Last 5 days and not a single symptom of dry eye, IF I wear my contacts every waking moment.
Dry Eye Patient
Last 5 days and not a single symptom of dry eye, IF I wear my contacts every waking moment.
Dry Eye Patient
A very helpful reader here sent me these removal tips and they not only work well, they work easily every time. For anyone with removal issues, here is helpful info:
Drop an artificial tear in the eye right before removal.
Make sure fingers are 100% dry.
Move the cl down first, then pinch and push up.
Dry Eye Patient
Very interesting thread. I heard about the hybrid contacts a while back, but for those of us with large pupils, the optical zone on these is apparently pretty small, so night vision really suffers. I wear regular RGP's that are as big as they can possibly be, about the size of the colored part of my eye, and my night vision is still a little off.
The most irritating part about this for me (and I'm sure others) is finding an educated and motivated doctor who will work with you. I've managed to force some things to get done, but at the end of it I'm always the "problem patient" I'm sure. They make their money by cranking people through, selling them designer frames and getting them out the door without revisit for two years. They have no business plan for working with people on a repeat basis to get things really dialed in.
I'd really like to try something like Macrolens, but nobody around here does them. I'm sure it would also be a battle to get into the hybrids.
Dry Eye Patient
Update on the two other people who were going to try Synergeyes for their dry eye (one moderate and one severe). Both have had outstanding results. The one with moderate dry eye feels almost all symptoms are gone and the one with severe dry eye says she is 50% better after just this very short time with them.
Dry Eye Patient
Rebeccca,
Is there a link where us dry eye babies can get a defintition/explanation of these type of lenses and how they may or may not help us. I don't even know what RGP means
Hosadas...I was using bandage contact lenses for three weeks after my Lasik procedure. I started having recurring cornea erosions a few days after the procedure so the bandage contact lense was put in to allow the part of the cornea that was eroding to grow back without the eyelid bothering it. It is called a bandage contact lense but it is a regular contact that is used as a "bandage". I think, though i am not sure that some Lasik surgeons use (or used to use) bandage contact lenses immediately after Lasik.
I am not a pro on this but this is what my surgeon told me. There are probably people out there who can give you a better explaination, but this was my experience.
B.
Dry Eye Patient
Hello!
I'm very interested in the Synergeyes and will see if I qualify for them for my problem. Since they actually helped your dry eye problem, are they ever covered by regular insurance?
If so, that would be terrific, since they might be more expensive than regular contacts.
Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress!
Dry Eye Patient
I was at my eye doc's yesterday and he has several people in the synergeyes. He said they were mostly going to people who couldn't see well in soft lenses and couldn't stand regular RGP comfort-wise. From a dry eye perspective, the one downside according to him is that drops don't really get behind the skirts the way they do with normal RGP. This is contrary to the experiences people have related here, so I'm not sure what to think about that.
Incidentally, he says he used to dispense Macrolens sclerals all the time, but almost nobody could get through a full day with them since the fluid underneath doesn't circulate. Four hours or so was the limit in his experience, at which point you'd have to remove them, insert some drops and reinsert. According to him, they were great for sports and things relative to normal RGP, but he'd go with synergeyes for that now.
The downsides for synergeyes are that they have a small optical zone, so may not give good night vision to some people, and also they can be difficult to remove. One patient he mentioned never could do it so couldn't even try them long term (they make you prove you can insert and remove before going home the first time).
Dry Eye Patient
Yes, my insurance paid for them at 80%.Originally Posted by lilahp
Dry Eye Patient
The optical zone is equal to that of a regular RGP. The fluid DOES circulate under them. It is wonderful as it seems to trap the moisture better. One drop of Refresh and I can feel the cool fluid go under the edge and stay on the eye for a little while. Less of the eye is exposed than with regular RGP's so your eye does not dry out as quickly.
Yes, they are hard to remove at first, but the tips I posted make it doable. I can now remove both in 5 seconds each on the first try with each eye. You learn little tips. I have also learned to start to pull it down and then blink and it just pops right out. I will admit it was frustrating for the first 3-4 days but now there is nothing to it.
I have been doing a lot of reading of anecdotal reports of these on other sites. Many, many people who have had no success continuing to wear any sort of contact at all after they got dry eye, not only can wear these, but find their symptoms of dry eye to lessen or go away completely.
