Although contact lenses do not directly cause dry eye disease, they are one of the leading causes of further irritation to your eyes after the disease has developed. They can, however, cause contact lens-induced dry eye, a condition that causes similar symptoms caused by the chronic disease. Contact lens wearers who also suffer from dry eye symptoms can learn how to manage the irritation and pain that this combination may cause.

If you experience dry eye symptoms (redness, itchiness, pain, increased blink rate, dryness, etc.) in conjunction with contact lens use, your first step should be a visit to the eye doctor. After testing, your doctor should be able to deduce whether your symptoms arose due to your contact lenses. If the problem is your contacts, you should consider switching your preferred lens brand and using care products to treat your contacts. You might also consider using Artificial Tears to temporarily reduce your symptoms. However, it’s important to know that prolonged use of this product may eventually disrupt the eye’s natural production of tears. This can lead to further aggravation of the condition, or even wash away the natural infection-fighting tear film on the eye.

Determining if your dry eye symptoms have been caused by dry eye disease is a bit more ambiguous. If your symptoms are in fact due to the development of the disease, there are a number of factors to consider in relation to contact lense usage. First and foremost, keep in mind that contact lenses are very likely to exacerbate the pain and irritation of your dry eye condition. Secondly, contacts can also contribute to further development of the disease.

For relief from dry eye symptoms, Bruder offers our customers the heated Moist Heat Compress. Using our MediBeads moist heat technology, the mask relieves pain and irritation caused by dry eye symptoms. Simply remove your contact lenses before using the mask, microwave the mask for twenty seconds, and then enjoy soothing relief. To learn more about Bruder’s Moist Heat Compress and MediBeads technology, read the Moist heat therapy solutions for Dry Eye or visit the Shop now!