What kind of dry eye do PROSE lenses treat?

[linguininess]

My doctor here in LA is suggesting I get prose lenses from the USC roski eye institute. I'm all for it since I've exhausted pretty much every non-surgical option for dry eye. I;ve been wearing contacts for 10+ years but only just stopped wearing them about 5 months ago. I can't see well with glasses and I have pretty bad double vision with glasses as well.

I tolerated contacts pretty badly in the past. I think the main irritating aspect of contacts were the solutions and preservatives. I got better once I started to use hydrogen peroxide as a solution, and then got way better when I started using dailies. Unfortunately despite wearing dailies, my eyes were so easily irritated with contacts that I had to stop. It's been 5 months since I last wore contacts and my eyes are still pretty red. Ironically, the dryness was never a problem when I wore contacts.

Anyway, the question is: as someone who is easily irritated with soft contact lenses, will PROSE be of some use to me? I realize I will never know until I try, but I'm just trying to get an idea from other people who have experienced it.

[Hokucat]

Hi Linguininess. PROSE lenses treat dry eyes stemming from a wide range of causes. Their website lists the various conditions:

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/For...s-PROSE-Treats

Unlike regular contacts that lay on your cornea, PROSE and other scleral lenses are nickel-sized dome-shaped rigid gas permeable lenses that vault over the cornea to bathe it in saline, and the lens edges sit on the sclera/white part of the eye. The edges sitting on the sclera, which is a lot less sensitive than the cornea, and the cornea bathed with saline might make it more comfortable for you than your soft contacts were. The overnight cleaning solution is also hydrogen peroxide (Clear Care), and the saline is preservative-free (PuriLens).

I got my lenses from USC's Roski Eye Institute, so if you have any questions whatsoever on USC, PROSE lenses, etc., I'd be more than happy to give you input based on my experience. Dr. Gloria Chiu is one of the best specialists I've ever had, so you will be in the best possible hands with her.

Just know that not everyone can tolerate scleral lenses. Or may have stages when the dryness is really bad like I did when I had zero tear film in both eyes, where I couldn't tolerate the lenses for several years until I got better...now I wear sclerals very comfortably 12+ hours a day. When you go in for a consult, Dr. Chiu will likely have you try on a trial pair to see if it helps the dryness, and if it's comfortable enough for you.

Hope this helps. It's definitely worth giving a try!

[linguininess]

I did see Dr Chiu. She was willing to work with me for quite a long time during my first-time consultation for prose. She's smart and I really enjoyed having her as a doctor. Turns out I am not a candidate. I have mild dry eyes, which is bearable. I just have extreme allergies which cause my eyes to be extremely red sometimes. I don't think prose helps alleviate ocular allergies unfortunately, especially because allergies cause papillae to form, which then causes a bit of discomfort when wearing prose lenses.

[Hokucat]

I didn't know you had papillae. Yes, I've read any type of contacts further irritate or can cause papillae or GPC. And Dr. Chiu would know best. Well, the good news is you have mild dry eyes. Hopefully some of the other treatments can give you some relief. Keep at it, something will come up.