6 Eye Soothing Tips for Ocular Rosacea
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Show Notes
INTRO
Hello my friends! Welcome back to another episode of the Fairface Podcast. It's so nice to be with you again.
We're gearing up for Memorial weekend right now. It's kind of hard to believe it's already the end of May. It's like the first part of the year starts out really slow and then suddenly it's almost June. I don't know, is it just me or do you feel the same way?
Today I wanted to talk to you about something that is based on a question, messaged to me by one of our Instagram followers about Ocular Rosacea.
She said she had recently been diagnosed with Ocular Rosacea and wanted to know what my experience was wearing contact lenses (because I have Ocular Rosacea by the way, in case you don't know).
She said she was afraid she wouldn't be able to wear her contacts as frequently, but that her Dr. had cleared her to wear them 8 hours a day max, but she was trying to be extra cautious. And she wanted to know what my experience had been, wearing contacts with Ocular Rosacea.
Her questions, as I said, were related to my experience wearing contact lenses, so specifically she was asking things like,
- What brand of contacts I wear
- How frequently I'm able to wear my contacts
- How often per week I wear them
- If I wear eye makeup
In additional to answering her questions, I also want to share 6 life changing tips and tricks (home remedies for ocular rosacea) I've learned over the years that have helped my eyes and contact wearing, be so much more comfortable and something that I can be safe doing. So I wanted to be able to share it with you.
WHAT IS OCULAR ROSACEA?
First I just want to briefly cover what Ocular Rosacea is.
If you have Rosacea, like I do, there is a chance that it can also effect your eyes. Not everyone who has skin-related rosacea will also have ocular rosacea, and I was surprised to learn, you can have ocular rosacea, meaning eye symptoms, without even having any skin symptoms. That's really interesting.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology explains that if you experience things like:
- red, itching, burning or watering eyes,
- feeling like there is something in your eye,
- have swelling and redness at the base of your eyelids by your eyelashes,
- clogged oil glands in your eyelids,
- or are prone to styes
you may have Ocular Rosacea.
For me, I have both skin and eye related Rosacea. My eyes sting sometimes and are really dry, which, my ophthalmologist said was caused by clogged oil glands in my eyelids.
I also sometimes have itchiness, redness and a little swelling at the base of my eyelids where my eyelashes are. Wearing contact lenses can be uncomfortable with my dry eyes, but I've learned some things that have been pretty life changing for me and have helped me make my eyes more comfortable overall, and wearing contacts more manageable and that's why I want to share with you.
Can you wear contact lenses if you have Ocular Rosacea?
This question is asked a lot, and the answer is yes, with care.
You can damage your eyes if you're not careful, so it's important to be diligent with an eye care routine to keep your eyes safe and comfortable.
Now lets answer my new Instagram friend's questions regarding my experience wearing contacts with Ocular Rosacea
Q: What brand of contacts do you wear?
A: I wear Air Optix +Hydra and I use eye drops before putting them in, sometimes during the day and after I take them out. My eye Dr. recommended trying Dailies Aqua Comfort + that might help with comfort, but I haven't tried them yet.
Q: How frequently are you able to wear your contacts?
A: Sometimes I have to wear them up to 10 hours, but not comfortably. At some point during the day they start feeling really dry and really uncomfortable, so I don't like doing that. I try to be really careful taking them out and use eye drops to moisten them up first, before I take them out.
Q: How often per week do you wear your contacts?
A: I probably wear my contacts around 4/7 days of a week on average (I wear soft). I prefer the vision I get with my contacts, but I prefer wearing my glasses while I work because they're the most comfortable.
Like I said, after wearing my contacts for a certain number of hours, they can start to get uncomfortable. My eye doctor said working at a computer can be more drying to eyes because we naturally blink less while looking at a screen. So that's another reason I prefer wearing my glasses, especially if I'm on the computer for a long time in a day.
Q: Do you wear eye makeup?
A: I do wear eye make-up. Just a simple eye liner and mascara that my eyes seem to tolerate well. The brands of both can vary, but I most often wear Maybelline eye liner and Loreal Luminous mascara.
