Dry eyes, contact lenses and breast feeding

[ethelhallow]

Hi, I just wondered if anyone else has this problem or has any advice how to improve it. I wear contact lenses and when I am bf my eyes become so very dry at night it is sometimes almost impossible to open them. It sometimes feels as if the eyelid is stuck to my eye- horrible. I had this when I was bf dc1 and then it started again when I was pregnant with dc2 and now I am bf it is still a problem.

I have tried eye drops but they do not seem to help. I seem to remember my optician last time saying to try zinc supplements and a hot compress twice a day. I haven't managed to try this in ages, I always forget or think of it at the wrong time. Increasingly it is too painful to put my contact lenses in at all and I don't want to stop wearing them completely. Please help if you have any ideas!

Not pg, but I have very dry eyes, and same problem with opening them in the night/when I wake up as you.
I use HyloTear eye drops, and keep a bottle by the side of the bed to help me open my eyes in the morning.

have you tried using Lacrilube at night? It's a greasy gel stuff - a bit like vaseline, in a tube. It helps me a lot, but doesn't last all night.

I gave up contact lenses when I was pregnant and had young babies - both because of dry eyes, and because I didn't want to mix putting lenses in when I was changing so many pooey nappies (just wanted to reduce a slight risk !).

Sorry - not much help - but maybe the best solution for the next few months - the problem may reduce as breast feeding tails off as the baby gets older.

I was very glad to go back to them once the kids were a bit bigger though :)

Systane gel drops and a multivitamin here. Never got on with lacrilube, made my eyes feel even dryer.

Thanks for the responses, I did try lacrilube but didn't seem to work, I will try to get some systane drops.

Ah... I wandered why my eyes were feeling so dry all day (bf a 10 week old). I thought it was because I keep ignoring the calls from my optician to go for an lens check. I really can't be doing with wearing my milk bottle glasses in public so will also try the drops.

Just to warn, I don't think the systane gel drops are compatible with contacts...

Oh in that case I may try the hot compress thing first, just seemed like too much faff but I don't want to give up lenses either. Spoonful if you wanted to try it, the optician said to boil some water and as hot as you can stand it, put a flannel in it for 1 minute then put on your eyes for 2 minutes then back in the water for 1 minute and back on your eyes for 2 minutes. He said to do this twice a day, which I am sure I will not manage but even once a day will surely help.

Ok. That's with your lenses in?

No you do it with them out, I tried last night before bed, didn't notice much difference but I'm pretty sure he said it takes a few weeks to make a difference.

I've had such bad dry eyes whilst breastfeeding that I have hardly been able to wear my lens and now I have a corneal ulcer from it! Ouch .