Any tips to help me tolerate contact lenses?

[pharmachameleon]

I started wearing contact lenses about a year ago as I work in a hospital and my glasses were fogging up when I was wearing a mask. I need them for reading and a bit of distance.
I am really struggling to tolerate my contacts. My eyes are red and gritty and I can only really keep them in for about 6 hours then I feel like they're burning my eyes. My optician says my eyes are a bit dry but nothing to worry about. My contacts already are the comfort ones but she suggested another brand that have the most oxygen permeability-I unfortunately found these even worse so I'm back to my original ones.
I put drops in regularly and tried the ointment at night but stopped the ointment as it blinds me!
Any tips to try and tolerate the buggers?
I currently use Vision Express Eyexpert Pure (1 day toric for astigmatism).

Seconded, the Alcon Precision are the only ones that I can manage nowadays.

When I last had my prescription changed the Optician said 'the rep says these are game changers, I can't think that they're much better than what you're on but give them a go.' They were so much better that I called her up to tell her!

Also warm cloth (it doesn't have to be scalding) over your eyes with a bit of a massage.

Finally try viscotears (or maybe viscostears?) eye drops. They have viscose in them and are really moisturising.

@LaviniasBigBloomers @Radyward thanks. I'm pretty new to contacts so don't really know how it all works. Can I just ask my optician for this brand? Or do I need to find a new optician that stocks Alcon, get an eye test then wait to get new contacts from this optician?

Hi, Optometrist here.
there’s little point getting recommendations from people as everyone’s eyes are different.
Go back and say that you’re still struggling and want some other options. Vision express use most supplier and can give you quite a few different options to try. Ideally if you can come away with a couple. Sometimes 2 weekly/monthly dry out less as they’re thicker.

You’re a similar age to me and personally, I wouldn’t do lens replacement yet - it’s a surgical procedure - much more invasive than laser surgery and I wouldn’t consider it or the side effects until I have at least some cataract.

@underneaththeash thanks so much 🙏
V helpful

Spoke to Vision Express and they said I have tried the Acuvue ones as a trial-these were the ones I found even worse than my current brand. I'm going to trial the Alcon ones but they will be £75 per month so I'm actually hoping I don't like them as not sure if I can afford that.

Are you trying precision one or total ? Im also an optom and virtually every patient ❤️ the precision one.
Very few are on total due to cost but one patient did tell me that one he would take the total out they would still be moist like not rock hard on his bathroom sink in the AM. Mad!! I have hardly anyone on acuevue as precision so good
Best of luck!!

I used to take mine out…pop them in solution then put them back in…couple of times a day…helped heaps..

Ask your optician.Alcon are as big as J and J so supply everyone

You need to rinse them before putting them in, the solution they are stored in can be a bit strong and irritate. Also when they are on your finger ready to insert pop one drop of solution in the contact lense to help with lubrication. I have dry eyes and bad quality tears. Dailies definitely work the best for me.

Alcon Dallies are my favourite brand. Bausch and lomb are my least favourite.

I tried Acuvue Oasys in the monthlys, they were the worst ones I've ever worn, I think I got 2 wears out of them before I binned them.

I have very few in acuevue dailies they arent streets ahead of precision dailies like they were in the past as opposed to standard dailies. Its all alcon and a bit of bausch and lomb. We price the precision one a little more than the entry level daily and lots are switching up to it.
Ask for a trial of total too but way way more expensive- our next door neighbour is a vet and got them for being up all night on call and didnt get a supply as #fartoodear

Alcon dailies total1 are the only lenses I've had that are so comfortable I forget I'm wearing them - I have to leave the box by the bathroom sink as a reminder to take them out before I go to bed

I use Alcon Dailies Toric, they are very comfortable. I buy 3 mnths supply for around £100 but I only use Toric in one eye the other is a normal lens. I buy lenses online and the 3 mnth packs are usually cheaper. The optitionsc warn about buying online but I’ve never had any problems. Vision Direct are currently selling Dailies Toric at £21.99 per 30 which should work out at £44 a month.

Just remembered another tip I have for op - they can be very uncomfortable if the wrong size (labelled BC for base curvature). Once, when I was using an independent optician in my uni town, the optician changed my size and they were so uncomfortable. Went back to the proper size when I switched to soecsavers and it was a world of difference. Ask your optician to review that.

For comparison my BC is 8.5 but they changed it to 9.0 that time.

@Radyward sorry I have no idea what Alcon ones I'm getting. I'm going to my optician next Sunday for an eye test and they will have a trial of Alcon ordered in for my prescription to try out.
@Angrymum22 if I find these ones are good I'll maybe try and get them cheaper online as £75 seems really steep. Where do you get yours from?

@Mummymummy89 interesting thanks. I'll def get them to check next Sunday when I'm in

@SMUnz I'll try that good idea. Though I need to peel open each pack and I'm now thinking that's not going to work when I'm working. Don't really want to have an open park with the fluid sitting all day at my desk. I'll try this at home though. Thanks

@pharmachameleon you can get around the open pack thing by buying yourself one of the cheap little cases people whose don’t have dailies use to put them in overnight and some lens solution…

I did exactly this, it was the only thing that made them bearable for me. Also make sure you don't have skin cream on your forehead that migrates into your eyes.

Thanks all. How do I drop one drop if the solution into the contact lenses? If it's on my finger and if I tip the solution from the pack onto my contact lenses would it not just fall off my finger?
Sorry-still learning!

@pharmachameleon you are right that kind of does happen if you are luck it run down your actual eyeball kind of coating it…another thing you can try is lubricating eye drops…when the lenses are in…but they are quite expensive so I found taking them out, putting them in solution then back in felt made me feel like I did at the start of the day when I put them in fresh again if that makes sense.

@SMUnz thanks. I'm definitely going to try that when I've got them in at work tomorrow.

That's not a good idea, as you risk damaging the lens each time you remove them (which can then damage your eye), dailies are really thin and not designed for that much handling. The liquid in the packs is just saline - sterile salt water.
Just put lubricating drops in your eye when wearing them instead - ones designed for use with contact lenses - or a drop of saline.

You need to buy a bottle of cleaning solution as the solution in the contact lense packet is too strong and not fresh, and defeats the object of cleaning them. Buy 1 bottle of multi purpose contact lense solution. Clean the lenses with it, pop the lense on the tip of your finger, drop 1 single drop of solution from the bottle into the lense, 2 drops will generally make the lense fold up if they are dailies (as they are thiner than monthlys) then insert into eye.