Dry Eye and Contact Lenses: Why They Often Go Hand in Hand
If you wear contact lenses and your eyes feel scratchy, tired, or uncomfortable, you're not alone. Dry eye is one of the most common complaints we hear from contact lens wearers at Vision Palace Optical on Avenue U in Brooklyn. The good news? It's manageable, and we can help you figure out what's causing it and how to feel more comfortable.
Contact lenses sit directly on your eye's surface and can interfere with tear distribution, especially if you're wearing them for long hours or not caring for them properly. Your tears are what keep your eyes healthy and comfortable, so when contacts disrupt that balance, dryness often follows. Understanding why this happens is the first step toward getting relief.
How Contact Lenses Contribute to Dry Eye
Your eyes produce tears constantly, and they form a thin, protective layer across your eye. This layer keeps your cornea (the clear front of your eye) nourished and comfortable. When you put in a contact lens, it sits between your tears and your cornea, and the lens itself can absorb some of that tear film.
Soft contact lenses, especially, can draw moisture away from your eye if they dry out. According to clinical research from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, contact lens wear is a known risk factor for dry eye symptoms. The longer you wear your lenses each day, the more your tear film gets depleted, and the drier your eyes feel.
Other factors make it worse. If you're staring at a screen at work in Brooklyn (and most of us are), you blink less, which means fewer fresh tears spreading across your eye. Add contact lenses to that equation, and dry eye becomes even more likely. That's why we see so many office workers and remote workers with this complaint.
Symptoms and When to Reach Out
Dry eye in contact lens wearers usually shows up as scratching, burning, redness, or a feeling like something's stuck in your eye. Some people describe it as grittiness. Ironically, your eyes might also water a lot. That's a reflex response, when your eyes are dry and irritated, they overproduce tears to compensate.
If you notice your lenses feel uncomfortable by the end of the day, or if you have to take them out early because your eyes hurt, that's a sign you might have contact lens-related dry eye. Some people wake up with discomfort, or their vision gets blurry after a few hours of wear. If any of these sound familiar, schedule a dry eye evaluation at Vision Palace Optical so we can look at what's going on.
Pay attention to how your eyes feel throughout the day. Keep notes about when the discomfort starts and what you were doing. That information helps us understand your situation better and come up with a plan that works for you.
Solutions and Management Strategies
The first step is often simple: take care of your lenses properly and give your eyes regular breaks. Clean your case every single day (not every other day), use fresh solution each time, and never reuse old solution. Many cases of contact lens dry eye get worse because of improper lens care, which makes your lenses less comfortable and your eyes drier.
Take the 20-20-20 rule seriously. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a chance to blink naturally and reset your tear film. If you work on a computer most of the day here in Brooklyn, this break is essential.
Rewetting drops designed for contact lens wearers can help a lot. Use them before putting your lenses in and throughout the day as needed. Different solutions work differently for different people, we can recommend what might work best for your situation. All About Vision explains that rewetting drops keep lenses moist and more comfortable, and they're an easy first step before exploring other options.
If your eyes are significantly dry, your optometrist might suggest switching to a different type of lens. Daily disposable lenses, for example, eliminate yesterday's buildup and deposits, which sometimes helps. Some people do better with lenses made from materials that retain moisture better. Research on lifitegrast and other treatments shows that specialized clinical approaches can reduce dry eye symptoms in habitual contact lens wearers, and we can discuss those options with you during a fitting.
Dry Eye Treatments Beyond Contact Lens Adjustments
If changing your lens routine or switching lens types doesn't fully solve the problem, we have other options. Warm compresses applied to your eyelids for a few minutes each morning can help your meibomian glands (tiny oil-producing glands along your eyelid) release oil that's crucial to your tear film. Many contact lens wearers see real improvement with this simple technique.
Omega-3 supplements may help too. Some research suggests they improve tear quality and reduce dry eye symptoms, though we always recommend talking to us before starting any supplement regimen. We can guide you on whether that's a good fit for your particular situation.
In some cases, if dry eye is really affecting your comfort, we might recommend temporarily switching away from contacts to glasses while we address the underlying dryness. That's not forever, it's just a way to give your eyes a break and let them recover. Many Sheepshead Bay and Brooklyn patients find that a few weeks off contacts, combined with some of the treatments above, makes a huge difference.
Why Seeing an Optometrist Matters
Self-diagnosing dry eye and treating it on your own can sometimes make things worse if you're not addressing the actual cause. We've seen patients at Vision Palace Optical try drop after drop without relief because the real issue was lens material, wear schedule, or something else entirely. A thorough eye exam tells us what's actually going on.
During an exam, we can look at your tear film, evaluate your lens fit, check your eye health, and talk about your daily habits. We'll also rule out other conditions that mimic dry eye. Once we know the real story, we can create a plan tailored to you, not just generic advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get rid of dry eye if I wear contact lenses?
Yes, in many cases. Dry eye from contact lenses is manageable with the right combination of lens type, care routine, rewetting drops, and sometimes additional treatment like warm compresses or supplements. Some people find complete relief, and others reach a comfortable balance. Your optometrist can help you figure out which approach works best for you.
Should I switch to glasses if my contacts cause dry eye?
Not necessarily, but you might try taking a break from contacts while we identify the cause. Sometimes a short break helps your eyes recover, and then you can return to lenses with a better strategy. In other cases, adjusting your lens type or adding rewetting drops solves the problem completely. We'll work with you to find the best solution.
Are daily disposable contact lenses better for dry eye?
Daily disposables can be helpful because they're fresh each day and don't accumulate deposits the way monthly lenses do. That said, they're not a guarantee. Some people with dry eyes do great on dailies, and others still struggle. It depends on your specific tear film and eye health, which is why a proper fitting and evaluation are so important.
What if rewetting drops don't help my dry eye?
If drops alone aren't enough, there are other options. Your doctor might recommend a different lens material, a change in wear schedule, warm compresses, or other clinical treatments. Sometimes dry eye has an underlying cause, like allergies or inflammation, that needs a different approach. That's why seeing us at Vision Palace Optical on Avenue U is important. We can dig deeper and find what actually works for you.
References
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Clinical research on contact lens wear and dry eye.
- All About Vision. Information on rewetting drops and contact lens comfort.
- National Eye Institute, NIH. Clinical trial data on lifitegrast treatment for dry eye in contact lens wearers.
Ready to feel more comfortable in your contact lenses? We're here to help. Book through Zocdoc, get in touch, or call us at (718) 998-8400. We're at 1723 Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, open Monday through Saturday. Dr. Shlivko and Dr. Sheyko are ready to evaluate your dry eye and find relief that actually works for you.