Dry eye, want to wear contacts. Help me :(

[carrieanne]

Hi all

My name is Carrie and I need your support so bad. I had been wearing contacts since I was 17 and I am now 24. My eyes suddenly cannot tolerate them anymore. My schirmer test is 4 and 5 and my tears break up in a second. I am facing into wearing my glasses forever which I hate. I cant explain it.

My eyes were the only thing I liked about my appearance and now I have nothing. Glasses look awful on me cause they make my eyes look tiny- I am -7 in both eyes. My finace says he hates them. I feel so low right now. I have looked into getting iol lenses but my pupils are too small and laser is out too. Can I do anything? will scleral lens work? or Salagen? Im out of options and so so depressed.

[irish eyes]

My eyes were the only thing I liked about my appearance and now I have nothing.

Carrie

I am sure this is NOT true!

Leaving aside lenses / glasses etc and looking at eye comfort; what have you tried - or what has the doctor suggested you try? You say you are "out of options" but it isn't clear (to me at least) what you mean.

[painless]

What have you done and what are you currently doing to treat your dry eye?

For glasses, if you get small frames and ultra-thin lenses (which are more expensive but will be worth it to you), they shouldn't look so bad. And depending on what is causing your dry eye, you may be able to wear eye makeup that will make your eyes be more noticeable behind the glasses.

I do understand how you feel, though, because I hate how I look in glasses. Even though I've been wearing them essentially full time for over a year now, I feel like I don't look like myself in them.

But there may be things you can do to treat your dry eye to make some level of contact lens wear possible, even if it's just for certain occasions.

And it might be worth trying different types of contact lenses. Because I now only wear contacts maybe once a month or less and for only a few hours each time, I am working on getting some daily wear lenses. I had been wearing Acuvue Oasys, but since I wore them so infrequently, the eye doc thought I was putting myself at risk of infection (because they'd be stored in the solution so long, etc.).

This week I'm trying a relatively new one-day lens called Acuvue TruEye. I think it feels marginally more comfortable than Oasys for me, though I still won't be able to tolerate it for more than a few hours once a month. (And my eyes are so red all the time that, honestly, I feel less self-conscious in glasses because the redness is less noticeable.)

With a TBUT of 1 second, it's hard for me to imagine wearing contacts comfortably, but maybe you can improve that number.

[Lea]

Just a thought for you.. I have the same prescription as you and I absolutely hate having to wear glasses as I have worn contacts for years but... a good smaller frame and with thicker sides to the frames to hide the lens thickness will help. In fact there are so many fashionable glasses and they look so cute! And they can make the lenses so much thinner then they used to.. I would say at this point if it's possible it's worth the investment until you can get your eyes to a place where you can wear contacts again..

[moni]

Hey girl, Im in the same position.

Im currently in remission of my dry eye condition (can't feel them anymore), not even when I wake up. So Im incredibly happy about that, but I'm a 21 yr old girl and I feel uncomfortable in glasses, I saw an amazing ophthalmologist and she told me I could never wear contacts again because of my condition or get Lasik.
Im currently looking into IOL surgery but it sounds scary....

I dont know what to do.. I walk around campus and go partying without glasses and feel anxious because I cant see anything.

[Lucy]

Moni, a doctor who tells you to go get Lasik with dry eyes is basically telling you to go injure yourself. Do not listen to her.

The reason for dry eye zone is because of people (Rebecca and others) who got dry eye as a result of Lasik. I am one of those. I had an rx of -10. Talk about a high RX, I had one. The higher the RX, the more chance for problems with your vision.

I still have to wear glasses. I had to stop working because of bad vision.

You say you don't know what to do. Yes, you do. You need to wear glasses so you don't fall on your face and hurt yourself. "Looking good" doesn't help much if you ruin your vision is some way that glasses cannot fix.

I walk around campus and go partying without glasses a

You should feel anxious. This is a very dangerous situation. You're partying and "walking around" and I know you can't see anything with a -7.

An amazing ophthalmologist would never send a person with dry eyes to have Lasik. She deserves a slap on the wrist. This is listed as one of the contraindications. Please be careful. This board is full of people who had Lasik and have dry eye now. Lucy

[moni]

Hi Lucy thanks for responding but I think you misread my response.. I meant to say "nor get Lasik". My vision is -5 and -4.5, but I guess I should get used to not feeling pretty anymore... ugh stupid vanity haha. I miss my eye makeup dearly too!!

On top of all this last week I had 2 visits to the ER because of bad neurological symptoms.. lost my balance, abnormal vision and hearing and other scary stuff.. WAY WORSE THAN DRY EYE. Luckily all tests and MRI turned out ok.. The neurologist said my nervous system had a reaction to the Klonopin that I used to control my dry eye anxiety . Most scary experience of my life.. =(

PS.. I got my symptoms in remission I dont know how... but oracea, flax oil, IPL and restasis must have done something. Has anyone looked into lacriserts??

[alisonW]

Carrieanne & Moni -

Unfortunately, there are lots of us here who can no longer wear contacts due to dry eyes. I can completely empathize with you both. I went through all the same feelings. I had always been known for my "beautiful eyes" & wore only contacts for 23 years so it was a HUGE adjustment to have to quit wearing them. It honestly took me and entire year before I didn't feel self-concious wearing glasses. Luckily there are lots of cute and stylish frames around now and many more people wear glasses full-time so it's not as "taboo" as it was years ago.

