People love the convenience of contact lenses until they start to feel like sandpaper halfway through the day. Maybe your eyes sting when you put them in, or you have to blink constantly to see clearly.
Fortunately, having dry eyes doesn’t mean you have to give up on contact lenses entirely. With the right treatment and lens type, many people with dry eye can comfortably wear contacts again.
Why dry eye makes contacts uncomfortable
Dry eye occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough tears, or when your tears aren’t of high enough quality to keep your eyes hydrated and protected. Contact lenses rest on the eye’s tear film, and any disruption to this delicate layer can cause discomfort.
When you wear contacts with dry eye, you might experience:
- Burning or stinging sensations
- Redness or irritation
- A gritty or sandy feeling
- Blurred or fluctuating vision
- Lenses feeling dry or hard to keep in all day
These symptoms often get worse the longer you wear your lenses, or if you’re working on a computer or in a dry environment.
Can you still wear contacts if you have dry eye?
Yes, in many cases, you can. However, it may require switching to a contact lens for dry eyes or treating the underlying cause first.
Which contacts are best for dry eye?
At New Hartford Eye Associates, we often recommend scleral contact lenses for people with moderate to severe dry eye. Unlike standard soft lenses, scleral lenses are larger and vault completely over the surface of the cornea, creating a cushion of fluid that hydrates the eye throughout the day.
Benefits of scleral lenses:
- Help protect and moisturize the eye
- Provide stable, clear vision
- Are custom-fit for enhanced comfort and vision
- Work especially well for people with irregular corneas or corneal conditions
For many of our dry eye patients, switching to scleral lenses has significantly reduced dryness and discomfort.
Treating the root cause of dry eye
Finding real relief means getting to the root of the problem, not just covering up the symptoms. At New Hartford Eye Associates, we offer advanced dry eye treatment in New Hartford, Connecticut, that can help restore comfort and support long-term eye health, including:
- OptiLight IPL therapy: This light-based treatment targets inflammation in the eyelids and meibomian glands, restoring healthy oil production and reducing tear evaporation.
- ZEST (Zocular Eyelid System Treatment): ZEST deep-cleans the eyelids, removing debris and bacteria that can contribute to dryness and irritation, which is especially important for patients with blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids).
- TearCare® system: This thermal treatment gently warms and clears blocked meibomian glands, improving tear quality and moisture retention.
- Celluma low level light therapy (LLLT): Celluma uses light therapy to reduce inflammation and support the body’s natural healing response—great for calming irritated eyes and promoting gland function.
- Forma-I radiofrequency therapy: This non-invasive treatment uses gentle radiofrequency energy to stimulate collagen production and gently heat the eyelids, unclogging oil glands and enhancing tear film stability.
By combining the right contact lens with one or more of these treatments, many patients find they can wear lenses comfortably again, even if they’ve struggled with dry eye for years.
Meet with our experts
If you’re tired of battling dryness every time you wear contacts, let’s talk about your options. Whether you need scleral lenses or advanced dry eye therapy, our dry eye specialists in New Hartford, CT, can help you find a solution that works. Schedule an appointment at our office today.