Comfort?

[Mark B]

I am sure this question has been asked before so please forgive me if you are fed up answering it!

How comfortable should an RGP lens be?

I have had my current set of Rose-K lenses for around 6 months now. The left lens was never anywhere near comfortable until I started piggybacking with a monthly disposable, this has given me what I would call comfort (I cannot feel the lenses at all and even at the end of the day I don’t get the “get this think out of my eye nowâ€Â

[jayuk]

Mark

I think if it is feeling uncomfortable you should go back to your lens fitter.......regardless if they give you a new lens or make both Piggy backed.

In terms of Piggybacking longer term, Ive heard people using this for like 4+ years and yet on the other scale....Ive heard of people having to stop after a week as there eyes were too sore.....it all depends on the individual....but you would want to be on the safe side and ensure you dont encourage vessel growth to the cornea or increase surface abrasions from incorrect fitted lenses.....and this would be picked up by the lens fitter (or should be!!)

J

[Andrew MacLean]

Mark

I could never say that RGP's were ever really comfortable. but the amount of discomfort that each of us is prepared to tollerate will be an individual thing.

there are other lens systems that you might try. When RGP's became so painful that I could not get them in, I was fitted with a scleral in my better eye and listed for a graft in my worse eye. I then became unable to use the scleral which was a problem.

The point is not to indicate potential problems, but to say tha there are other lenses that can be tried. Piggybacking may be a short term solution, but in the longer term there are lenses like Kerasoft, Sclerals etc that can give good and comfortable wear.

All the best

Andrew

[Damien W]

Hi Mark,

I guess comfort is in the eye (sic) of the beholder.

For me I get 16 hours of tolerable wear time every day from my RGP lenses. That doesn't mean that you will.

When I started to wear contacts, I started with just 8 hours a day with a break at lunchtime (1/2 hour) and dinner time (1 hour). The 8 hours was a right pain though. So much so I used to take pain killers just to get through. I wanted to perservire as the vision with contacts is so much better and I think the effort and initial pain was worth it.

I still feel the lenses, put now tolerate them much more.

If you lenses don't feel comfortable, go back to your fitter. Tell them of your concerns and work with them. If they can't get the wear time any better, perhaps ask for the name of someone that specialises in KC fitment. (we have them here in Oz).

I'd suggest not piggy backing until you have seen your fitter/specialist to make sure you are not going to cause any damage.

Damien

[GarethB]

Lubricating eye drops can help too.

Ask the optom to look at the quality of your tears. Once I got this resolved I went from being unable to wear lenses to getting a good 12 hours regular use.