Eye problems? Consult Dr. Richie !

[farfalla]

alright! thanx!

[makenzi]

Originally posted by bitz
hey, how much is a pair of contact lenses nowadays, i broke my eyeglasses last week and i'm thinking of buying contacts

I bought it for Php 1,800 a pair, sa Galleria...

[Bartman]

hi eyedoc. hope you could enlighten me.

i've been wearing gas permeable contact lenses for 13 years na (since i was 15 yrs old). My first eye doctor presribed this in order to stop my eye grade from increasing every year.

my daily cleaning routine has been (1) wash the lens with a cleanser, in this case - Lens-o-Clean, (2) then, rinse the cleanser off with tap water, (3) last, soak them ovenight in Optisoak.

I was wondering if it was harmful by rinsing off the cleanser with tap water? This was the routine recommended by my first eye doctor 13 years ago. And it has become so routine that i never bothered to ask my subsequent eye doctors. They either recommended a new type of cleanser or soaking solution, but i never got to ask again if it was ok to rinse it in tap water. it really just slipped my mind, sheesh.

I'm diligent in cleaning my lenses, as in every night. Only in extreme cases do i sleep with my lens on. It just struck me that you don't recommend washing lenses in tap water in your earlier posts.

Is it acceptable to rinse gas permeable lenses in tap water? I've never had any problems with them since then.

thanks for your advice

[eyedoc]

Hi, Bartman! In your case, your overnight soaking of your rigid lenses will have disinfected your lenses before you put them on, that's why you've never had any problems before (This does not apply to soft or extended wear). It is still better, however, to rinse the cleanser off with your sterile soaking solution, then soak them, so that you're sure that there is less "contamination" from the tap water.

In our experience, rigid gas permeable ("hard") contact lenses are actually better. They are optically clearer. They are easier to take care of (hindi madaling mapunit). The wearer is less prone to corneal infections (because it does not cover the whole cornea, so there is better air exchange at the edges - the limbus - of the cornea. The only drawback is that it is much less comfortable than soft or extended wear lenses. Well, at least you won't forget to remove them before sleeping.

[LordMyx]

hello eyedoc. Are those blood vessels that grow on the eyes caused by wearing of contact lenses noticeable? I've been wearing contacts for less than a year, pero I'm sure I can see those "red networks" on the whites of my eyes, especially around the iris.


Once these vessels have developed, how can I make it go away?

Reading through the posts on this thread gave me the creeps. I'm thinking of going back to my glasses for the meantime.

[Bartman]

hi eyedoc. i'll do as you suggested. thanks a lot

actually, since i've been wearing gas permeable for so long, i've gotten so used to it. i don't feel a need to change to soft contact lenses. although, it did take some time to get used to it.

thanks again for your advise.

[eyedoc]

Originally posted by LordMyx
hello eyedoc. Are those blood vessels that grow on the eyes caused by wearing of contact lenses noticeable? I've been wearing contacts for less than a year, pero I'm sure I can see those "red networks" on the whites of my eyes, especially around the iris.


Once these vessels have developed, how can I make it go away?

Reading through the posts on this thread gave me the creeps. I'm thinking of going back to my glasses for the meantime.

The "pannus" or the blood vessels that form on the edges of the cornea is not easily seen without a slit lamp biomicroscope. However, if you notice that the area around your cornea is getting red, it MAY be a sign that the blood vessels may soon invade your cornea. This may be caused by a too tight pair of lenses (improper fit), or as mentioned before, "depriving" your cornea of much needed oxygen by wearing your lenses longer than the prescribed period (usually less than 8 hours).

Once new vessels have developed, it is VERY difficult to make them go away. That's why prevention is still the key. Proper fitting of contact lenses, and removing (and properly cleaning) your lenses would help greatly.

Glasses are still the most hassle free way to improve your error of refraction, but contact lenses are also good, AS LONG AS YOU USE THEM PROPERLY.

[LordMyx]

thanks a lot eyedoc!

i've been wearing my old glasses for two days in a row now

[eyedoc]

Always glad to be of help!

[WhItEFox]

Hey Doc! I'm back!

With another question of course.

I am feeling that kind of "parang napupuwing" with my left eye. I removed the contacts already, cleaned it and then placed it in my eye again. But there's still the "itchy" feeling. I've dropped lubricant too but to no avail, andun pa rin.

Ano ba cause nun? Nakakairita eh.

[eyedoc]

First of all, does the foreign body sensation ("puwing") occur only when you are wearing your lenses? Nawawala ba pag tinanggal mo?

If the sensation is still there even without your contact lenses, better have your eye checked. The problem may not be your contact lenses itself. Your eye might have developed something (an allergy or an infection) which may or may not be due to the contact lenses.

Now, if the sensation is there only with you wearing your lenses, check your lenses as best as you can. Make sure that it's right side up. If your contact lenses are put on backwards (baliktad), you will feel an intense "puwing", the solution of course is to put them back on right side up.

Any sediment on the lenses would also cause this sensation, so try to clean them as thoroughly as possible.

Lastly, the lenses may also have minute cracks or tears. In this case, you really have no choice but to change your lens.

[WhItEFox]

DOc, I think something might be wrong with my eyes.

At first I thought my eyes would be OK after I removed my lenses but there is still the "puwing" feeling when I blink.

I think I'll have it checked later.

Pwede ba ikaw na lang?

[eyedoc]

I hope that by now, you've had your eyes checked.

Pwede ba ikaw na lang?

If you haven't, I can take a look at it. Kaya lang for now Saturday lang regular clinic ko. I'll PM you nalang my contact information if ever you still need me.

Do update me regarding your case.

[WhItEFox]

I got ur PM Doc.
Di ko pa napapacheck eyes ko until now. Saturday will be fine. I'll text you about the schedule.

P.S. I thought you were a guy.

[Bea19]

if ever whitefox magpalit ka na *** ng lens baka dirty na yung old lens mo. eyedoc PM mp naman sa akin yung clinic mo. referkita sa mga dormates ko.

[WhItEFox]

Bea kapapalit ko lang Dec 27 remember? May prob talaga feeling ko, am not sure kung sa lens pa o eyes ko na. may puwing pa nga feeling ko till now eh.

[eyedoc]

Originally posted by Bea19
if ever whitefox magpalit ka na *** ng lens baka dirty na yung old lens mo. eyedoc PM mp naman sa akin yung clinic mo. referkita sa mga dormates ko.

Sent you a PM na!

[ari]

Hi. My eyes get dry and tired easily when I wear contacts. I put lubricants but have to do it every few minutes, and have to keep blinking more often. In the worst-case scenario, my eyes turn reddish and secrete mucus ("muta") -- the latter doesn't happen often though, when it did, I removed the contacts as soon as possible. My eyes usually remains tired the rest of the day after I remove the contacts.

Will changing brands solve the problem? Is there a soft lens brand that is very "breathable"? Will the Tears Naturelle thing help?

By the way, I don't normally wear contacts; I only wear them when I need to do something in which wearing glasses would be an inconvenience, like sports.

Thanks for any inputs/comments.

[eyedoc]

It sounds like you might have an allergy to the solution you are using for your contact lenses. Try to change the solution you're using. Look for one that does not contain thimerosal, which is very notorious for causing hypersensitivity reactions. Alcon's Opti-free is a good brand.

Tell me how it goes, OK?

[ari]

Thanks for your reply. I use Renu, which label says has no thimerosal and no chlorhexidine. Is Opti-free a 3 in one thing? Also, I saw in an optical shop a new solution (I forgot the name) in which you don't even need to rub (not the one with the disk). Do these things work okay?