rigid contact lenses arh!

[amyba]

I have recently been diagnosised with karatoconus and have been given Rigid Gas contact lenses. I am dinding them realy hard to get used to and can only manage about half and hour at a time. altho the are sore as soon as I put them in. is this normal and how long does it take to get used to them?

[Lizb]

I had the same problem when i first tried contact lenses, I also tried piggy backing which didnt work either. I have just gone back to my contact lenses fitter and am about to try Synergy (sp?) Lenses - rigid centres with the soft lenses edges.
I found with rigid and the piggy backing that my eyes were really sore almost immediately and I couldnt cope with lenses for more than an hour or two - and even then my vision was worse than with my glasses. (I only have keratoconus in my left eye).
I went for my fitting last week for the new lenses and even for the short time I had them in they were comfy and my eyes werent red afterwards (slight difference to the other lenses I had tried). Even with the basic prescription in the fitting lenses my vision was improved. I cant wait to get my own lenses and try them completely. First time since diagnosis that i have been "excited" about trying contact lenses.

Each person is different when it comes to contact lenses and it may take time to find the right fit/lens for you. keep talking to your contact fitter though, esp if you are concerned, have you tried drops for your eyes when you are wearing your lenses?

[Andrew MacLean]

amyba

First of all, welcome to the forum.

The reason they try Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses first with KC is that they give the best results; they allow for good oxygenation of the cornea and good corrected vision.

If you really are struggling to come to terms with the lenses you have been given, go back to the clinic and tell them exactly what happens when you put them in. There are several different styles of lens under the general 'type' RGP. If indeed you are not going to make headway with any of the RGP family of lenses, then there are still other options that can be tried: Kerasoft 3 is a recent development, then there are hybrid lenses, scleral lenses and even piggy backed lenses (see above )

All the best with your contact lens fitting.

Did your surgeon say anything to you about Intacs?

Andrew

[John W]

You need to work out what the pain is you are feeling. I am more than aware of the problems of first trying RGP's

If its like a burning pain...then the fit is hugging your cornea too tightly...if it is more of a scratch, pain in a certain area...then it is not sitting on the front of the eye properly.

My optometerist always trys to ask what type of pain it is and where..try to be as descriptive as possible when you go back.

If the pain feels just like grit in your eye then that is to be expected when first trying them out....all I can say is perservere.

Kerasofts for me worked well up until last Dec when they couldnt get my vision to driving standard in 1 eye with kerasofts...therefore rgp's in my left eye was the next step...I decided to do both at once though even though my right eye appears to have been stable KC wise for about 3 years now

[Amarpal]

Nothing much to add here - best thing to do is to let your optometrist know. You could maybe try using some comforting eye drops before putting them in. That used to help me with the initial irritation of putting RGPs in. Hope all goes well with your lenses.

[Sweet]

Hi there!

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with RGP lenses, they can be very painful at times and can take a long while to get used to. I wore them for years and had no real problems but then got some really bad infections and my eye was always red and sore. Now I piggy back with a plain soft lens underneath and I put Systane in before I put my RGP lens in. I also use Blink eyedrops when I have my lenses in as this really helps when they are dry and sore.

Keep on trying as sometimes it just takes a lot of fitting and patience before you find a good lens which is comfortable.

Best of luck!