10 Reasons You May Have Discomfort While Wearing Color Contacts (Circle Lenses)
Colored contact lenses are fun to wear, but they may cause some discomfort. If you’re experiencing any discomfort while wearing colored contacts, it may be from one of these ten common reasons.
1. A Tear in the Lens
A quick culprit to search for is a tear in your contact lens. Lenses are made of delicate material. This makes them breathable, flexible, and easy to pop on and off of the eye. However, this material also makes lenses very vulnerable to tears, and a tear in your lens can cause great discomfort.
Tears can happen easily and sometimes without us knowing. If you are cleaning your lens too abrasively, you could easily tear the lens unwittingly. If you feel any discomfort from your contact lens, search for a tear. It should be easy to spot and you may even be able to feel it while it’s on your eye.
(Use manual rotary lens washer can easily clean your color lenses without using your finger, to avoid damaging your lens without notice)
If you do have a tear in your lens, throw it away and put on a new one. Aside from causing discomfort, a tear in your lens can be dangerous to your eye
⚠️ Before you open the lens vial, see through the vial, check if there is any tear/scratch on the lens. If you notice anything unusual, please contact us at admin@candylens.com , we'll help you sort it out.
2. There’s Dirt or Debris on the Lens or Eye
If you feel discomfort when wearing your colored lenses, you should also search for dirt or debris. Lenses are meant to protect our eyes, but sometimes foreign items still manage to break the barrier.
If there is any sign of dirt or debris - on your eyeball or your contact lens - take your contact out and thoroughly rinse it with a multipurpose solution. Make sure the lens is fully moisturized before putting it back onto your eye.
If the dirt or debris is on your eye, you may still feel discomfort after you’ve taken your contact out. If so, look in the mirror and move your eyeball around to search for eyelashes, pieces of lint, or anything else that may be causing discomfort. Carefully remove the object from your eye, give your eyes sometimes to rest before putting your lenses back.
3. You Have a Dry Lens or Eye
Dry eyes are never comfortable, but they are especially uncomfortable when you have a contact lens in your eye. To remedy this problem, use eye drops that are suited for contact lens wear. If you still suffer from dry eyes, remove your contacts and let your eyes breathe for a moment before putting them back in.
4. You’re Wearing Old Contact Lenses
Old contact lenses can also cause discomfort. Contact lenses have a shelf life for a reason. They are not meant to stay in our eyes for months on end. Even if you are properly caring for your colored lenses, they can cause harm to your eye if you wear them for too long.
If you notice some discomfort and don’t know why, think back to the last time you swapped your colored lenses. If it’s been longer than the recommended wear time, you should throw them away and start with a new pair.
If this problem happens frequently, try keeping a calendar or writing the expiration date on your contact case so you are not wearing your contact lenses for too long. This will abate your risk of further discomfort or permanent damage to the eye.
5. You’re Taking Improper Care of Your Lenses
It’s paramount that you properly care for your lenses for many reasons, but one of them is that poorly cared for lenses can cause major discomfort to your eye.
If you are not taking your contacts out to sleep, washing them with a multi-purpose contact lens solution, and washing your hands before touching your lenses, dirt and debris will build, which, as we discussed, can cause major discomfort.
Here's a little story shared by one of our client, and we all can learn something here:
[She received the color contacts on first day and she opened the lens vial, for some reason, she let the lens sit inside the lens vial and close the vial with the cap. Few weeks later she noticed there is mold/fungus grow inside the lens vial. Apparently the lens is contaminated and can't be wear anymore.]
💡 So what can we learned from here?
- The main mistake is she just let the lens sit inside the lens vial.
- The liquid that stored the contact lens only works while the seal is still closed. Even if she close the lid, it won't seal tightly. Once the seal is opened, the lens is exposed to air.
- She should take the lens out and put it in contact lens case, then fill with multi-purpose solutions and close the case tightly.
- Even if she didn't wear them, she should change the multi-purpose solutions at least once a week to avoid contamination.
6. You’ve Worn Them for Too Long
Not only is important to change your contacts at the recommended expiration date, it’s equally important to wear them only for the recommended amount of time during the day. Lenses will tell you how long it is suitable to keep them in, but you may notice that your own eyes can’t handle them for too long.
It’s normal for your eyes to get tired, dry, or even a little achy when wearing contact lenses for too long. If you notice this and have no other visible signs of discomfort, consider how long you’ve kept your contact lenses in. It may be time to take them out for the day and let your eyes rest.
A good rule of thumb is 8 to 12 hours a day, and removing them at night to let your eyes rest as you sleep.
7. The Base Curve Doesn’t Fit Properly
All eyeballs are shaped a little differently. No, they’re not shaped like hearts and squares and diamonds, but they do have different dimensions, and this can cause major discomfort if the base curve is not fitted properly.
If you have persistent discomfort and have ruled out all other reasons, it could be the fit of your contact lens.
👨⚕️ Always consult with your local qualified optometrist or eye care professionals to get your base curve and prescription.
8. The Lens is Inside Out
Lenses are built in a very specific way. They are meant to contour our eyes correctly, and because of that, they are only meant to fit one way in our eyes. If you feel some discomfort in your lenses, they may be inside out.
It’s easy to tell if your lens is inside out. Hold it on your finger and look to see whether there is a lip or if it is retaining its proper bowl shape. A lip means it’s inside out.
Inside-out lenses are a quick fix. Simply pop the lens to its proper shape, rinse it, and put it back in your eye. Do not purposely put the lens in your eye while inside out. Leaving your contact lens on your eyeball while inside out can cause permanent damage to your eye.
9. You’ve Got an Eye Infection
A more serious cause of discomfort is an eye infection. Eye infections are not super common, but they do happen.
If you have an eye infection, do not wear contact lenses until your eye has healed. Putting a contact lens on an infected eye can slow the healing time, worsen the infection, or cause permanent damage to the eye.
If you notice even the slightest symptom of an eye infection, wait until the symptom has completely cleared before putting a contact lens on your eye. Symptoms may include dryness, itchiness, redness, or gunk, among others.
👨⚕️ If symptoms persist please consult your local qualified optometrist or eye care professionals immediately.
10. You Have a Corneal Abrasion
Another more serious cause of discomfort may be a corneal abrasion. Corneal abrasion is just a fancy phrase for a scratch on the eyeball, but this can be more serious than a scratch on your skin because it could cause an infection or result in permanent damage to your eye.
Your contact lenses sometimes cause scratches, which is why it’s important to keep them clean, but other things can cause corneal abrasions, too, like a tree branch or a fingernail. If you have one, wait until the abrasion has fully healed to put a contact lens back in your eye.
Discomfort to the eye can be very frustrating, especially if you have to wait for your eyes to heal before wearing lenses again. But it’s important to keep the eyes as healthy as possible so you not only can see, but can continue wearing colored contact lenses.