The dry eye symptom is particularly restrictive for contact lens wearers. If the eyes are too dry, this is generally due to a wetting disorder of the eye, which is caused by the tear film being either composed incorrectly or simply not formed enough. In order to prevent the conjunctivitis that this causes, the deficiency must be remedied as quickly as possible. Otherwise, in addition to conjunctivitis, corneal inflammation can also occur, which can cause permanent damage to the eye.
Causes
There are several possible causes for dry eye, all of which can occur together. These include the following:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Eye operations (laser surgery, cataract surgery, etc. )
- Autoimmune diseases (e.g. Sjögren’s syndrome)
- Vitamin A Deficiency
- Allergies
- Rosacea
- Eyelid inflammation (Blepharitis)
- Medication (birth control pill, beta blockers, etc. )
- Hormone fluctuations/changes
- Low humidity/air conditioning (airplane, car, etc. )
- Contact lenses
- Environmental Impacts
- Frequent screen work
Treatment
With special eye drops for dry eyes and eye gels, the lack of tear film in the eye can be compensated in an artificial way. It is important here, especially with frequent use, that the products do not contain any preservatives, as these can accumulate in the contact lens and can also damage the eye.
Correct contact lenses
There are contact lenses made of different materials, so that the right material can be selected individually to fit the eye of the person concerned as well as possible. Due to external influences such as heat or wind, the contact lens materials lose fluid over time, which they then rebalance by absorbing tear fluid. However, the eye then lacks this tear fluid as a tear film, as there may already be too little tear fluid produced for the eye’s own needs.
The intrinsic water content of contact lenses varies, and the more water the lenses have, the more it can evaporate, so that lenses with a high water content will draw more fluid from the eye than lenses with a lower water content from the ground up. Conventional lenses made of so-called hydrogel have a water content of about 50% and should be left in the eye for a maximum of 10 hours. Silicone hydrogel contact lenses, on the other hand, have a water content of about 30% and the maximum wearing time can be extended here to up to 14 hours. However, the shorter contact lenses are worn, the better it is for the health of the eye. When resting with closed eyes or going to sleep, contact lenses must be removed from the eye urgently so that the eye’s metabolism can continue undisturbed.
