Are Your Contact Lenses Uncomfortable? What to do About it

Identifying Contact Lens Discomfort

It is not all that uncommon for people to feel discomfort, at times, while wearing their contact lenses.
You can easily tell if the lenses are what is causing the problem if, when you remove them, the discomfort subsides.
It is also important to note that occasional episodes of discomfort while wearing your lenses does not mean that you need to stop wearing contact lenses altogether. In most cases, a simple change to your lenses, lens care products, or daily habits will resolve the issue and allow you to wear your contact lenses in comfort.

What Discomfort Might I Experience?

There is a wide range of contact lens-related discomfort that you might experience. They include eye irritation or pain, the feeling of something in your eye, watery eyes, dry eyes, redness, unusual secretions, reduced vision (including reduced sharpness or blurriness), and light sensitivity. You can also experience mild discomfort with the lenses themselves.

What to do About Contact Lens Discomfort?

• If you determine that your lenses are the source of the discomfort, the first thing to do is examine your lenses. If a lens is damaged in any way, do not return it to your eye; place it in its storage case and contact your eye care professional.
• If you see a foreign object, such as dirt or an eyelash, on the lens, but the lens itself appears not to be damaged, thoroughly clean, rinse, and disinfect the lens and reinsert it. If the problem resumes upon reinsertion, remove the lens and contact your eye care professional.
• If your eye is scratched, whether by the contact lens itself or by something else, do not put your contact lens back in. Even if the lens itself is fine, it can aggravate the problem. In most cases your eye will heal quickly on its own, but it would still be advised to consult with your eye doctor.
• If you are at all unsure about what the cause of your discomfort is, or what can be done to correct it, see our eye doctor immediately. Waiting too long, especially if your eye is infected, will only make the problem worse and more difficult to fix.