Dry Eyes and Contacs.............

[holly]

I've read several recommended contac lenses for dry eye sufferers (Bausch & Lomb opti-pure, something called Pro-Lense) and others). Does anyone have any experience with any of these lenses that are for dry eye sufferers? Thanks!

[DrG]

I've read several recommended contac lenses for dry eye sufferers (Bausch & Lomb opti-pure, something called Pro-Lense) and others). Does anyone have any experience with any of these lenses that are for dry eye sufferers? Thanks!

Sure.

They are Purevision by Bausch and Lomb, Focus Night & Day and O2Optix by Ciba Vision, Acuvue Advance by Vistakon, and Proclear Compatibles by Cooper Vision. Some people also like Extreme H2O.

I have been fitting one or more of those lenses for the past decade on many dry eye patients with reasonably good results.

If you need an explanation of why they work, I would be happy to oblige.

DrG

[jcorbett]

Explanation

Dr G - I would love to hear an explanation of how they work! And could you also tell me why post-Lasikees cannot always wear soft contact lens? Can a doctor tell by looking, or is it trial and error?
I assume they would not be an option for me anymore anyway....but I am interested.

[DrG]

OK. For years, optometrists knew that the old original low water polymacon 38 material seemed to work as well as anything with dry eyes. Unfortunately, they don't breath too well, and when oxygen permeability became THE CRITERION, more people started having trouble with dryness and contact lenses.

The one thing that silicone-hydrogel lenses have in common with the old soft lens material is low water. The less water in the lens, the less available for evaporation. So, with Si-hydrogels, one gets the low water, but with extremely high oxygen permeability. The best of both worlds, or so it would seem.

Except that the Si-hydrogel lenses tend to attract lipids, and many patients with dry eyes have lipid problems with their lenses. This is where the Proclear material comes in handy. Although it has a high water content, it binds more water molecules to the surface of the lens, which tends to repel lipids, while making the lens feel more moist. Unfortunately, some eyes are dry enough to suck the water out of Proclears. Evaporative dry eye probably responds better to Si-hydrogels, while aqueous dificiency probably responds better to Si-hydrogels. I hope that helps.

DrG

[dianat]

Fyi

Holly,

A very dry eyed, post-lasik friend of mine has had great luck with Definition AC lenses. Surely not everyone will do well with them, but they're worth a shot.

http://lasermyeye.org/forums/showthread.php?t=264