Wedding Blog
… But I’m stuck with them for now. My eyes can only take a couple hours of contact wear before drying out. Then the excessive blinking begins. Unfortunately, my corneas are irregularly shaped (I have a mild form of keratoconus), thus, disqualifying me for LASIK and PRK, aka LASIK without the flap. While there are several contact brands available specifically catered towards dry eyes, only a limited number offer the toric lens in my power.
I rarely wear contacts during the week, but when I do, 2-3 people always comment, “You look different today.” Hmmm, does it make that much of a difference? The glasses I don’t mind so much, especially since they cover up the bags and the occasional zit that pops up in between the brows, but I won’t be wearing them come wedding day! In the meantime, I’m using artificial tears pretty consistently and will be heavily lubricating my eyes the week of the wedding per my doc’s recommendation.
I normally use the Systane preservative free drops. My doc just gave me a sample of Systane Ultra to use when not wearing contacts.
At one point, I also gave Restasis a try. The thought of Restasis being able to increase my eyes’ ability to generate more tears was promising, but I didn’t notice a difference.
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Anyone else suffer from dry eyes? What are you doing to ease the discomfort on your wedding day?
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Share this post: Eye Hate Contacts
I’ll give you my watery eyes!! Mine water like crazy unless I take allergy medicine every day, which I am horrible at doing. People wonder why I’m crying all the time…
I had LASIK surgery about 3 years ago and now suffer from dry eyes. I have used several types of drops, but found that Systane seemed to work the best and lasted the longest.
I love Blink Contacts–my eye doc prescribed them to me for similar reasons–extreme dry eye with contact lens wear. They help me a lot! The Systane drops are great for when I’m in glasses though. Good luck!
I have terribly dry eyes - my doc recommended hot compresses twice a day for 5 minutes to clear my glands, and also says EFA supplements help! I use systane and blink depending on if I’ve got contacts in or not… I feel your pain!
I got LASIK surgery 5 years ago, and my dry eyes went away! Of course I had to be heavy-handed with the saline/drops during the healing process, but now, I can go days without touching them!
I too suffer from dry eyes. My torics were never happy in my eyes, so I stuck to wearing glasses for the last 5 years. Now with wedding planning, I was of going to Hard lenses because they don’t absorb any water from your eyes. Anyone try that before? Would love to hear if you find a good solution to this problem Miss Piglet.
Yes! I like the Refresh Tears brand of eye drops…though I fear I’ll be manufacturing tons of natural ones on my wedding day — thus leading to even drier eyes!
I haven’t had a lot of issues with my contacts drying out, but my optomitrist recommended Oasis brand eyedrops, claiming that he tried them out and thought they were amazing. The website is: http://www.oasistears.com/.
Have you ever tried the plugs that the optometrist puts in your tear ducts? They cause your eyes to reabsorb tears more slowly, thus keeping your eyes more moist. I can only make it a few hours in my contacts before my eyes are too dry. I have a GREAT relationship with my optometrist, who I have seen since I was a preteen. We tried a temporary set of the plugs to see if they were an option. For me, unfortunately, they didn’t help, but the trial plugs were free (we just did them when I was in for my annual), and the permanent ones, if they work for you, are not very expensive (and painless and reversible).
@MrsSl82be: That sounds just as bad! Glad to hear allergy medicine works.
@Miss Meatball: Thanks Meatball! That’s the first I’ve heard of EFA supplements to help with dry eyes.
@nelzbels: I’ll keep ya posted if anything shows promise…
@agrosses: My optometrist actually recommended this today. I wanted to do a bit more research first. Sounds promising!
I used to have a similar problem, and thought the solution was worth sharing.
I share the extreme Toric-ness in contacts, and at one point had two different brands, one per eye. After a while (years actually), one of them became so uncomfortable that I couldn’t wear it for more than a few hours at a time. It was itchy, and watery, like terrible allergies. I finally went to the doctor, and he explained that the contact that was bothering me was made out of a protein based material, and I was actually having an allergic reaction to it. The other one was lipid based and was fine. He gave me some prescription eyedrops to used until it healed (and no contact sue in the meantime!), and then we were able to find a brand that worked in both eyes. It actually meant going down a few in strength, but I can see fine, and they are much more comfortable.
May not be relevant, but if it’s really bad, may be worth checking out. The difference now is unbelievable. I believe the term was Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC). Good luck!
punctal plugs is what they’re called…the plugs that go in your tear ducts. it sounds painful, but i got collagen plugs when i got my LASIK and i HIGHLY recommend them. they didn’t hurt a bit going in, they cut my healing time in half (vs. my other friends who had LASIK), they’re absorbed into your tear duct after a few days (perfect for the week of the wedding) and they weren’t that expensive. plus, i bet insurance will cover it if you always have dry eyes!
good luck!
Miss Piglet… I am right there with you. I almost never wear my contacts during the week. I am a middle school teacher, so I figure it doesn’t matter how nerdy I look. Probably the nerdier the better! I am really concerned about the big day, though. I just had my doc change my lenses to the Acuvue Oasys…. with hopes that it would help.
I use the protopic contacts, which help but not really, and I use the refresh eye drops. Still, though, the dry-eye constant blinking and sometimes burning is very irritating. I hope you find a better solution to help enjoy your wedding day fully!
Sorry but I totally LOL’d at the glasses hiding zits — I love wearing my glasses on bad skin days!
