Help! My Dry Eyes Hurt!

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Dear America’s Best,

I’ve been wearing contact lenses for about six months, and I love them. I’ve had no issues adjusting to them, and I love the freedom of not having to worry about glasses. I am really happy that I decided to try them!

But in the last few weeks my eyes have been incredibly dry – so dry that it feels like my lenses want to pop right out. On top of that, my eyes hurt! The dryness is making wearing the contacts just plain uncomfortable.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there anything you can do to fix the discomfort my dry eyes are causing?

Sincerely,
Jake in Texas


Dear Jake,

I’m so glad to hear that you love your contact lenses. I have good news for you. You have lots of options to cure your dry eyes, so I hope one of these solutions stops your suffering stat!

dry eyes

First of all, visit your local optometrist. He or she will likely ask questions to figure out why your eyes are suddenly feeling drier. Are you spending more time reading or staring at a screen close-up? Do you have seasonal allergies that flare up during this season?

Your doctor may also want to know if you have any other symptoms or health concerns that could be causing your dry eyes. For example: Do you have a cold? Is your nose running or mouth dry? Sometimes illness can cause temporary dryness in your eyes that will dissipate as soon as your sickness goes away.

Another great option for you is eye drops. If your dry eye is mild, over-the-counter re-wetting drops made for contact lens wearers or moisturizing eye drops for when you remove your lenses, may be all you need. If your dry eye requires more serious help, your optometrist may want to prescribe some special eye drops that will increase the moisture in your eyes.

Your optometrist may ask other questions like, “When was the last time you changed your contact lenses?” If you are wearing old lenses, especially disposables that should have been thrown away, that might be the cause of your discomfort and additional dryness.

Your America’s Best optometrist may also recommend a new type of contact lens. You might find that another brand keeps your eyes moister than your current prescription.

Don’t suffer another second with that bad case of dry eyes! Call your closest America’s Best for an appointment today because you have lots of options to find quick relief.

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