Contact Lens Wearers - Quick Question

[Jack_Dawson]

Mkay...I'm fairly new to the whole contact lens thing. I've been wearing mine for a few months and only just recently became comfortable with putting them in (i.e. touching my eyeball). Taking them out is more of a problem, but that's for another post.

I've been outfitted with Focus Dailys (sp?) lenses. In other words, I put them in and throw them away every day. Lately my lenses have been coming out rather easily. Like...when I blink. Or...when I take a shower. Is this supposed to happen?

Some people say it's because my eyes are dry...even though I keep putting "re-wetting drops" in my eyes.

Can anyone recommend a re-wetting drop that will keep my eyes moist and halt the constant popping-out of lenses? Lame question I realize but hey that's what the DU Lounge is for, right?

Thx in advance.

[ET Awful]

1. I've never had that problem fortunately,

so I can't really give you help :(.

Sorry.

[Lars39]

2. They might not be the correct fit for you if they are coming out that easy

You probably need to go back to the eye doctor.

[Pithlet]

5. Definitely go back

They should not be doing that. They either don't fit properly, or the brand itself is just not right for you. Different brands, and even different kinds in the same brand can feel and work very differently. A few years ago I got the kind of lenses that had a higher water content. The reasoning behind the marketing is that they would feel better and be less dry. Well, they weren't. After a few hours they would feel like a dry piece of glass in my eye, and I started wearing my glasses again. A year later a different doctor switched my brand and told me that the ones I had actually dried out quicker, despite what the marketing said.

Personally, I've always found Bausch and Laumb to dry out more than other brands, overall. It's probably different for everyone, though.

[Blue_Chill]

3. Try a different brand and size

And for gods sake stop opening your eyes in the shower! :D

[Jack_Dawson]

6. So...you're saying the shower is bad for contacts?

Cause my vision always goes blurry in the shower. Were you being literal in saying I shouldn't open my eyes? x(

[Enraged_Ape]

18. Close your eyes in the shower; tap water is hypotonic to your lenses

Which means it will cause the lenses to absorb more water and subtly change their shape, thus blurring them and even causing them to fit incorrectly. This is one of the reasons why you are supposed to rinse your lenses in isotonic saline solution instead of water from the tap.

I agree with the others here saying that your lenses are probably not fit to your eyeballs correctly, and that you should revisit your eye care professional. But if you are putting your lenses in wrong-side out, it can also cause that familiar discomfort and "flipping around". A well-fit lens that's put in correctly should give you few or no problems.

BTW, I just switched to Focus dailies after years of Acuvue dailies, and I find the Focus to be much more comfortable. But your mileage may differ.

[KadeCarrion]

19. Don't wear your lenses in the shower

I never do, except for the frantic "I'm gross and need to be somewhere in five minutes!" shower during which I squench my eyes shut the entire time.

Besides, do you really want to see how yucky your shower is? (if it's anything like mine that is) ;-)

[populistmom]

4. I would wonder if they were fitted correctly

I have been wearing contacts on and off for 16 years and I've never had one just randomly pop out during the day. I've never used the daily disposible kind either, so maybe that makes a difference?

[davsand]

7. I echo the suggestion to go back to your doc.

I just switched to soft lenses from Rigid gas perms last May.

The first set of lenses felt fine going in--but would get dried out and would not stay in well after a while in the eye. When I went back in for the follow up at one month I told the Doc about it, and he put me on a different kind of lens that didn't have that same problem. HE said it was all about the water content of the lenses...

I use the Renu re-wetting drops and they work great for me.

Laura

[Orangeone]

8. could be

That you are putting them in wrong side out. Or as others suggested not fitted correctly.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. I use the weekly disposable ones...

that actually last for months.

They are a lot thinner than other contacts, and do occasionally fall out when my eyes dry or I rub them. Dailies might be thinner yet.

So often, though, is unusual. If it started with a new box, they might have given you the wrong size, but it does take a while to get used to them. I had similar problems when I started.

(I lost one behind my eyeball that popped out over a year later.)

[Pithlet]

10. A year? Wow

I've had that happen a few times, and sometimes it was hard to get out. Usually it will pop out after awhile folded in half like a taco. It usually happened if I rubbed my eye too hard.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. I have learned...

not to rub my eyes.

[Jack_Dawson]

13. But that's not realistic

Sometimes mis ojos itch.

[Pithlet]

14. You can rub. Just be careful.

And, if it does happen, it's not that bad. It doesn't hurt, you can just feel it up there. When it happened to me, I just kind of very gently pulled my eyelid out a little tiny bit and rolled my eyes until it worked itself out. I know that sounds positively horrific, but it isn't. And since I found the perfect brand and have more experience, it hasn't happened in a long time.

[Jack_Dawson]

15. What's the perfect brand,

if you don't mind me asking?

[Pithlet]

16. Encore Premium, by Cooper Vision

I'd never heard of them before, but they're great. They are weekly, but I use them for about a month, because I don't sleep in them overnight. As an aside, it's better to never sleep in contacts overnight, even if they say it is okay to (a short nap is okay). It's very uncomfortable, and they're almost always very dry and cloudy the next day. And, they'll do that flippy thing we were talking about earlier much more often. You still also run the risk of some nasty stuff happening, too.

[davsand]

20. Don't change brands without talking to your Doc!!!

There is a lot more to this contact lens stuff than just hopping on the net and putting in an order! I also wear the Encore lenses (torics in my case because of astigmatism) and they ARE good lenses, but I'd seriously suggest talking to your doc before you do anything else. You run a risk of infections as well as even possible blindness if you screw it up too bad--and that is just NOT worth saving the cost of an office visit or even a phone call.

Just my two cents.

Laura

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. I sleep with my AccuVues and never had any problems. (nt)

[Jack_Dawson]

12. You are messing with me

The doctor told me that can't happen and yet you're telling me it can and I don't like that very much.

[TreasonousBastard]

17. FWIW...

I leave mine in for months at at time with few problems. Rinse them occasionally, and change them when they kind of "wear out." Too much of a PITA to take them out every night. Besides, I have a very wierd sleep schedule.

Just plain old J&J AcuVues, nothing special about them.

The primary danger is that some very nasty infections of the lens and cornea can occur if the eye isn't properly oxygenated. This happens more often when the lens dries out, but it's pretty obvious when the lens is dry-- you can't see.

Sometimes, the lens may not pass oxygen properly when it gets clogged up with proteins, but you still notice that you can't see very well when that happens. Clean 'em or change 'em.