Sometimes we have bad days, it's just part of living. What's worse than having a bad day? Having a bad with uncomfortable contact lenses in your eyes. We've all been there right? Those days when it feels like a cactus is in your eye. You can't can't stop thinking about it. Whatever you're doing, wherever you're looking, it nags you good and proper. Annoying - to say the least. Well, what if you could relieve that discomfort straight away? 9 times out of 10 (not a verified statistic), contact lens discomfort is avoidable or you are able to relieve it yourself.

Eye Drops

A builder without a hammer. That's how contact lens wearers are without eye drops. Eye drops are a key ingredient in ensuring you have comfortable contact 100% of the time. When you accidentally fall asleep with your contacts in, or when you've been working in a dusty environment all day, a little bottle of artificial tears can be all it takes to turn things from being horribly irritating to bliss. Carry a bottle anywhere you go and administer them during the day - set times throughout the day when you can systematically add them if you like.

Nutrition

Natural moisture in your eyes keep everything going like a well oiled machine. Naturally, your body is equipped to keep your eyes healthy and functioning properly, however it needs the right nutrition to do this. If your body doesn't produce enough tears or if the makeup of the tears hasn't got certain nutrients in it, your eyes could become dry and irritable fast. Eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids will make the tears oily in composition preventing excessive tear evaporation. I'm no nutritionist, but they tell me Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, nuts, plant oils and other fortified foods (certain types of eggs, juice, milk and so forth). Make sure your diet includes these things.

Fit

Occasionally, contact lens wearers will wear ill-fitting lenses either by their mistake in choosing the wrong product, or their eye doctor prescribing the wrong size. If this occurs, you're likely to feel discomfort straight away. All contact lenses have a base curve. This will be a number such as 8.4 or 8.8 and can be found written on the contact lens box somewhere. Base curve is a measure of how curved the lens is. If your eyeball is is relatively small, you'll need a 'tighter' base curve on your contacts and vice versa. Too small or too big and the contact lens won't sit properly on your eye causing discomfort. Also the diameter of the lens may be too big or too small, adding further complications.

Wear Schedule

Contact lenses come in different wear schedules. Some are daily disposables, some monthly and some fortnightly. With monthly and fortnightly contact lenses, wearers are required to take the lens out each night before they go to sleep and store it in solution, before inserting it again in the morning. A disadvantage with these lenses is that they accumulate debris, dust and grit over time and although you may wash the lenses every night and store them properly, they will still build up over time. Needless to say, this is will cause an uncomfortable wearing experience. Daily disposable contacts will do away with this so some may find these more comfortable. If you do wear monthly of fortnightly contact lenses (as many people do), looking after your lenses with the correct cleaning and storage will ensure you get the best out of your lenses every day. Keep consistent and make a habit of doing the right thing.

Water Content

Contact lenses are made up of different material, each with varying levels of water content. A high water content isn't necessarily a good thing. Some people will feel most comfortable with a lower water content than others. Without trying a few different lenses, it's going to be difficult to see what suits you best so we recommend talking to your optometrist about this. Silicone Hydrogel lenses are the most common product these days. they have a good balance of oxygen permeability and water content. Check whether you are able to wear these too.

Protection

A bit of common sense always helps. Whenever you're in a dusty environment, put on some safety glasses or sunglasses to protect your eyes from as much debris as possible. This will help you to prevent unnecessary discomfort too.   If discomfort persists with your contact lenses, you should consult your optometrist as they'll be able to assess the situation and make an educated decision about how to fix the problem. It may be that you have a more serious condition than you realise so getting their opinion is invaluable.