Choosing between contacts or glasses is usually up to personal preference, but if you have specific eye conditions like dry eyes, one option may be better than another. Wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses can help you see more clearly, but can they also help improve your dry eyes? Our eye care professionals at Wolcott Optical want all patients to feel comfortable in their eyewear, so choosing comfortable options for dry eyes will help improve your daily activities. 

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Different situations can cause your eyes to be dry and it can change from hour to hour. Using your eyes for multiple hours a day will require more moisture to be produced by blinking. If you have poor blinking habits while reading or using screens this can be a main cause of dry eyes later. 

Other factors or changes in your routine can lead to dry eyes. Taking certain medications like heart medications, birth control pills, or morphine. If you have started having symptoms of dry eyes because of medications, talk to your doctors about other options or if these symptoms are normal. 

Pregnancy and hormone changes in women can also be a cause of dry eyes. These changes are temporary and sometimes eye drops can help limit irritation. Other causes of dry eyes can include:

• Dry indoor environment
• High winds or dusty conditions
• Illnesses like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes
• Wearing your contact lenses for too long

Pros And Cons Of Glasses

There are pros and cons of different types of optical care. Glasses may be a better option for many people who don’t want to worry about touching their eyes or not losing their contacts. Specific glasses also have built-in UV protection that will protect your eyes from sun damage and adjust automatically when you walk out into the sunlight.

Glasses don’t require you to follow specific instructions for wear. Contacts need to be stored in solution, only worn for specific hours of the day, etc. Glasses are ready to go when you need them and don’t really require any eye prep before wear. 

Since you aren’t wearing the glasses directly on your eye, the risk of dry eyes is lessened. Improve your blinking patterns and avoid eye strain while wearing glasses. 

Glasses also have their cons and problems too. The frames and lenses are prone to breaking which means that you will need to replace them as soon as possible if you want to be able to see clearly. 

All lenses will need to be cleaned and smudges are common. Cleaning your lenses will help prevent eye strain or distractions during your day. 

Pros And Cons Of Contacts

Wearing contacts is more natural for some patients and it causes less eye strain than glasses. They definitely don’t require bulky frames or change your appearance. Contact wearers also comment on how wearing contact lenses improves their peripheral vision.

Another unique benefit of contacts is the ability to change your eye color. Colored contacts can help you see clearly while altering your iris color easily. Glasses don’t have this creative benefit for those who want to have a little fun with their eyewear. 

Glasses wearers will attest to the annoying fogging that happens during the rain or when cooking with steam. Contacts will help you avoid this problem. 

The biggest con of contacts is that they can cause dry eyes for many patients. If you wear them too long, don’t blink enough, or are prone to dry eyes already, they can really irritate your eyes. 

If touching your eyes is a deal breaker for you, wearing contacts is not the best option. You will need to touch your eye to put in the contact lens, take it out at night, and if any adjustments need to be made. Those who are grossed out by touching their eyes will want to stay away from contact lenses. Touching your eyes too much can also lead to dry and irritated eyes. 

Treatments For Dry Eyes

Oftentimes, your contacts aren’t the reason you are experiencing dry eyes. In fact, as mentioned previously, lots of different environmental factors can play a role. Common treatments such as eye drops or anti-inflammatory medication can be prescribed to those with mild symptoms. 

For those with more severe symptoms or chronic dry eye, surgeries or stronger medications may be necessary. Artificial tears are similar to eye drops and can help eliminate irritation. These will not treat the underlying cause of dry eyes though. 

Other treatments include:

• Punctal plugs
• Special contact lenses
• Closing tear ducts
• Light therapy
• Eyelid massage

Acrylic nails are pretty and fun, but having them when you wear contact lenses is not real fun. It can be scary trying out acrylic nails when you wear contacts, because the last thing that you want is to hurt your eyes when you’re trying to put your contacts in or take them out. Nor do you want to accidentally puncture or rip your contacts – those things are expensive and you need them to see!

As such, you may wonder whether or not it’s even possible to wear acrylic nails with contact lenses. You may think that you have to stick with nail polish while wearing contacts or if you really want acrylics, you have to stick to glasses. Here’s what you need to know.

Can You Have Acrylic Nails If You Wear Contacts?

The truth of the matter is that yes, you can actually have long nails while wearing contact lenses. However, it goes without saying that if you’re going to do that, you need to be extremely careful around your eyes and when handling your contacts. Contact lenses in and of themselves already necessitate precise care, even with natural nails that are short and stubby. Adding acrylic nails into the mix means that you have to be even more careful than ever before.

What Should You Be Mindful Of When Wearing Acrylic Nails With Contact Lenses?

Many different things! Some of which are as follows.

#1. Start With Shorter Nails

If you’re new to acrylic nails and you wear contacts, work your way up in length gradually. Even just a couple of extra millimeters can make it feel impossible to get your contacts out if you’re not used to them. If you’re struggling to remove your contacts, you’re probably doing damage to your contacts every time that you try, not to mention the risk of scratching your eyeball. This can decrease the effectiveness of your contacts and cause you to need new contacts on a more frequent basis.

#2. Switch Your Contact Lens Case More Frequently

This is due to hygiene. You can learn more about eye hygiene in our previous blog, 3 Essential Eye Hygiene Tips. But basically, your nails need to be washed, not just your hands. When you have long nails, you need to be sure that you’re washing them properly. However, many people forget about this and end up handling their contacts lens case with unwashed nails, making it less hygienic. This is bad for your eyes. Swapping your lens case out more frequently can help with this. 

