Which are the best contact lenses for dry eyes?
Do your eyes have that itching, burning, stinging feeling? Dry eyes are no picnic, and sometimes, contact lenses only exacerbate the problem. That is, if you don’t have the right lenses. Traditional, rigid contact lenses can increase eye irritation, but there are lots of contact lenses designed specifically for helping alleviate eye dryness. So, what are the best contacts for dry eyes? And how can you prevent dry eyes with contacts?
Soft contact lenses are best for dry eyes
The best contact lenses for dry eyes are soft contact lenses, as opposed to rigid ones. Soft contacts have been developed over the last few decades and made of special polymers, or plastics, that allow the lenses themselves to hold water. These soft polymers also are permeable, allowing oxygen to pass through, quite literally letting your eyes breathe. The cornea must receive oxygen through the air, as it has no blood vessels of its own. Consequently, oxygen permeability is an extremely important characteristic of contact lenses, especially contact lenses for dry eyes.
Water content makes a difference
The water content of a soft contact lens can vary greatly, from 38% water to over 70% water, so consult with your eye doctor to be sure you’re using the contacts that are best for you. Counterintuitively, soft contacts with a higher “wetness” level, though comfortable, may worsen your dry eye symptoms. Contacts designed to hold 65% water, for example, will wick away moisture from whatever environment they are in—in this case, your already-dry eyes—to maintain that 65% level of moisture. While the lenses will be nice and moist, this will leave your eyes drier than they were before. A soft contact with a low water content level of about 38% will feel comfortable and allow your eyes to breathe without drying them out.
Silicone Hydrogel lenses
First introduced in the 1990s, silicone hydrogel lenses allow even more oxygen to pass through to the cornea than regular soft contacts, and they generally have low water content. Since they need less moisture to remain permeable, silicone hydrogel lenses can be safely worn for longer periods of time, depending on the kind and brand of lens. Some brands even sell 30-day continuous contact lenses that can be worn day and night for up to a month. Regular silicone hydrogel daily-disposal lenses are also available, as are lenses that last for a week or two.
The downside of silicone hydrogel lenses is that the silicone material, though soft, is slightly more rigid than the soft plastics of regular soft contact lenses. Though silicone hydrogel lenses are often the best contact lenses for dry eyes, they may not immediately provide relief in the form of comfort. And from a consumer perspective, silicone hydrogel lenses are generally more expensive than other kinds of contact lenses. Still, silicone hydrogel lenses are the most commonly used contact lenses on the market, and they may be the healthiest lenses for your dry eyes.
According to verywellhealth.com, some of the best extended-wear contact lenses for dry eyes on the market are Bausch & Lomb ULTRA, CooperVision Biofinity, and Clerio Vision Extreme H20. The best daily contacts for dry eyes include Dailies Total1 and Acuvue Oasys 1-Day. The Alcon Dailies Total1 lens uses a water gradient technology that approaches 100% water on the outer surface of the lens to provide a cushion of moisture to the eye. The Acuvue Oasys 1-Day lenses with HydraLuxe technology are infused with a network of tear-like molecules that help to keep the lenses from drying out during the day.
Best contacts for astigmatism and dry eyes
What are the best contacts for dry eyes with astigmatism? All About Vision recently chose these as the best contacts for astigmatism and dry eyes (a few may look familiar):
- Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
- Proclear Toric
- ULTRA for Astigmatism
- 1-DAY Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism
- Acuvue Oasys 1-Day and HydraLuxe for Astigmatism
- Dailies AquaComfort Plus Toric
- AIR OPTIX for Astigmatism
You can find all the above contacts for astigmatism on our page for toric lenses. Of course, you should check with your eye doctor to see which contacts are best for you.
Use eye drops to help relieve dry eyes
The right contact lenses will keep your eyes healthy, will feel more comfortable than rigid lenses, and won’t worsen your dry eye symptoms.
Eye drops will actively help to relieve the symptoms. Dry eyes occur when the tear glands are not producing enough tears to keep the eyes sufficiently moist.
Eye drops are essentially artificial tears, and most eye drop products are available without a prescription. But there are dozens of options available when it comes to eye drops, so how do you choose the right one? Let’s take a quick look at the general kinds of eye drops available and the pros and cons of each. Be sure to consult with your eye doctor when determining which products to use.
Quick-chart summary of eye drops
| Preservatives | Preservative-Free | Prescription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging | Multi-dose bottles, single and double packs | Single dose, individual plastic vials | Multi-dose bottles or single dose, individual plastic vials |
| Availability | Over the counter | Over the counter | By doctor’s prescription only |
| Treatment | Good for non-severe dry eyes, NO sensitivity to preservatives | Good for non-severe dry eyes, sensitivity to preservatives | Good for severe dry eyes, increasing tear production, alleviating severe dryness |
Eye drops with preservatives
These eye drops generally come in multi-dose bottles. They contain preservatives which prevent the growth of bacteria within the bottle once the eye drops have been opened. The chemicals used to accomplish this often irritate the eye. If you have dry eyes and your eyes are already irritated, preservative-free eye drops would probably be best.
Preservative-free eye drops
Preservative-free eye drops generally come in single-dose bottles, as opposed to multi-dose, and are usually the better option for treating dry eyes. They don’t contain the potentially irritating chemicals of eye drops with preservatives, and they can be safely applied several times per day. If you’re buying over-the-counter treatments for your dry eyes and preservatives irritate your eyes, make sure this is the kind you buy.
Prescription eye drops
For severe cases of dry eye, your doctor may recommend you use prescription eye drops that encourage tear production, as well as functioning as artificial tears. Most cases of dry eye probably won’t require this level of treatment, and your doctor will let you know if such an eye care product is necessary.
Eye drops for dry eyes with contacts
A quick note about eye drops for dry eyes if you wear contacts. First off, we like you. Second, some dry-eye drops and medicated eye drops don’t play well with contact lenses. Because of this, you should try to use eye drops that explicitly say they’re for use with contacts. For instance, rewetting eye drops are made for contact lens wearers. They soothe dry eyes and lubricate contacts at the same time.
Dry eyes are no fun. With the right contact lenses for dry eyes and some additional treatment with eye care products (like eye drops for dry eyes), you may find that caring for and relieving your dry eyes is easier than you think. Be sure to pick the right contact lenses for you and talk to your doctor about your dry eyes. For more on how to prevent dry eyes with contacts (or without), mosey on over to this blog post about the causes dry eyes and how to fix them.
Original published date: 1/24/2020
Updated: 5/16/2022