“How can I get my eyes more accustomed to contact lenses?”
I have recently switched over to contact lenses from glasses but I am not getting used to it and my eyes continue to hurt. What can I do to make the transition easier?
13 Answers
Ask your doctor if you can switch brands.
Contact lenses should not hurt your eyes. There may be something wrong with your eyes that needs to be addressed by an optometrist or you may need to be fit into another brand or size of contact lens.
You need to start wearing the contact lenses about 4-5 hours on the first day and than slowly add 1-2 hours everyday, up to 10-12 hours a day is recommended. In addition, you may go over the counter and purchase artificial tears or contact lenses re-wetting drops and use as needed. Hope this help you.
Vinnie Tieu, O.D.
Vinnie Tieu, O.D.
Contacts should not cause pain. If they are troubling you have your optometrist check your eyes for dryness or see if you need to try a different brand to increase your comfort.
Morgan Graves
Optometrist
If comfort is the issue, I would return to your optometrist to try a different brand of contact lenses.
Contact lenses should NEVER hurt. Take them out and return to your doctor's office and let them know of the pain you are feeling.
Best of luck.
Patrick Henry, OD
Best of luck.
Patrick Henry, OD
Erin Lorraine McCleary
Optometrist
Typo correction: it should read REDNESS not redress [reliever]
Erin McCleary
Erin McCleary
Return to your licensed contact lens prescriber and explain your difficulty. Perhaps a modification of the type gas permable of soft, , shape, water content, size and landing zone on the eye can provide relief. In the hands of a skilled fitter there should be a 90 percent or better chance of a successful fir. A practice with one brand fits all such as you find in big box stores is NOT where you should be fit with contact lenses. The fitting process should provide access to the doctor and his staff under the initial fitting fee and should include a 1 week, three week and 2 month visit to check the accuracy of the fit and your eye's response to the application of a well designed product to the very sensitive and delicate surface of the eye. A one visit fit and go is setting you up for problems initially or down the road.
Go back to your doctor and tell her/him that the contacts hurt. There are plenty of contact lens types and sizes and should never “hurt”. Even the rigid gas permeable ones can be modified to increase the comfort. Your eyes are painful for a reason and if the hurt goes away when the contacts come out, you need a different contact.
Could be adjustment period. Try wearing contacts for a few hours a day and incorporate glasses wear also. Make sure eyes are not dry, if they are, try using blink for contacts. Also make sure the brand /material suits your eyes.
Make sure the contact lenses are fitting properly by having a contact lens check. If they fit properly then it could be that your eyes are dry. Sometimes contact lenses make a dry eye condition more noticeable. There are over the counter lubricating eye drops or artificial tears designed for contact lens wearers. You can try this with your contact lenses in. If that doesn’t improve the comfort then I would ask your doctor to fit you in another brand or design of soft contact lens. Daily disposables are very comfortable and great for dry eye.
Vipul Jyoti
Optometrist
Hi, thanks for the question.
It may take your eyes some time to get used to them, if you still struggle, see the optometrist/eye doctor again, and try a different lens material/brand (there are loads of brands!).
It may take your eyes some time to get used to them, if you still struggle, see the optometrist/eye doctor again, and try a different lens material/brand (there are loads of brands!).
You need to return to the eye care professional that evaluated and fitted you the contact lenses that you are currently wearing and tell him/her your complaint with the contact lenses. It seems like the brand that he/she recommended for you is NOT fitting you well. Wearing contact lenses should NOT hurt your eyes, or feel very uncomfortable.