Eye make-up can be tricky with ocular rosacea, especially if you have watery eyes, as one of the symptoms because the tears can stream mascara into your eye and cause stinging, so you have to be careful about that.
Is it safe to wear contacts if you have Ocular Rosacea?
According to the National Rosacea Society, it's
1st, about minimizing inflammation of the eye lid and eye itself, to stabilize the tear film in your eye, so the contact lenses can fit as they should and not cause discomfort or damage to the eye;
2nd by replacing your contacts more frequently, it can also help them fit more comfortably by eliminating the build up of protein and oils on the lens, and
3rd artificial tears can help increase the amount of time you can wear your contact lenses comfortably.
So, the answer is yes, you can wear contact lenses safely, again, with watchful care.
Ocular Rosacea Treatment, Tips and DIY home remedies
For the last part of the podcast, I want to share with your some tips that have really helped my eyes feel much more comfortable throughout the day and evening, as well as being able to wear my contact lenses more comfortably.
1. Have a pair of glasses
If you wear contacts, I highly recommend also getting yourself a good pair of glasses, which maybe you already do.
To be honest, I'm still not a fan of wearing my glasses out in public. Call me vain, but I just don't feel like my best self. Maybe I just haven't found the right pair of glasses that I feel good in. I mainly wear them at home.
BUT the truth is, wearing glasses can be much more comfortable than wearing contacts, that's just the truth, AND it gives your eyes a break from wearing contacts (that are a stress on your eye, especially if you have Ocular Rosacea).
Some days when I wear my contacts, I look forward to the minute I can get home and take them out and put my glasses on. It's seriously instant relief.
2. Wash your face and eye make-up off every night
This tip is important even if you don't wear contacts or have ocular rosacea. You know I'm a huge proponent of washing your face every night and morning, but with Ocular Rosacea, it's a must. You need to keep your eyes clean so you don't get an eye infection and make-up doesn't clog your oil ducts or cause irritation to your eye lids.
WHAT TO DO:
Wash your face gently with a soft Fairface Washcloth and use Fairface soft cotton flannel eye make-up remover pads. They glide across your skin and are so gentle. Use a mild cleanser and make-up remover. I will include the type of make-up remover I like. I think it's the Neutrogena oil free make-up remover, in a blue bottle, or there's a Target brand that's just like it but cheaper. That's the one I use.
BONUS TIP: If your eyes get goopy: Wash your eyes gently with Johnson's baby shampoo at the first sign of your eyes getting a little goopy (doctor recommendation). This tip has totally helped me and I bring a little bottle of Johnson's baby shampoo with me even on trips, because you never know when you're going to need it.
3. Apply a Warm Eye Compress Night and Morning
Using a warm eye compress has helped my eyes immensely and I do it religiously every morning and night.
How to use a warm eye compress to help with Ocular Rosacea and Dry Eyes:
FIRST Remove eye make-up (*it's important to remove any eye make-up first or it can sting your eyes.)
NEXT Use a steamy warm soft washcloth (I love using Fairface Dual washcloths for this because they're nice and thick) and gently lean over the sink with the steamy warm washcloth over your eyes (first splash your whole face with warm water if you want to, that's usually what I do.)
Just hold the soft washcloth gently over your eyes, don't press your eyes. Hold for as long as you want to. I usually do it for about 1-2 minutes.
The steam helps to unplug the ducts in your eyelids and release much needed oils. If your eyes are blurry after removing the warm compress, it's working. That means the oils are being released and that's so awesome! That's what you want! If you're not seeing much of anything, you can always repeat if needed.
Like I said, this is something I do every night and every morning and because it helps to release those natural oils, my eyes feel so much more comfortable. So, definitely do that.
4. Eye drops are your friend
Putting drops in my dry eyes is so soothing. It's like they just drink them right up. It helps prevent dryness and can refresh your eyes when you've been wearing your contacts or even if your eyes are just feeling dry and you don't even wear contacts.
I put 2 drops in my eyes before putting my contacts in, and sometimes in the morning even if I'm just wearing glasses, and it feels really good.
My doctor said to choose eye drops that are the most natural with the least amount of artificial ingredients, and NOT the drops made for reducing redness like Visine. That's not the type that you want to use. I tend to use what feels best for me and right now am using Refresh Tears, in a green bottle. My Ophthalmologist recommended both Refresh Optive and Refresh Tears lubricant eye drops, so that's what I'm using right now.