Carrieanne - I am probably way out of line here (and if so I do apologize) but I would really question your fiance and his commitment. Telling you "he hates them" is a red flag in my opinion. (I feel I can say this since I've been married for more then 15 yrs.) Marriage is supposed to be for better or worse - in illness and in health - glasses or contacts..... People grow older and apperances change many times due to circumstances completely out of our control. If he has a problem with you wearing glasses then he may not be the type to stick it out through thick and thin. (Sadly many friends found this was true of their spouses.) I'd think he'd try to be a little more supportive of you while you're dealing with this painful condition and adjusting to all that goes with it. Just something to think about from someone who is old enough to be your mom. I say this all out of concern. If that statement was truly out of character for him then I wish you all the best and apologize once again.

[Sannah25]

Similar here. I already have small eyes (I like them, but they're not big) and with my -8.00, they are tiny. Nothing you can do.

My advice is to go out, splurge and buy yourself the nicest, most awesome pair of glasses you can find (with the thinnest lenses of course). I treated myself to a pair of Chanel glasses and so far everyone has admired & loved them. Including my fiance. Feel a lot more confident again.

Glasses are not ugly per se and you can find a pair to suit every face. I don't have a great face for glasses either - small eyes, small forehead - but with the selection that is out there nowadays, everyone can look good. Some people even say I look better with them. Ha.

[Guest]

Carrianne, I can relate to hating glasses... I started wearing contacts when I was 14... followed instructions religiously, yet STILL, by the time I was 18 I had to stop wearing them full time because my eyes felt really dry with the contacts in. But if you work hard on getting over your distaste for glasses, you'll do it... you may even surprise yourself and some day LIKE the say you look in glasses - it's just a matter of finding the perfect set of frames!

I used to put makeup on every day religiously... I wouldn't be caught dead in public with no makeup on... I felt WAY too selfconsious without it... Had to stop wearing makeup last year due to my psycho dry eyes, and now I go everywhere with no makeup, and (deluded as I may be) I actually think I look just fine now! So I guess my point is that even if you feel really strongly about how you look in glasses now, you can change that.

As for your fiance, his making a comment that he hates your glasses certainly can't be helping matters. If he said it because they are just way out of style and he thinks you should get an awesome new stylish pair, then hey, no problem. But if he just hates how you look in ANY kind of glasses, then it was really kind of jerky for him to say so - whatever you do, don't settle for a jerk in a future spouse!

[calli66]

Just saw my eye doctor yesterday, and asked him about contacts (my dry eye is fairly stable now), and he said he was pretty sure getting contacts again would "set me back about 4 steps." I agree with that, but of course, still had to ask.

Btw, he also recommends TranquilEyes to his dry eye patients (there are LOTS) and said that people don't want to even try them because they are afraid they'll "look funny," or that they don't want to look ugly, in bed with their sig. others. Sounds sort of foolish to me, because you do eventually reach a point where you'll do anything to alleviate the suffering. I figure those patients haven't gotten to "rock bottom" yet.

Calli

[mariposa]

how do they measure the size of the pupil?How do I know mine is big enough.You scared me because the hope of getting ICL done was keeping me optimistic.I have -14 and I would be perfectly fine with -7.

I advise you getting a boyfriend that loves you no matter what hardships you are going through and stop messing with your eyes.There are more important things than pleasing others with your look.

[Nomad]

Some thoughts....

Check into something called Ecco eyes....I heard they have glasses you wear to soothe dry eyes....I'm going to as well.

What I have done is make an agreement with my eye doc. I visit him often and I only wear my contacts at most once a week and think ahead of time what event I'm going to wear them to. Then, I wear them only for the event. Cheating does not pay off and could result in me losing my prescription. At first I was wearing them once a month, but trial and error, led us to see that I could comfortably wear them once a week. I am concerned that because I have Sjogrens Syndrome, that this could change, I hope not. I don't love my glasses, so I am going to the store as soon as I can to get a new pair.

Also, I also feel your boyfriend should be more understanding. Something to think about. I agree with the others!

And after reading posts on here about LASIK, no way would I consider that!!!!!!

[diggylove]

I was just given a 3-day trial of Alcon Dailies Total 1 disposable contacts by my optometrist, not for reasons of appearance but for comfort. I have worn glasses for many years but my dryness of 9 years has not responded to any of the other therapies out there. I have been advised against Scleral lenses by my doctor for various reasons. In that I have moderate to severe discomfort from dryness, my doctor told me at my one-year exam the other day that he has been dispensing these lenses for a few months now, with much success amongst his dry eye sufferers. They are supposed to feel like nothing is in your eyes. After a trial of one day, I am not ready to be convinced. Plug, being a progressive eyeglass wearer, my doctor had to give me one lens for vision & one for close reading, based on the (proven today) theory that the brain will accept the two different Rx's & give me clear vision for both distances. My initial reaction is that I did feel them, they ached & I had a hard time getting them out, though granted this was my first time. I wonder if anyone has tried these disposable lenses? My doctor was so hopeful that I would feel nothing, but I did feel them & it was not so good. I have 2 days to go.

[MeibomianGlandman]

If you have meibomian gland Dysfunction Contact lenses are not for you. I have seen Various Studies in Japan that state that over use or wearing of contact lenses can actually cause dry eye or Meibomian gland Dysfunction. The hard surface of the contact lens actually cuts off the circulation to the meibomian glands in the eyelid causing them to atrophy. Atrophy means wasting away they get necrosis. So my word of advice With dry eye Wear Glasses, Glasses will also block out the wind from evaporating your dry eye and tears, it will make you more comfortable and do less damage.