Dry Eye Patient
Today my doctor was able to explain the physiology of why the Synergeyes work for dry eye. A bare eye is exposed to the drying affects of the air and the heat in the air. A contact protects the eye and can prevent that cool, menthol feeling. Problem with soft contacts is that they are literally sponges and because of the large surface this sponge covers, many eyes cannot keep up with it. A gas permeable rigid contact does not absorb the moisture, but it creates a tiny area all around the outside edge that when the tears do flow over, gets missed. It is like a little crack that the moisture flows over but not into. The Synergeyes solves both problems. Less of the soft contact material lessens the sponge effect, but it fills in the crack where the gas perms leave off allowing for more even moisture distribution. Because it slightly holds the gas perm off the eye there is less friction. That friction exacerbates the soreness caused by dry eye. Because friction and absorption are lessened while more of the eye is protectively covered, one can expect the results I have. He can no longer see any sign of dry eye, although I can feel it a tiny amount in one eye (not even uncomfortable, just noticeable at times). Add the contacts to use of a humidifier, faithful eyelid scrubs, and twice daily use of flax seed oil, I have had a good result. I also no longer put anything in my eye that contains preservatives. I use Unisol to rinse my contacts out of the case instead of the solution and only Refresh drops.
When I do not have the contacts in my eye, I am good for about an hour. Then the burning and cool feeling begin. If I go another hour, I move into the pain sensation and brightness sensitivity. The instant I put the contacts on my eyes all symptoms nearly completely disappear because moisture is now being held to my eye and my eyes protected from the air.
It was interesting to hear the explanation of why these contacts feel like such a miracle to me. He figured that if I had to go a couple of days without them, I might well be back in a bad way.
Dry Eye Patient
It has been over a month since I last posted on this and wanted to wait and see awhile longer. I also have 2 friends/relatives with dry eye who have been in these contacts 3-5 weeks now. The verdict is that they are still everything I had hoped. With them on I virtually have hardly any dry eye and even on a bad day, simple Refresh drops about every 8 hours completely takes away the small amount of discomfort when the contacts are in. With the contacts out, my dry eye is moderate to severe (my doctor's description). As promised they hold the moisture to my eye. My SIL and my friend have had the same results. Both are basically dry eye free and one of them has not been able to do outdoor activities for 3 years previous due to such a light sensitivity that even the darkest sunglasses were no relief. Both are wearing them all day and both had initial problems removing but within 3 days had it down. It is not a problem at all for me. You just have to learn the feel of what works and it becomes second nature to be able to grab them in the right place to remove them. They are holding up beautifully and yesterday my doctor said he could see no wear at all on mine where the skirt meets the RGP. My vision is the best it has ever been. The bifocal part is quite good. I only use reading glasses for phone books and medicine bottles these days.
My dry eye is in no way a thing of the past. I am still faithfully doing my Eye Spa technique, taking my flaxseed oil, and protecting my eyes when outdoors. I am still drinking lots of water as that is a certain factor for me.
I could just kiss my doctor for hanging in there and coming up with this solution for me. All I have to do is go without them for a couple of hours and the pain and discomfort remind me of the weeks and months of suffering I used to have.
Moderator
This discussion about the Synergeyes being dry eye friendly is interesting. Their package insert specifically states they should not be used in people with disorders of the cornea or eyelids and they should not be used in people with severe DES. I wonder if the insert came out before people with DES tried them? I think I will discuss with my doc at my annual visit.
http://www.synergeyes.com/practition...A_Lens_New.pdf
Every day with DES is like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're going to get.
Dry Eye Patient
Kitty,
I was wondering the same thing, as I had seen that PDF file before.
For me, a soft contact dries out within 15 minutes and is stuck to my eyeball. How on earth could the soft skirt stay supple in a dry eye?
I have read on at least one other forum of a user(s) with dry eye saying they were not able to tolerate the Synergeyes lens in their eyes for long, due to dryness.
Maybe RubySlippers has a distinct type of dry eye making this possible?
Dry Eye Patient
Possibly the rigid center part of the lens acts a a reservoir for moisture. Perhaps the limited amount of tears that a person has are enough to hydrate the white part of the eye and the soft lens skirt. And, the fact that only a small portion of the lens requires hydration, reduces the need for as much moisture and reduces the evaporation of moisture from the eye (the cornea) and the lens itself. Just speculating here.
My interpretation of RS's condition---corneal pain, roughness, and irritation are greatly reduced under the protection of the lens, which seems to out-weigh any negative effect of dryness. And the severity of myopia/astigmatism (if I remember correctly) meant that glasses/moisture glasses weren't a good solution. (apologies to RS if I'm misinterpreting here)
I wore soft lenses for about 5 years when my eyes measured about 2 mm on the Shirmer's test, so I know it's possible to wear even soft lenses with dry eye. While sorely tempted to investigate the Syergeyes for myself, I think I should leave well enough alone, since my problem is more with inflammation (from Sjogren's). I think any kind of contact lens would start up that vicious cycle of irritation/inflammation again--for me, anyway.
