Hello,

I just got my first pair of RGP's a couple of weeks ago. They gave me perfect nearsighted vision but the farsighted vision was very poor so the Dr. told me to use these until I pick up the new pair on Monday. I have never used RGP's before. I used soft lenses about 4 years ago. I stopped wearing them because my eyes would get dry and I would get headaches. Since then I had relied solely on my glasses.

My questions are
1)Is there a drop that will help with the dry eye when I have the contacts in? I can have the contacts in for about 2 hours before they start to bother my eyes. Then they feel so dry I find myself putting drops in alot. I am currently using Refresh Tears.

2) Would it help if I took the contacts out, rinsed them in the conditioning solution and then put them back in?

I am seeing the Dr. on Monday but I just wanted some info before going in. I also want to mention that I am taking Flaxseed oil and Theratears Nutrition to help with the dry eye. I really want to be able to tolerate the RGP's as they are giving me the best vision I have had in 6 months since the LASIK.

Thanks!!!
-Rosanne

A lot that passes for dryness is related to fitting issues so hopefully your doctor will still continue to refine the fit.

I have always been disappointed with eye drops for contact lenses. Often the immediate relief is short-lived. Anytime it is possible, remove the lenses, clean and re-insert them. This frequently gives more sustained relief than eye drops alone.

Dear Rosanne;
Fitting the post-lasik patient is one of the greatest challenges facing eyecare practitioners today. What you interpret as a dry eye might be caused by the lens not allowing adequate moisture and oxygen to flow through and behind the lens. Also frictional forces caused by the lens moving on an irregular corneal surface may be causing irritation. There are a number of contact lenses and scleral lenses specifically designed for the post-lasik patient so you must be patient with your doctor. Unfortunately, you may have to go through several fittings and try different lens designs before a satisfactory solution is found. Eye drops alone rarely solve the problem completely.