Can People with Glaucoma Wear Contact Lenses?

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Can People with Glaucoma Wear Contact Lenses?

Thursday, August 21st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Glaucoma is an eye condition in which the optic nerve is damaged and destroyed over a period of time. Most frequently, glaucoma can be accredited to amplified eye pressure as an effect of drainage blockage. Other reasons for glaucoma consist of poor blood supply to the optic nerve fibers, weak nerve structure, or a deficiency in the nerve fibers.

If you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, you are likely to already be experiencing vision problems. You may have already been prescribed corrective lenses. If you are new to wearing glasses, or even if you’ve worn glasses for a lifetime, you may wonder if you’re eligible to wear contact lenses.

Over the past 40 years, corrective contact lenses have seen tremendous improvements. Because of this, almost anyone can use contacts to correct their vision ? including many people who suffer from glaucoma. Today’s contact lenses come in both hard lens and soft lens forms.

Hard (Rigid) Lenses - Modern rigid lenses allow oxygen to pass through them in order to reach the eye. This newer version of the hard lens is generally tolerated well, even by some people with glaucoma. New developments in rigid lenses include a bifocal feature, which provides correction for both nearsightedness and farsightedness. If you think rigid lenses might be a viable option for you, it is very important that you consult with a contact lens specialist. When you see the contact lens specialist to determine if rigid lenses are right for you, make sure to mention that you have been diagnosed with glaucoma.

Soft Lenses - Soft contact lenses have become enormously popular because of their comfortable fit. In many cases, soft prescription contact lenses can also be worn for extended periods of time. Soft contact lenses have also been worn by many glaucoma patients with little to no consequence whatsoever. Again, it is important to note that if you think soft contact lenses may be appropriate for you, it is crucial that you see an ophthalmologist that specializes in contact lenses and/or glaucoma first.

The Bad News - Topical eye treatments are the most common form of medication used in the early stages of glaucoma. What does this mean? Two words: eye drops. Most doctors will prescribe several types of eye drops to treat glaucoma. You will likely be applying eye drops every single day or as much as several times a day. Unfortunately, skipping one or more doses can cause further damage to the optic nerve. What does this mean to potential users of corrective contact lenses?

Interactions - Prior to commencing use of your prescription contact lenses, be certain to discover if the medication contained in your eye drops could conceivably interact with the contact lenses. The most frequent interaction that could possibly come about is that the preservative in some glaucoma eye drops may be absorbed into particular kinds of lenses, leading to intolerance of contact lenses. The greatest method of limiting the danger of injurious interaction is to keep your eye specialist informed of your glaucoma diagnosis and management.

In summing up, corrective contact lenses are a fantastic option for individuals who have vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. It is likely that people identified with glaucoma might probably experience the freedom and comfort that prescription contact lenses provide. If you have been diagnosed with glaucoma then the most important aspect that needs to addressed, if you wish to be able to wear contact lenses, is to speak you’re your specialist about any likely conflict between the contacts and your glaucoma.

Clearly Contacts is an online provider of contacts, designer glasses and prescription frames at huge savings.