good candidate for contact lens?

[jazhou]

Hi I have four punctal plugs on my both eyes now. Am I a good candidate for contact lens? Can contact lens and plugs live together? I am gonna try contact lens RGP, since I was told RGP is the only lens available for people with dry eyes.

Thanks,

[bernmee]

Hi,

I can't answer your question but I do remember reading in the book by Dr. Robert Lathkany, The Dry Eye Remedy, that dry eyes can be caused by contacts....I believe it had something to do with the oil glands in the eye, not sure though.

Don't know if this applies to you but you should be able to order the book through your local library.

B.

[jazhou]

Thanks for your answer. I know normally contact lens can make DE worse, but according to this article, contact lens RGP is DE friendly: http://ezinearticles.com/?Contact-Le...Eyes!&id=96748

Is there some truth in it?

[elvishthistle]

I have lower plugs and was put back into contacts. I tried RGP's for a few months but they didn't help me, they made my eyes worse i'd say. But I think in general I am a bad candidate for those; my eyes are very sensitive.

I am wearing regular contacts now but I have to be very careful with them. I am only allowed to wear them 8 hours a day at most.

[gz9gjg]

Hello jazhou,

I had LASIK in 2000, and have been wearing custom RGPs since 2002. I moved to Arizona in 2006, and have been pleasantly surprised that I get along well with the RGPs even in dry conditions.

The main difference is that RGPs have no water content in the lens material. The water content in soft lenses causes them to have poorer oxygen transport through the lens, and the lens shape can change as the water content dries out.

RGPs hold a tear pool against the cornea. This helps make them comfortable in dry conditions. If my eyes do get dry, the lenses won't move as much on the eye, my vision will be poorer, and the lenses will be very difficult to remove. So I do need to use drops periodically, but generally not more than 1 or 2 times a day. If I need drops more often, it's a sign that I have worn them too long, let them get dirty, allergies, or potentially the early signs of eye infection.

Good luck,

Lynne