Question
Dr. Berger: If a person was allergic to a contact lense solution such as renu, optifree, etc etc..and it made their eyes red, but after taking it out their lenses and after 4-5 days, it's still red, but just less red and pinkish, is that still a sign of an allergic reaction or is something else going on with the eye and the solution nor the lenses are the culprit?
Also, when one solution makes the eyes red such as opti-free replenish, and then you use something like clear care once a week, as my office's receptionist suggested, then will that clear off any junk in the contacts and perhaps stop making the eyes red? I know we are never suppose to mix solutions, but if we use saline after soaking it with one solution, and using saline to wash it out, and then putting in the eye, and then for the rest of the week use opti-free to soak it, then would that help get the redness away since clear care seems so great? This is just for once a week. Will that help any? Thanks.
Kristy
Answer
Never asked "receptionists" these types of questions. Ask the doctor who fit your contact lenses and treats you. Furthermore, redness of any type is not normal. Both systems you mentioned are good ones however two or three systems used together is not necesssary and often times unhealthy. One of the reasons I personally fit one-day disposable contact lenses is because they require NO disinfection systems at all, hence practically no adverse red eye reactions or allergic hypersensitivity. In the old days of heat disinfection of soft hydrogel lenses, we used no chemicals at all and therefore had no chemical reaction to the eye. The downside was that these lenses didnt last very long and the heat "baked" the muco-protein deposits onto the lens surface causing irritation and discomfort until the dirty lens was replaced.
Clear Care is a good system for disinfection provided the hydrogen peroxide is neutralized properly, otherwise extreme discomfort and redness can and will occur. I question how the Clear care used once a week, will help in any way, because products like Optifree Replenish and Renu have a very good kill rate when it comes to destroying pathogens that can cause infection . If one is allergic to a specific type of solution (most likely it is the preservatives), then that product should be eliminated totally from your regimen. Hope this helps you.
Dr. Ken
