Synergeyes Contacts for Dry Eye

[rubyslippers]

Last 5 days and not a single symptom of dry eye, IF I wear my contacts every waking moment.

[rubyslippers]

A very helpful reader here sent me these removal tips and they not only work well, they work easily every time. For anyone with removal issues, here is helpful info:

Drop an artificial tear in the eye right before removal.

Make sure fingers are 100% dry.

Move the cl down first, then pinch and push up.

[Mastiff]

Very interesting thread. I heard about the hybrid contacts a while back, but for those of us with large pupils, the optical zone on these is apparently pretty small, so night vision really suffers. I wear regular RGP's that are as big as they can possibly be, about the size of the colored part of my eye, and my night vision is still a little off.

The most irritating part about this for me (and I'm sure others) is finding an educated and motivated doctor who will work with you. I've managed to force some things to get done, but at the end of it I'm always the "problem patient" I'm sure. They make their money by cranking people through, selling them designer frames and getting them out the door without revisit for two years. They have no business plan for working with people on a repeat basis to get things really dialed in.

I'd really like to try something like Macrolens, but nobody around here does them. I'm sure it would also be a battle to get into the hybrids.

[rubyslippers]

Update on the two other people who were going to try Synergeyes for their dry eye (one moderate and one severe). Both have had outstanding results. The one with moderate dry eye feels almost all symptoms are gone and the one with severe dry eye says she is 50% better after just this very short time with them.

[bernmee]

Rebeccca,

Is there a link where us dry eye babies can get a defintition/explanation of these type of lenses and how they may or may not help us. I don't even know what RGP means

Hosadas...I was using bandage contact lenses for three weeks after my Lasik procedure. I started having recurring cornea erosions a few days after the procedure so the bandage contact lense was put in to allow the part of the cornea that was eroding to grow back without the eyelid bothering it. It is called a bandage contact lense but it is a regular contact that is used as a "bandage". I think, though i am not sure that some Lasik surgeons use (or used to use) bandage contact lenses immediately after Lasik.

I am not a pro on this but this is what my surgeon told me. There are probably people out there who can give you a better explaination, but this was my experience.

B.

[lilahp]

Synergeyes - dry eye treatment - insurance?

Hello!

I'm very interested in the Synergeyes and will see if I qualify for them for my problem. Since they actually helped your dry eye problem, are they ever covered by regular insurance?

If so, that would be terrific, since they might be more expensive than regular contacts.

Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress!

[Mastiff]

I was at my eye doc's yesterday and he has several people in the synergeyes. He said they were mostly going to people who couldn't see well in soft lenses and couldn't stand regular RGP comfort-wise. From a dry eye perspective, the one downside according to him is that drops don't really get behind the skirts the way they do with normal RGP. This is contrary to the experiences people have related here, so I'm not sure what to think about that.

Incidentally, he says he used to dispense Macrolens sclerals all the time, but almost nobody could get through a full day with them since the fluid underneath doesn't circulate. Four hours or so was the limit in his experience, at which point you'd have to remove them, insert some drops and reinsert. According to him, they were great for sports and things relative to normal RGP, but he'd go with synergeyes for that now.

The downsides for synergeyes are that they have a small optical zone, so may not give good night vision to some people, and also they can be difficult to remove. One patient he mentioned never could do it so couldn't even try them long term (they make you prove you can insert and remove before going home the first time).

[rubyslippers]

Hello!

I'm very interested in the Synergeyes and will see if I qualify for them for my problem. Since they actually helped your dry eye problem, are they ever covered by regular insurance?

If so, that would be terrific, since they might be more expensive than regular contacts.

Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress!

Yes, my insurance paid for them at 80%.

[rubyslippers]

I was at my eye doc's yesterday and he has several people in the synergeyes. He said they were mostly going to people who couldn't see well in soft lenses and couldn't stand regular RGP comfort-wise. From a dry eye perspective, the one downside according to him is that drops don't really get behind the skirts the way they do with normal RGP. This is contrary to the experiences people have related here, so I'm not sure what to think about that.

Incidentally, he says he used to dispense Macrolens sclerals all the time, but almost nobody could get through a full day with them since the fluid underneath doesn't circulate. Four hours or so was the limit in his experience, at which point you'd have to remove them, insert some drops and reinsert. According to him, they were great for sports and things relative to normal RGP, but he'd go with synergeyes for that now.

The downsides for synergeyes are that they have a small optical zone, so may not give good night vision to some people, and also they can be difficult to remove. One patient he mentioned never could do it so couldn't even try them long term (they make you prove you can insert and remove before going home the first time).

The optical zone is equal to that of a regular RGP. The fluid DOES circulate under them. It is wonderful as it seems to trap the moisture better. One drop of Refresh and I can feel the cool fluid go under the edge and stay on the eye for a little while. Less of the eye is exposed than with regular RGP's so your eye does not dry out as quickly.

Yes, they are hard to remove at first, but the tips I posted make it doable. I can now remove both in 5 seconds each on the first try with each eye. You learn little tips. I have also learned to start to pull it down and then blink and it just pops right out. I will admit it was frustrating for the first 3-4 days but now there is nothing to it.

I have been doing a lot of reading of anecdotal reports of these on other sites. Many, many people who have had no success continuing to wear any sort of contact at all after they got dry eye, not only can wear these, but find their symptoms of dry eye to lessen or go away completely.