#3. Wash Your Hands Before Handling Your Contacts

We just talked about this, but it’s worth its own section. One of the biggest mistakes that people who wear acrylic nails (and contact lens wearers in general) make is not washing their hands before handling your contacts. However, your nails are a breeding ground for bacteria. For hygiene’s sake, wash your hands, nails included, before handling your contacts.

#4. Know How To Take Your Contacts Out And Put Them In

Adding acrylic nails into the equation can make something that was once easy incredibly difficult. Adding in the factor that those nails are going near your eyes and it becomes even worse. You never want to grab your contacts with your nails, as this can scratch and tear them.

There are a few different ways you can handle contacts with acrylic nails. It’s best to talk about this with your eye doctor, as they know you and your eyes and will be able to make appropriate recommendations to suit your needs.

Avoid common mistakes like trying too hard to remove contacts that won’t come out, using your nails directly on the lens, and pulling on your eyelid too much.

#5. Have Glasses On Hand

If you’re a contact lens wearer, you may not have glasses. This may be either because you just don’t like how glasses look or because you think it is unnecessary to have both glasses and contacts. However, if you wear contacts, it’s always a good idea to have a backup pair of contact lenses in case something happens. For instance, if you get an eye injury, you can’t wear contacts, and glasses would be able to allow you to still see.

If you struggle with acrylic nails and contacts, for the sake of your eye health and safety, it may be better to stick with glasses. When you wear glasses, you just toss them on and off, no need to worry about nails going near your eyeballs.

Wolcott Optical provides both contact lenses and glasses. We carry an extensive selection of frames to suit all styles. If you have questions about glasses or contact lenses, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. 

When traveling, you probably aren’t thinking too much about your eye health unless something happens. However, regardless of whether you have 20-20 vision or you need your contact lenses or glasses in order to see clearly, it’s important to practice eye care while traveling. The last thing you want is for something to happen when you’re not home and to end up in a situation.

Here are some of our top eye care tips for traveling.

#1. See The Eye Doctor Beforehand

If you have some nagging eye problems, whether it’s an itch, irritation, or new blurriness, it may be tempting to put off seeing the eye doctor until after you come back from your trip. However, the last thing that you want is for the problem to worsen while you’re supposed to be enjoying your vacation. See your eye doctor beforehand. They’ll be able to help you have a more enjoyable trip by providing you with the eye care you need.

#2. See An Eye Doctor As Needed

When you’re away from home and you start experiencing eye problems, you may think that it’s best to wait until you get home to have it taken care of. However, this could cause an easily treatable issue to escalate. If you start experiencing eye problems, it’s best to contact an eye doctor in the area. That way, they can provide you with treatment and you can get proper eye care, rather than have your trip disrupted by an issue.

#3. Use High-Quality Sunglasses With 100% UV Protection

Your skin isn’t the only part of your body that can be damaged by UV rays. Sunglasses with 100% UV protection are an essential eye care measure, not just while traveling, but all the time. 

While it may be tempting to just buy whatever sunglasses seem stylish, be very careful to check and see whether or not they provide UV protection. If they don’t, they could end up causing more harm than good. This is because they can cause your pupil to expand, leading to more UV radiation damaging your eyes. 

#4. Use Swimming Goggles

You probably know that you shouldn’t open your eyes underwater if you aren’t wearing swimming goggles. This is because exposure to chlorine, salt water, and different chemicals, bacterias, and potential diseases can cause all sorts of eye problems. Wearing swimming goggles is part of eye care that allows you to safely enjoy underwater sights.

It’s especially important to use swimming goggles if you wear contact lenses. Not only can the water hurt your eyes and impact your contact lenses, your contacts may decide that it’s time to be free and go on an underwater adventure of their own, without you.

#5. Protect The Skin Around Your Eyes

It’s easy to neglect the delicate skin around your eyes. However, just like the rest of your skin, it needs hydration and protection from the sun. Make sure that you’re using a hydrating eye cream with UV protection during the day, and something extra nourishing at night. 

#6. Stay Hydrated

Such a boring tip, we know, but you hear it all the time because it’s so very important. While traveling, there are so many fun drinks to try, from alcoholic beverages to new types of sodas or coffees or juices or what have you. Make sure that you’re drinking enough water between all your tasty beverages, though. This helps to prevent dry eyes, and is just generally good for you.

#7. Bring Backup Contacts And Glasses

All of the above eye care tips for traveling apply to anyone, regardless of whether or not you use corrective lenses. However, if you use contacts or glasses, it’s important to ensure that you’re packing backup pairs with you. 

While you may not think that you need them, the last thing that you want is for something to happen to your contacts or glasses while you’re traveling, and then you’re stuck with blurry vision and trying to find someone who can fill your prescription fast. If you wear contacts, it’s a good idea to bring glasses with you even if you never normally wear them. As the age-old saying goes, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

#8. Take Steps To Avoid Eye Strain

Whether from driving for long distances or accidentally wearing your contact lenses for 12+ hours straight, an essential part of eye care while traveling is taking preventative measures against eye strain. This includes putting your contacts in their sterile case with contact lens solution while flying so that you don’t accidentally fall asleep with them in and taking breaks as needed.

Are You Traveling This Summer?

Wolcott Optical is here to help! We can provide you with prescription sunglasses that allow you to enjoy the world without sun glare. We can also provide you with backup pairs of contacts or glasses, so you’re prepared while traveling. Contact us today to learn more about the eye glasses and contact lenses we provide.