Contact Lenses

Dry Eye is one of the most common complaints among wearers of contact lenses.

Prolonged or careless use of contact lenses can cause eye injury. Contact lens use is also associated with decreased nerve sensitivity on the corneal surface, which can lead to poor lacrimal gland function or a decreased blink rate.

The contact lens itself disrupts the blink feedback loop, because the lens acts as a barrier that effectively desensitizes the cornea. Furthermore, due to this aqueous deficiency, the contact lens may then put stress on the meibomian glands with each blink, because there is insufficient lubrication in the eye and excessive friction. Any stress on the meibomian glands can lead to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and evaporative dry eye.

Contact lens wearers also have different microorganism colonies in their eyes than those who do not wear contact lenses. This may explain why those who wear contact lenses have more eye infections.

SLK (Superior Limbic Keratoconjunctivitis) is a common disease among contact lens wearers.

References

Changes in the Eye Microbiota Associated with Contact Lens Wearing
Shin H, Price K, Albert L, Dodick J, Park L, Dominguez-Bello MG.
MBio
2016 Mar 22;7(2):e00198. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00198-16.
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Dysfunctional neural regulation of lacrimal gland secretion and its role in the pathogenesis of dry eye syndromes
Dartt DA.
The Ocular Surface
2004 Apr;2(2):76-91
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Why the eye becomes dry: a cornea and lacrimal gland feedback model
Mathers WD.
The CLAO Journal : official publication of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists
2000 Jul;26(3):159-65
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