[rubyslippers]

Today my doctor was able to explain the physiology of why the Synergeyes work for dry eye. A bare eye is exposed to the drying affects of the air and the heat in the air. A contact protects the eye and can prevent that cool, menthol feeling. Problem with soft contacts is that they are literally sponges and because of the large surface this sponge covers, many eyes cannot keep up with it. A gas permeable rigid contact does not absorb the moisture, but it creates a tiny area all around the outside edge that when the tears do flow over, gets missed. It is like a little crack that the moisture flows over but not into. The Synergeyes solves both problems. Less of the soft contact material lessens the sponge effect, but it fills in the crack where the gas perms leave off allowing for more even moisture distribution. Because it slightly holds the gas perm off the eye there is less friction. That friction exacerbates the soreness caused by dry eye. Because friction and absorption are lessened while more of the eye is protectively covered, one can expect the results I have. He can no longer see any sign of dry eye, although I can feel it a tiny amount in one eye (not even uncomfortable, just noticeable at times). Add the contacts to use of a humidifier, faithful eyelid scrubs, and twice daily use of flax seed oil, I have had a good result. I also no longer put anything in my eye that contains preservatives. I use Unisol to rinse my contacts out of the case instead of the solution and only Refresh drops.

When I do not have the contacts in my eye, I am good for about an hour. Then the burning and cool feeling begin. If I go another hour, I move into the pain sensation and brightness sensitivity. The instant I put the contacts on my eyes all symptoms nearly completely disappear because moisture is now being held to my eye and my eyes protected from the air.

It was interesting to hear the explanation of why these contacts feel like such a miracle to me. He figured that if I had to go a couple of days without them, I might well be back in a bad way.

[rubyslippers]

It has been over a month since I last posted on this and wanted to wait and see awhile longer. I also have 2 friends/relatives with dry eye who have been in these contacts 3-5 weeks now. The verdict is that they are still everything I had hoped. With them on I virtually have hardly any dry eye and even on a bad day, simple Refresh drops about every 8 hours completely takes away the small amount of discomfort when the contacts are in. With the contacts out, my dry eye is moderate to severe (my doctor's description). As promised they hold the moisture to my eye. My SIL and my friend have had the same results. Both are basically dry eye free and one of them has not been able to do outdoor activities for 3 years previous due to such a light sensitivity that even the darkest sunglasses were no relief. Both are wearing them all day and both had initial problems removing but within 3 days had it down. It is not a problem at all for me. You just have to learn the feel of what works and it becomes second nature to be able to grab them in the right place to remove them. They are holding up beautifully and yesterday my doctor said he could see no wear at all on mine where the skirt meets the RGP. My vision is the best it has ever been. The bifocal part is quite good. I only use reading glasses for phone books and medicine bottles these days.

My dry eye is in no way a thing of the past. I am still faithfully doing my Eye Spa technique, taking my flaxseed oil, and protecting my eyes when outdoors. I am still drinking lots of water as that is a certain factor for me.
I could just kiss my doctor for hanging in there and coming up with this solution for me. All I have to do is go without them for a couple of hours and the pain and discomfort remind me of the weeks and months of suffering I used to have.

[kitty]

This discussion about the Synergeyes being dry eye friendly is interesting. Their package insert specifically states they should not be used in people with disorders of the cornea or eyelids and they should not be used in people with severe DES. I wonder if the insert came out before people with DES tried them? I think I will discuss with my doc at my annual visit.
http://www.synergeyes.com/practition...A_Lens_New.pdf

[20/20_Hindsight]

Kitty,

I was wondering the same thing, as I had seen that PDF file before.

For me, a soft contact dries out within 15 minutes and is stuck to my eyeball. How on earth could the soft skirt stay supple in a dry eye?

I have read on at least one other forum of a user(s) with dry eye saying they were not able to tolerate the Synergeyes lens in their eyes for long, due to dryness.

Maybe RubySlippers has a distinct type of dry eye making this possible?

[calli66]

Possibly the rigid center part of the lens acts a a reservoir for moisture. Perhaps the limited amount of tears that a person has are enough to hydrate the white part of the eye and the soft lens skirt. And, the fact that only a small portion of the lens requires hydration, reduces the need for as much moisture and reduces the evaporation of moisture from the eye (the cornea) and the lens itself. Just speculating here.

My interpretation of RS's condition---corneal pain, roughness, and irritation are greatly reduced under the protection of the lens, which seems to out-weigh any negative effect of dryness. And the severity of myopia/astigmatism (if I remember correctly) meant that glasses/moisture glasses weren't a good solution. (apologies to RS if I'm misinterpreting here)

I wore soft lenses for about 5 years when my eyes measured about 2 mm on the Shirmer's test, so I know it's possible to wear even soft lenses with dry eye. While sorely tempted to investigate the Syergeyes for myself, I think I should leave well enough alone, since my problem is more with inflammation (from Sjogren's). I think any kind of contact lens would start up that vicious cycle of irritation/inflammation again--for me, anyway.

Calli

[Stanza]

My interpretation of RS's condition---corneal pain, roughness, and irritation are greatly reduced under the protection of the lens, which seems to out-weigh any negative effect of dryness.

agree with this. Also it's the case that we keep seeing that one thing doesn't fit-all, but might do, so we will try with such hope in mind.

I love getting these updates, RS! I'm glad this is working for you.