Something With More Oxygen than Acuvue Oasys

eye2eye · #1 (**permalink**) 06-09-2008, 09:12 AM

Someone I know of is having a problem with Oasys contacts. Her eye doctor says that it's because her eyes aren't getting enough oxygen. What contact lenses would you recommend that are as comfortable and durable as Oasys, but with more oxygen permeability?

fschultz4is · #2 (**permalink**) 06-19-2008, 07:00 PM

Currently, Night & Day offers the highest level of oxygen permeability on the market. Followed by Biofinity and O2 Optix. Oxygen might not be the issue with your friend. I had a patient that I tried every silicone hydrogel lens on to no avail in curing redness. Switched patient to Clear Care. Still no success. Put the patient in a one-day disposable lens, redness went away. In the end, it was allergies, not oxygen at the root of the redness. I now start all my patients in ClearCare to save the time of switching solutions to eliminate the problem. I can go to mechanical issues right away.

eye2eye · #3 (**permalink**) 09-02-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fschultz4is

Currently, Night & Day offers the highest level of oxygen permeability on the market. Followed by Biofinity and O2 Optix. Oxygen might not be the issue with your friend. I had a patient that I tried every silicone hydrogel lens on to no avail in curing redness. Switched patient to Clear Care. Still no success. Put the patient in a one-day disposable lens, redness went away. In the end, it was allergies, not oxygen at the root of the redness. I now start all my patients in ClearCare to save the time of switching solutions to eliminate the problem. I can go to mechanical issues right away.

Beautiful posting, fschultz4is. Thank you.

rfriel · #4 (**permalink**) 12-16-2009, 10:45 AM

Excellent post!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by fschultz4is

currently, night & day offers the highest level of oxygen permeability on the market. Followed by biofinity and o2 optix. Oxygen might not be the issue with your friend. I had a patient that i tried every silicone hydrogel lens on to no avail in curing redness. Switched patient to clear care. Still no success. Put the patient in a one-day disposable lens, redness went away. In the end, it was allergies, not oxygen at the root of the redness. I now start all my patients in clearcare to save the time of switching solutions to eliminate the problem. I can go to mechanical issues right away.

Railfan · #5 (**permalink**) 12-16-2009, 12:05 PM

I have to add my kudos to those of my colleagues on this site. The posting put up by fschultz4is is just the kind of thing I like to see on Lens 101. Thank you for sharing your time and expertise.

rfriel · #6 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 02:34 PM

when my contacts are feeling dry and irritable and making my eyes red, i pop an allergy pill and my eyes clear up. for many, dry eye wearing contacts is really just allergies, it makes sense for some, a contact is a foreign object the immune system is trying to eliminate, take an immunosuppressant, and VOILA!! dry, red, irritated eyes from contacts clear right up. this is not for everyone, but you just need to figure out why contacts are irritating your eyes, then solve the problem.

ruththomas · #7 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

when my contacts are feeling dry and irritable and making my eyes red, i pop an allergy pill and my eyes clear up. for many, dry eye wearing contacts is really just allergies, it makes sense for some, a contact is a foreign object the immune system is trying to eliminate, take an immunosuppressant, and VOILA!! dry, red, irritated eyes from contacts clear right up. this is not for everyone, but you just need to figure out why contacts are irritating your eyes, then solve the problem.

That's an interesting suggestion rfriel. I wonder if any other allergy sufferers out there can attest to the effectiveness of their medication in relieving dry eyes.

For those who are not on that pill, can you recommend eye drops or something?

rfriel · #8 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruththomas

That's an interesting suggestion rfriel. I wonder if any other allergy sufferers out there can attest to the effectiveness of their medication in relieving dry eyes.

For those who are not on that pill, can you recommend eye drops or something?

I cant recommend anything since i am not a OD, all i can do is relate what i have found that works, i use restasis to help with dry eye, 2gm/day vitamin E, and benedryl and citirizine for allergies. the allergy meds show the best improvements although the restasis and vit E could be helping too. it sucks taking allergy meds to wear contacts, but that's what helps, now i have a much better appreciation for what allergy sufferers go through, either take meds and be drowsy or feel like crap, or tolerate the allergy symptoms, 6 of one, half dozen of the other, i suppose.

ruththomas · #9 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

I cant recommend anything since i am not a OD, all i can do is relate what i have found that works, i use restasis to help with dry eye, 2gm/day vitamin E, and benedryl and citirizine for allergies. the allergy meds show the best improvements although the restasis and vit E could be helping too. it sucks taking allergy meds to wear contacts, but that's what helps, now i have a much better appreciation for what allergy sufferers go through, either take meds and be drowsy or feel like crap, or tolerate the allergy symptoms, 6 of one, half dozen of the other, i suppose.

