Question
QUESTION: Dear Dr. Berger,
My name is Alicia and I have 2 really important questions concerning my contact lenses and my red eyes. Well, I recently went to the eye doctor and I also got a one year supply of eye contact lenses. I got the biofinity contact lenses. My eye doctor said that one is better because it allows more oxygen in my eye than the proclear ones that I used to have. Well, they the eye doctor checked my eyes and everything was okay and healthy. Well, I decided to go with the biofinity contact lenses and they gave me a trial pair first. Then if everything was okay, they can order it. Well, when I tried on the trial pair, it seemed okay. Sure my eyes were pink but then I didn't think it was a big deal. Then I gave them the okay and then I got those. Well, as time progressed it seemed that my eyes are getting more and more red. Is this suppose to be normal? I heard someone say that now my eyes can breathe, the new contact lenses can cause sensitivity with red eyes. Is this true?
Also, I contacted my eye doctor and the receptionist said that since it's been over a month and I said it was okay, then if I were to come in again, I would need to pay the full exam price again, which I didn't think was fair. They said well if it had to do with the contact lenses your eyes would of been immediately red, but then sometimes contact lesnes take awhile for it to affect the eye negatively, isn't it true?
FYI: I've been using the same solution, optifree replenish so I don't think it's the solution.
What do you think and what do you advise me to do? Thank you.
Alicia
ANSWER: Firstly contact lens solutions are NOT always compatible with All Contact lenses, and may in fact cause redness over time. Secondly, the Contact Lenses you were fir with may not be compatible with YOUR eyes and may become tighter over time and have a sealing effect that can contribute to perilimbal hyperemia or redness that circumvents the entire cornea at the sclero-corneal juncture (where the white meets the colored part of the eye). And rarely, but possible, a patient can become allergic to the biochemical properties of a particular contact lens and ultimately reject it. Recall, all contact lenses have different water content, polymers material, wetting agents, base curves, diameter, oxygen transmission, thickness, and other physical and chemical differences which may contribute to red eye reaction.
Hope this helps,
Dr. Ken
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you Dr. Berger,
So you are saying that if the contacts were not compatible with my eyes or there was an issue, then would my eyes have been red right away, or sometimes does it take some time let's say for about a month or two? They did give me a trial pair to test it out, but I only tested it out for a few days. Should I have waited longer and about how long does it take sometimes? Thanks.
Answer
In my vast experience of thirty plus years, 90% of ocular redness in contact lens wearers is either due to one of these reasons, in the absence of infection:
1. Solution sensitivity or allergy
2. contact lenses overwear
3. dryness - which can lead to tightness
4. a tight fitting contact lens which becomes adherent to the eye tissues
5. bio-incompatibilty
Any of these symptoms can occur weeks or even months after the initial trial pair is worn. For example, a patient may be placed on antihistamines or blood pressure medicine which can dry out the ocular tissues. OR anti-anxiety, anti-depression meds can also lead to ocular dehydration,or oral contraceptives, etc etc, can all can the eyes to turn red later on but not initially.
NOTE:
A SIMPLE way of determining if its the lens that is causing the redness is to try a different lens for example an Acuvue Oasys or a Bausch & Lomb Pure Vision to see if the redness persists.You have nothingto lose as trials are usually free.
