contact lens products, the need to discontinue contact lens wear altogether is very unlikely.
Water Content of Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are made of a combination of hydrophilic (“water-loving”) polymers that hold water to keep the lenses moist and comfortable. The percentage of water content in soft contacts can vary widely from about 38-79%.
Intuitively, you might think that if your eyes are dry you need a higher-water-content lens, but in fact the opposite may be true. The best contact lenses for dry eyes can be lower-water-content lenses. A high-water-content lens may lose much of its moisture more easily due to environmental influences.
Also, if your eyes are inherently dry and you wear high-water lenses, the lenses may be drawing tears away from your eyes to stay properly hydrated, thereby increasing your eye dryness. If this is the case, your eye doctor may switch you to a contact lens with a lower water content.
Silicone Hydrogel
Contact Lenses For Dry Eyes
Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are a relatively new class of contact lens materials with high oxygen permeability a characteristic that's good for your cornea, which needs high levels of oxygen to maintain eye health and good vision.

Silicone hydrogels generally are lower in water content than traditional soft lenses, so they can be good contact lenses for dry eyes. If you are experiencing dryness with standard soft contact lenses, especially toward the end of the day, your eye doctor may recommend switching to silicone hydrogel lenses.