Contact Lenses for Astigmatism + Dry eye

[icenet]

Hi All,

I have dry eyes and a astigmatism. Can anyone recommend a contact that will work for both? Most of the brands mentioned on this site for dry eye don't have a model for astigmatic eyes.

Thank You!

[Randal]

Have you looked at rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses?

RGPs automatically correct for most types of astigmatism. For those rarer types of astigmatism (known as residual, or lenticular astigmatism), you can get special RGPs that correct for that, too.

I've been wearing RGPs with a high Dk (oxygen permeability) level and a low wetting angle; this low angle is supposed to be especially helpful with comfort, and I definitely find that to be the case.

Randal

Hi All,

I have dry eyes and a astigmatism. Can anyone recommend a contact that will work for both? Most of the brands mentioned on this site for dry eye don't have a model for astigmatic eyes.

Thank You!

[icenet]

Thanks Randall. Are RGP lens considered hard lens? What brand are you wearing? Were you ever unable to tolerate contacts before you switched to RGP?

[Randal]

The material my lenses are made of is Optimum Extreme, which has a Dk value of 125 and a wetting angle of 6. They're also plasma-treated, which is supposed to help with comfort. (I think this treatment makes the lenses more wettable.)

I always tolerated soft lenses (albeit it barely at times), which I wore before switching to RGPs, but my eyes almost always felt itchy and dry. I don't know if that was because of the chemicals I was using to disinfect the soft lenses (although I experimented with several different cleaners and nothing helped). Or maybe it was the particular brand of lens I was wearing (although I experimented with that, too, and it made little difference).

I find the RGPs to be more comfortable, and they were highly recommended by more than one optometrist for those with dry eyes. They take about 10 days to fully adjust to, but after that most people are good to go. As someone with astigmatism, I also love the extra-crisp vision they give me -- something I just never could get from soft lenses, not even toric.

Randal

Thanks Randall. Are RGP lens considered hard lens? What brand are you wearing? Were you ever unable to tolerate contacts before you switched to RGP?

[rubyslippers]

Due to my very severe astigmatism and dry eye, soft contacts are not even a remote possibility for me. I wore hard RGP's for 35 years then my dry eye made those unbearable. My doctor said that Synergeyes (RGP in the center slightly lifted off the eye by a soft contact skirt) would probably work. They hold a bit of moisture under the RGP part. My eyes are not happy if they are bare--the cold burning feeling. The second I put these contacts in my symptoms completely disappear. I wear them 14-16 hours a day. Instead of using drops 5-6 times and HOUR like I was before, I now use drops twice a day, if even that.

[Bonnie]

synergeyes

That sounds like what I have..mine are fernerated (there's a little hole in it)..my doc said they are boston sclerals (he said that is the design)..what do you use to fill yours with? I used to use preservative free saline...that gave me the clearest vision, but it was almost impossible to get them in full as the saline leaked out too fast...so I now use celluvisc on the recommendation of Rebecca Petris..and I top off with the saline...that works very well, but the vision is not as sharp due to the viscosity of the celluvisc...I have to say though that even with the not as sharp vision..the comfort factor has been amazing. Using celluvisc (thicker) also keeps the shmootz that my eye produces during the day from creeping under the lens as much. By the end of the day...9-10 pm..there is some shmootz that gets under which lets me know its time ato take the lens out.