You spend a lot of time taking care of your eyes. You wash them, put in eye drops, and even get corrective lenses if you need them. But, are you aware that eye drops can be used with contacts? Yes, it’s true! Eye drops can be combined with contact lenses and help ease the strain on your eyes. Are you wondering whether there are any restrictions while using eye drops with contacts? No need to worry.. read on to know more.

Can You Use Eye Drops With Contacts?

Yes, you can use eye drops with contacts. However, you should follow the instructions on the eye drop bottle. Eye drops that are approved for use with contacts generally say ‘for eyes and contacts’ on the label. If you have dry eyes and are using artificial tears, which are eye drops that are specifically designed for use with contacts, it is best to apply the tears first and then the eye drops. This will help reduce any potential irritation from the eye drops.

Which Type Of Contact Is Suitable For Use With Eye Drops?

  1. Standard contacts: These are the ones that are designed for daily wear. They can be worn with or without lenses.
  2. Bifocal contact lenses: These contacts have a thin, transparent lens that sits in the middle of two thicker lenses. They are designed to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness and can be worn with or without lenses to correct presbyopia. They are commonly used by people who need reading glasses or are nearsighted but do not need bifocals due to presbyopia (age-related farsightedness).
  3. Multifocal contact lenses: These types of contacts have different focal lengths (distance between the eyes) for distance vision, near vision, and reading vision. This allows you to see clearly at different distances and in different lighting conditions, which is good for driving at night or when reading paper documents at a distance from your computer screen.
  4. Soft contact lens: These types of contacts use an elastic material rather than hard materials like plastic or glass for their lenses, which makes them more comfortable to wear than traditional hard lens contacts or gas permeable soft contact lenses (GPSCLs).
  5. Acuvue Oasys Plus Contact Lenses: These contacts have been designed specifically for people who wear soft contact lenses and also need bifocal daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses because they are more comfortable on their eyes than traditional DDDs due to the shape of their removable lenses.
  6. Acuvue Oasys Contact Lenses: These are soft contact lenses that are approved for use with contacts, and they have been designed specifically for people who wear soft contact lenses who also need bifocal daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses because they are more comfortable on their eyes than traditional DDDs due to the shape of their removable lenses.
  7. Acuvue Moist Contact Lenses: These contacts have been approved for use with daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses and soft contact lenses. They have a very flexible, transparent polymer material in the lens that makes them more comfortable to wear than traditional hard lens contacts or GPCSs because it is softer than hard plastic or glass.
  8. Acuvue Advance Contact Lenses: These are FDA-approved daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses with a special design that allows you to swap out the lens in case you need to change from reading glasses to bifocal daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses or vice versa without taking your contacts off.

How To Use Eye Drops With Contacts?

  1. Start with a clean, dry contact lens case.
  2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before cleaning the case.
  3. Use eye drops for contacts as directed by your doctor or pharmacist. Use the same brand of drops that you use for your daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses. Follow the instructions on the bottle carefully to ensure that you get the right amount of drops into each eye every day, especially if you have an eye condition like dry eye syndrome or glaucoma that makes it difficult to dilute your drops properly with water.
  4. Remove the lens from your contact lens case and rinse it under running water if possible. Do not soak it in water or use any other type of solution on it, because this could damage the contacts or make them cloudy and difficult to see through when worn over other types of lenses such as soft lenses or regular gas permeable contact lenses (GPS). If you cannot remove the lens from its case, follow these steps: a) Gently push down on both sides of the plastic frame surrounding each lens until they snap out easily without forcing them out. b) Place both lenses in a container filled with saline water (saltwater). Put enough saline solution in each container so that when you place one lens in it, there is enough room left for another one to fit in next time; c) Wait at least 20 minutes before putting another lens into either container; d) Rinse both lenses in saline water, then place them back in their cases; e) Clean the case, lens and the area around them with soap and water.
  5. If you wear contacts for long periods of time or have a frequent need to change your daily disposable (DDD) eyeglasses, you may want to consider buying a new contact lens case that can be used with multiple types of lenses. The case should be marked with the type of lenses that it can hold so that you know which ones will fit into it and how many times you can use them before replacing them.

How To Choose The Right Type Of Contact Lens For Your Eyes?

  1. It is important to choose a contact lens that fits comfortably in your eye. The lens should be of the right size for your eye, based on the prescription you receive from your doctor or optometrist. Your prescription may also include information about how many days of wear you are allowed to have with a particular lens before you must change it.
  2. The best way to check if a contact lens is a right fit for your eyes is to try on the lenses at an eyewear store or contact lens retailer (such as LensCrafters®). If the lenses feel comfortable, they will look normal when worn, and you can be confident that they will properly protect your eyes. If a contact lens doesn’t feel comfortable when it’s first put in place or causes discomfort during use, it probably isn’t the right fit for you.
  3. Before buying contacts, make sure they are designed for daily wear by following these steps: a) Obtain an eye exam from an eye care professional and have him/her measure the distance between where one edge of the pupil ends and another begins in your eye (the cornea). b) Obtain a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist who specializes in contact lenses and has experience fitting them into people with healthy eyes; c) Look at all available options for daily disposable (DDD) lenses in various styles and strengths; d) Be sure to take into consideration any special needs you might have such as contact lens compatibility, daily wear, and tear resistance.
  4. When you get home, take a look at the options for daily disposable (DDD) lenses and choose one that’s closest to what you need. Generally, DDD lenses are the most economical option since they are used once and discarded after a single day of wear. The strengths of DDD lenses range from 1.5 diopters (D) to 3 diopters (D). Look for lenses that have a strength in between your prescription strength and what you’re used to wearing on a daily basis. If you are in between prescriptions, choose the stronger lens; if your prescription is higher than what you’re used to wearing on a daily basis, choose the weaker lens.
  5. For best results, give your eyes time to adjust to wearing contacts before beginning regular wear. If it’s been less than two weeks since you’ve worn contacts for the first time, wait another week before beginning daily wear; otherwise, there is an increased risk of eye irritation due to dryness or infection from wearing contacts too soon after removing them from your eyes or if they were not properly cared for before use.

Conclusion

The above article discusses the various aspects related to using eye drops with contact lenses. We can say that eye drops can help in reducing the strain on the eyes when you wear contact lenses. Contacts are essential for many people, especially if their eyes are strained due to the nature of their jobs. However, wearing contacts with eye drops can make your eyes feel more comfortable.