I’d wear my glasses. My eyes get along with contacts and I might wear my glasses anyway b/c they’re my friend.s
I love how I get on weddingbee and there’s a topic related to something I’m going through! Last week I got bangs, and the day of there was a post on bangs. Since I got bangs I’ve been wearing my contacts everyday and am like you… a couple of hours later my eyes are very dry. Let me know what works best for you! I’m very interested to know!
YES! I actually have super dry eyes; it only happened in the last year or two, though. Prior to summer 2007, I was able to wear contacts all day every day.
I had a very expensive procedure done where an eye doctor puts in “punctal plugs.” My insurance didn’t end up covering it, by my doctor was super nice and waived the majority of the fees b/c I was a student and didn’t have money. Unfortunately, this process did not work for me…
What have I used that’s worked? GenTeal makes a good one that is also preservative free. I also like the Bausch and Lomb gel stuff for nighttime use. You can also take vitamins (there’s one by theratears, one by hydroeye and one other one but i can’t remember the name of it…it smelled like coffee and didn’t work very well plus gave me weird side effects).
The best thing for me was a prescription eye drop, though. I think it’s called fluormethaoxle, but I could be wrong. I DO know, though, that the abbreviation is called FLM. It’s the only eye drop that I used that let me wear contacts all day long again!
Just cry a lot on your wedding day…that should get rid of those dry eyes. 
I’m afraid of losing my contacts in my eyes…everytime I cry, I tend to rub my eyes and then they’re gone and I have to fish around to find them again. OK, this is getting gross so I’ll stop.
i have super dry eyes so i use daily disposables! what type of contacts do you use? daily contacts really make a difference!
@Miss Latte: Dude Latte, you crack me up.
@Mrs. Bee: I use the monthly disposables… I wonder if the daily contacts come in my prescription. I’ll check it out. Thanks, Bee!
I also hate wearing contacts! Mine aren’t *super* dry, but it’s a rare day when they don’t bother me at some point.
I’ll wear contacts at our wedding, though, because I look more like “myself” with them in, I think. Hopefully there’s not too much crying! 
Hey there,
So, I’m an eye doctor, and I understand your plight! Sounds like you may want to try punctal plugs. They are small silicone inserts that stay in the little holes (the puncta) that you have in the corner of your eyes that drain your tears. This way, more tears stay on your eyes, making contact lens wear more bearable.
Its true, with higher amounts of astigmatism (as in keratokonus) there are fewer options when it comes to contact lens wear. If you have a nice bit of astigmatism, you may want to also try RGP’s, a hard contact lens that sits on your tear layer. RGP’s can halt/ keep at bay the progression of Keratoconus.
Hope it works out!
I had LASIK done and suffered through a period of dry eyes. Restasis helped me.
My dad had dry eyes for years and years and saw so many different doctors. Eventually he found one that suggested a hot compress. It worked for him! Now if I’m having some dry symptoms, I heat a damp washcloth in the microwave and rest it on my eyes for a while. Works like a charm for me.
I have the same problems, it’s awful! I have to force myself to wear my contacts these days - for about the past year I’ve been so frustrated that I’ve worn my glasses almost every day. So I struggle when thinking about my wedding day - having my makeup done, fake eyelashes, etc and wondering how I’m going to make it without bloodshoot eyes! Since I have RGP (hard) lenses, if I get one tiny thing in my eye, I blink like crazy!
Glad I’m not the only one who is worried of this for the wedding day!
I had dry eyes in college and switched to proclear compatibles (soft) lenses. I have a strong prescription, but they carry it. I also have artificial tears on hand (ones without preservatives, though–that’s KEY, my opthamologist said). Since moving to a more humid climate, I don’t find my eyes are as dry.
Lately, my contacts/eyes get itchy and dry a lot faster than they used to. I have been wearing the same brand of contacts for over 10 years, so my eye doc finally switched me to new ones. They didn’t really help.
I desperately want LASIK, but chickened out after the surgeon handed me a form, essentially signing my sight away. Something to the effect of “When we remove your cornea, if we happen to drop it and it lands on the ground, we will do everything we can to save it, but we’re not making any promises.”
I hightailed it outta there.
I have contacts and I hate wearing them because I have the same problem with my eyes. I’ve pretty much given up on contacts and now just get cute glasses frames.
thanks for all the suggestions and stories on what worked for you! the punctual plugs and hot compresses definitely sound like options worth exploring. i’ll keep you posted!
I have dry eyes too and Acuvue and ProClear lenses work well for me. My dry eye seems to be allergy related so I’ve been using Accular prescription eye drops and I recently switched to Alocril. These drops make a huge difference! I can definitely feel it when I forget to put the drops in in the morning.
I love Restasis!! It’s the only thing that works for my dry eyes b/c it produces my natural tears. You have to stick with it for atleast a month for it to start working. But it is the only thing that keep my tears producing
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Mrs. Piglet, Virginia/Oahu
Age and Occupation: 28, Consultant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Entrepreneur/Fashion Apparel Wholesale Importer
Engagement Date: June 22, 2008
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: Ceremony at the Lanikuhonua Phase II private estate, reception at a historic hotel in Waikiki
About Me: I'm an East Coast gal with intense road rage and an addiction to romantic comedies, fast food, gadgets, Korean BBQ, and my wiener dog George aka Georgia May. I carry mustard packets in my purse and I love perusing the aisles at discount stores. A self proclaimed shopaholic, I impulsively buy electronics, software, and craft tools; none of which I know how to use. I'm excited to dust
these babies off and immerse myself in DIY projects galore in
preparation for our DW in paradise!
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