Calli
Dry Eye Patient
agree with this. Also it's the case that we keep seeing that one thing doesn't fit-all, but might do, so we will try with such hope in mind.My interpretation of RS's condition---corneal pain, roughness, and irritation are greatly reduced under the protection of the lens, which seems to out-weigh any negative effect of dryness.
I love getting these updates, RS! I'm glad this is working for you.
just keep swimming...
Moderator
Can someone tell me if there is a particular type of patient that cannot or should not wear Synergeyes?
Every day with DES is like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're going to get.
Dry Eye Patient
Heard lots of normal people wearing contacts long time got "dry eye"...
Seldom hear dry eye people wearing contacts for a benefit.
Would it just reduce irritation at first, but at last you will got severe dry eye even worse?
I am afraid of putting anything even artitifical eye drops into the eye.
Lots of news of contact wearer getting amoeba going into the eye causing near blindness.
Contact may lead to better looking as same time, but only if you can wear for whole day of 16 hours.
It would be better if things are done with an eye doctor.
Last edited by hkgcomet; 07-Feb-2009 at 23:42.
Dry Eye Patient
Well my eyes are just too dry for any type of contact. The synergies- didnt fit my cornea and couldnt find a fit- the ones i tried actualy caused an abrasion because they werent the right fit. But other than that i could still feel somewhat a dryness- and that day my eyes werent at worst because my throat was bad.
I did take home some soclear- as the optomotrist said most people found those better for dry eye than synergies because they dont have the soft lense to absorb (which i was surprised at because i had heard reports of these being better for some with dry eye).
The soclear felt comfortable but again too dry.
Just gonna give up on any sort of contact.
I want a cure
Dry Eye Patient
Still doing beautifully. Cannot wear my glasses more than 1-2 hours with the dry eye getting too painful. No pain, irritation, etc. with my synergeyes at all. They are truly my miracle.
Dry Eye Patient
I just discovered about synergeyes through these threads and I'm really interested to go in for an appointment to see if I'm a candidate. I have severe dry eye in 1 eye, which recently have been more comfortable after getting cautery. I haven't been to the the optometrist since developing my dry eye and before that I always just paid out of pocket.
The contact fitting and the lens itself for Synergeyes are SO expensive that I think vision insurance at this time is a good idea. For those who use Synergeyes, which vision insurance do you have that covered them so I know which one is better to get?? Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Dry Eye Patient
new synergeye user
i have mild dry eye and have been wearing the synergeyes for about 2 weeks now. i notice, amazingly, that i just don't seem to need to put drops in my eyes and they feel good all day. i actually forget about them! i can tolerate these lenses for about 12 hours now. my problem seems to be with light sensitivity....it seems to come and go and i am assuming that this is something to get used to. i did notice a $50 coupon if you google synergeyes coupons for certain types of the synergeyes. unfortunately for me, i have no vision insurance. i have the synergeyes ps (post surgery)-- i am approx. 15 years post rk and have not realized how poor my vision was, until i used these lenses. they are amazing. however, the fitting has taken many many hours and visits and although the cost is fairly high, if the dr. takes time and does is properly, i can see why.
Last edited by greenandbrowneyes; 15-Feb-2010 at 16:58.
Dry Eye Patient
new synergeyes user
i have mild dry eye and have been wearing the synergeyes for about 2 weeks now. i notice, amazingly, that i just don't seem to need to put drops in my eyes and they feel good all day. i actually forget about them! i can tolerate these lenses for about 12 hours now. my problem seems to be with light sensitivity....it seems to come and go and i am assuming that this is something to get used to. i did notice a $50 coupon if you google synergeyes coupons for certain types of the synergeyes. unfortunately for me, i have no vision insurance. i have the synergeyes ps (post surgery)-- i am approx. 15 years post rk and have not realized how poor my vision was, until i used these lenses. they are amazing. however, the fitting has taken many many hours and visits and although the cost is fairly high, if the dr. takes time and does is properly, i can see why. i understand some medical plans treat certain vision disorders as a medical situation, so you may want to check with your dr.
Last edited by greenandbrowneyes; 15-Feb-2010 at 16:59.
Dry Eye Patient
Hi,
I live near you and was wondering which doctor you went to for Synergeyes---especially since you mentioned that it took lots of visits and extra fitting time by the eye doctor. This is a quality I look for in eye doctors because I don't see well and have trouble getting a good prescription during an refraction exam.
thanks,
Calli
Dry Eye Patient
Update: 3 years later and still doing very, very well. Synergeyes are my "cure". I still have very severe dry eye, but am symptom free when the Synergeyes are in.
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