My eyes feel dry with contact lenses. What can I do?

When your eyes feel dry with contact lenses, the cause is usually how long and where you wear them: many hours of wear, long stretches at a screen without a break, air-conditioned or windy air, and lenses or cases used past their replacement time. What helps most is keeping to your wearing and replacement schedule, switching to glasses to rest your eyes, taking regular screen breaks and keeping dry air off your face. If dryness continues for weeks, or your eyes become red or painful, see an eye care provider.

Why do my eyes feel dry when I wear contact lenses?

A contact lens sits on the thin layer of tears that covers the front of the eye. Anything that makes that tear layer thinner or dry up faster is felt more when a lens is in.

Long hours of wear

Many people put lenses in before leaving home and take them out late at night, so the lenses stay in for most of the waking day. The National Eye Institute (NEI) in the US advises wearing your contacts only for the amount of time your eye doctor recommends.

Long stretches at a screen

The UK's NHS lists wearing contact lenses and looking at computer screens for a long time without a break among the things that make dry eyes more likely. On a long workday, these often happen together.

For tired, dry eyes from a day at a screen, see Tired, dry eyes from screens all day. What should I do?

Air conditioning, fans and wind

The NHS also lists time in air-conditioned or heated rooms, and windy, dry or dusty conditions. In Thailand that can mean a cold office all day, a car with the air vent pointed at your face, or wind and dust on a motorbike ride.

Old lenses and cases

The CDC advises following the replacement schedule recommended by your eye care provider and replacing your lens case at least once every three months.

Other things that add up

The NHS also lists smoking or time in smoky places, drinking alcohol and some medicines. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own because of dry eyes; ask your doctor or pharmacist first.

How should I wear my lenses so my eyes feel less dry?

Keep to your wearing and replacement schedule

The NEI explains that daily-wear lenses come out every night, single-use lenses are thrown away after one day, and reusable lenses are replaced after 7 to 30 days depending on the brand. Follow the schedule your eye care provider gave you, and do not stretch a monthly pair into a second month.

Do not sleep in your lenses

The CDC advises against sleeping in lenses unless your eye care provider has told you to, and the NEI says not to sleep in daily lenses. On a long night out or a late shift, carry your case, fresh solution and glasses. The CDC also suggests carrying backup glasses with a current prescription in case you have to take your lenses out.

Give your eyes a lens-free break

The NHS suggests taking lenses out and wearing glasses to rest your eyes. Many people wear lenses for going out and switch to glasses when they get home.

Clean and store lenses the right way

These points come from the CDC, the NEI and the US FDA. The FDA also says sterile saline is only for rinsing and should not be used to clean and disinfect lenses.

What else can I do during the day?

Take regular screen breaks

The NHS suggests taking breaks to rest your eyes when using a computer screen, and making sure the screen is just below eye level.

Use the 20-20-20 habit

The NEI suggests that you take a break every 20 minutes to look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds.

Keep dry air off your face

• Point air-conditioning and car vents away from your eyes.
• Move your desk out of the direct flow of the air conditioner or fan if you can.
• Consider a humidifier in a dry room, as the NHS suggests.
• Wear glasses or sunglasses on a motorbike or in dusty places.

Look after the rest of your body

The NHS advises not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol, and not spending too long in smoky, dry or dusty places.

If your eyes also become itchy and red when the air is hazy, there are tips for wearing lenses on high-dust days in Itchy, red eyes in PM2.5 haze season: what can I do?

Can I use eye drops with contact lenses?

The US FDA advises always asking your eye care professional before using any medicine or eye product, even ones you can buy without a prescription, because some can irritate your eyes. If your eyes are often dry, ask an eye doctor or pharmacist which drops suit the lenses you wear. The NHS notes that a pharmacist can also tell you whether you need to see an optician or doctor.

When should I see an eye doctor?

Book a check

• Your eyes still feel dry after a few weeks of changing your habits.
• You are due for your regular check. The CDC and the NEI advise seeing your eye care provider at least once a year if you wear contact lenses.
• Your lenses feel uncomfortable. The CDC advises taking your lenses out and contacting your eye care provider if you have discomfort.

Take your lenses out and get help promptly

The US FDA advises taking lenses out straight away, not putting them back in, and contacting an eye care professional right away if you have signs of irritation such as:

• red eyes, or eye pain
• blurry vision or sensitivity to light
• a lot of watering or unusual discharge
• itching, burning or a gritty feeling that does not go away

The NEI also advises taking your lenses out if you have symptoms such as these, and calling your eye doctor if they do not go away or get worse. The NHS says a red eye in someone who wears contact lenses needs an urgent doctor's appointment. The FDA advises keeping the lenses in their case instead of throwing them away, so the eye care professional can look at them. Do not put the lenses back in until you have been checked.