That was fast, rfriel, This is almost like instant messaging!

Thanks for the Restasis recommendation. If people are taking allergy medicine per doctor's orders anyway, they may discover the fringe benefits for wearing contacts more comfortably.

Fringe. Get it?

Knotlob · #10 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

when my contacts are feeling dry and irritable and making my eyes red, i pop an allergy pill and my eyes clear up. for many, dry eye wearing contacts is really just allergies, it makes sense for some, a contact is a foreign object the immune system is trying to eliminate, take an immunosuppressant, and VOILA!! dry, red, irritated eyes from contacts clear right up. this is not for everyone, but you just need to figure out why contacts are irritating your eyes, then solve the problem.

Hi rfriel

That was a new take on contact lens problems.

I can see the benefit in that if your contact lens problems clear up after taking an anti-allergy pill, that probably helps in the diagnosis (lens or solution allergy) and not a mechanical thing with the lenses.

Did an allergy specialist give you the cocktail of medicines to try - I presume some of these are prescription drugs?

Do you leave yourself open to increased risk of other infections if you say that some of the drugs are immuno-suppressants? i.e. increased risk of swine flu, etc?

As you said, six of one and half a dozen of the other.

knotlob

rfriel · #11 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Hi rfriel

That was a new take on contact lens problems.

I can see the benefit in that if your contact lens problems clear up after taking an anti-allergy pill, that probably helps in the diagnosis (lens or solution allergy) and not a mechanical thing with the lenses.

Did an allergy specialist give you the cocktail of medicines to try - I presume some of these are prescription drugs?

Do you leave yourself open to increased risk of other infections if you say that some of the drugs are immuno-suppressants? i.e. increased risk of swine flu, etc?

As you said, six of one and half a dozen of the other.

knotlob

oh yes, i am NOT recommending anyone do this, i really hate wearing hardware on my face, anything to get away from the hardware, if that means drowsy with zyrtec and benedryl, i guess so be it, other allergy sufferers with much worse than mine dont have a choice, they have to take allergy meds or they cant function, with me, its a choice, also, the restasis is prescription, cannot take it with active eye infections, also reduces inflammation in tear ducts to provide more tears to cornea I personally think the optical cyclosporin improves tolerance to contact lens as well since it is an immunosuppressant, its kind of an offlabel use. vitamin E, very good for immune system anyway, doc recommended it too, but i was already taking it.

ruththomas · #12 (**permalink**) 01-12-2010, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

oh yes, i am NOT recommending anyone do this, i really hate wearing hardware on my face, anything to get away from the hardware, if that means drowsy with Zyrtec and Benedryl, i guess so be it.

I think I'd rather just wear glasses than to feel sedated all the time.

rfriel · #13 (**permalink**) 01-12-2010, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fschultz4is

Currently, Night & Day offers the highest level of oxygen permeability on the market. Followed by Biofinity and O2 Optix. Oxygen might not be the issue with your friend. I had a patient that I tried every silicone hydrogel lens on to no avail in curing redness. Switched patient to Clear Care. Still no success. Put the patient in a one-day disposable lens, redness went away. In the end, it was allergies, not oxygen at the root of the redness. I now start all my patients in ClearCare to save the time of switching solutions to eliminate the problem. I can go to mechanical issues right away.

were dailies SiHy or just HEMA? was the allergy due to silicon?

Eyebrowze · #14 (**permalink**) 01-12-2010, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfriel

were dailies SiHy or just HEMA? was the allergy due to silicon?

Okay, I think this question is intended for fschultz4is, but I'm curious to know that "HEMA" is. I'm pretty sure "SiHy" is "silicone hydrogel" but I'm not familiar with HEMA.

Knotlob · #15 (**permalink**) 01-12-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eyebrowze

Okay, I think this question is intended for fschultz4is, but I'm curious to know that "HEMA" is. I'm pretty sure "SiHy" is "silicone hydrogel" but I'm not familiar with HEMA.

SiHy = Silicone Hydrogel
HEMA = hydroxyethylmethacrylate

(i.e. HEMA is the standard hydrogel, fore runner of the silicone hydrogel lens materials)

The question is addressed to fschultz4is. However, fschultz4is does specifically mention the problem occurred with Silicone Hydrogel lenses. It eased/disappeared with a change of lens solutions and a switch to Daily Disposables. Daily disposables are not usually Silicone Hydrogel, but standard hydrogel lenses. QED, the allergy was primarily associated with the Silicone Hydrogel lens materials.

knotlob