I've also tried Blink for contacts, and I liked it because it was kind of a thicker consistency, and a better feel for my contacts, but I think that one doesn't have as much "natural" ingredients in it, but it still felt good on my eyes.
For contact wearers: if it's possible for you to remove your contacts at least once during the day and put eye drops in, it can bring instant relief. Just be careful if you're wearing mascara, because eye drops can wash mascara into your eyes and cause stinging, and that has happened to me many times.
Even better: while taking a contact lens break, re-soak of your contacts in their solution for about 10-15 minutes so they re-clean, re-wet and gives your eyes time to remoisten, refresh and relax.
5. Keep your contacts cleaner than you think
This is a no-brainer, right? No one wants dirty contacts in their eyes. HOWEVER, just because your contacts are clean, doesn't mean there isn't still build-up on them.
An article from Review of Ophthalmology said, "It is particularly important to keep the surface of the contact lens as clean as possible. There have been advances in both types of lens solutions to do so. For soft contact lenses, we particularly like hydrogen peroxide-based systems to eliminate contact lens surface debris."
My 30-day-wear soft contact lenses develop protein build up over time and start getting more uncomfortable the longer I wear them. Once I clean them with a hydrogen peroxide system, they feel like day 1 again and are much more comfortable in my eyes.
I use Clear Care Plus HydraGlyde Cleaning and Disinfecting Solution. I believe I got it at Costco. *Just be very careful NOT to put the hydrogen peroxide cleaner on your contact and then directly in your eye as it will burn your eye.
I may or may not have done that before and it may or may not have been one of the most painful, scary moments of my life. So just be careful that you don't mix up your wetting solution that you can drip into your contacts before putting it in your eyes.
Don't mix that up with the hydrogen peroxide solution that has a red cap, that's specifically blarringly obvious, stop, don't put this in your eye, but sometimes we do, by accident.
"Squeaky clean" contacts are also why my Ophthalmologist recommended I try Daily use contact lenses, which is probably a great thing, except for the price. They are a lot more expensive than 30 day wear, so I haven't tried that option yet.
ALSO, if you wear gas permeable contacts (which I used to wear back in the day), you can get them polished at the Optometrist which cleans off the protein build-up (which I also used to do back in the day) and they feel and see as good as new.
6. Be careful taking out your contact lenses
This is a huge one if you have dry eyes and ocular rosacea. You can damage your eye if you just pull your contact out, essentially ripping it away from your eyeball. I've done this before and scratched my eye and it felt like there was something still in my eye for several days.
Contact lenses are "floating" in your eyeball with moisture and natural oils in-between the lens and your eye. If your eye becomes dry, the contact lens can stick to your eyeball, which becomes tacky when it's not moisturized enough.
TRY THIS:
FIRST Before removing your contacts, drop 1 or 2 eye drops in each eye.
THEN Close your eyes for a minute or 2.
NEXT Gently massage your eye with your finger tips, so gently, which should help release the contact lens if it's stuck to your eye.
THEN Once your contact feels like it has released and your eye is remoistened, your contacts should be safe to remove without causing any damage to your eyes.
No matter how much you want to, don't rub your eyes. If there is any scratch or abrasion on your eye, you'll make it much worse. If your eyes are in need of some comfort, go back to step 3 an put a warm, wet compress on your eyes because it feels amazing and it won't hurt your eyes.
So that's it! That's what I have for you today. I hope these tips have been helpful for you. They really have made my eyes feel so much more comfortable and help me know what to do and what products to use that will be safe and gentle on my eyes.
It's like most things, at first Rosacea and Ocular Rosacea can feel overwhelming. I'm happy to share with you what I have found most helpful through the years of trial and error so you don't have to struggle through it.
And as a disclaimer, always consult your eye doctor with any concerns you may have so they can give you individualized care and instruction. These are just things that I have found helpful for me.
If you have some tips you've found that have helped your ocular rosacea, please let me know! I'd love to share it with our community.
Thanks again so much for being here. Have a great, safe Memorial weekend and I'll see you next time!
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