Can contact lenses induce DES?

[Randolph]

I've read they can, but is it just a temporary thing or can they actually cause real permanent DES?

[cristiandryeyes]

I've read they can, but is it just a temporary thing or can they actually cause real permanent DES?

I've read contact lenses can alter meibomian gland size or function but I'm not sure if this persists in time.

[kitty]

I've read they can, but is it just a temporary thing or can they actually cause real permanent DES?

http://www.dryeyezone.com/encyclopedia/causes.html

Dry eye is the most common complaint amongst contact lens wearers.

Contact lenses absorb the tear film, and rub against the conjunctiva in the eyelids, which may cause or exacerbate dry eye. Long-term contact lens wear may decrease epithelial nerve sensation, which would reduce the stimulus to produce more tears.

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For some soft lens wearers, the dryness is temporary resolved by switching to a different type of contact lens. For many of us, wearing contact lenses is just one factor in addition to environmental and other causes such as dry air, allergens, extended computer use, ocular rosacea, hormonal imbalance (in females), autoimmune disorders, normal aging, lasik, medication side effects, etc. Anything that disrupts the tear film can cause DES. Whether or not it is permanent depends upon the cause and the treatment. For most of us, this disorder is not cured, it is managed.

[indrep]

What Kitty said!

[Randolph]

Guess I should forget about contact lenses then.

I've been reading around and DES is just one of possible complications.

[gz9gjg]

Only soft contact lenses could "absorb the tear film".

Soft contact lenses contain water in the lens material. When the water dries out, the lenses change shape; and may stick to the eye surface or cause irritation. The water in the soft lens material also blocks oxygen getting to the eye surface. Soft lenses are easier to fit and are perceived as more comfortable.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses do not have water in the lens material. The lenses allow much more oxygen to reach the eye surface. RGPs hold a small pool of tears between the eye surface and the lens. They are more difficult to fit, and do require a period of accommodation before the wearer gets comfortable with the lenses. However, properly fitted RGP lenses offer much more precise and accurate correction than soft CLs.

I wore soft lenses for many years before having LASIK. Since 2002 I have worn RGPs. I also moved from a high humidity climate to Arizona. I did develop new allergies, but once I got those treated, I have found my RGPs to be consistently comfortable, in spite of the drier climate. Having had LASIK, my tear production is less than before, but the comfort offered by the RGPs (as compared to soft CLs) mostly makes up for that. I wear my RGPs on average 8 hours per day, and rarely use rewetting drops, maybe once or twice a day.