The bottle says to take out contact lenses before using Visine, but some of my friends have been known to use it while their contacts are still in. I’ve even been desperate enough to do it myself a few times, and in my experience, it does a much better job on dry lenses than the more expensive “rewetting” drops.
As far as we can tell, none of us has been harmed, but we’re no eye doctors. What are the risks of leaving contact lenses in when using Visine?
Can’t answer your question, but you know they do have Visine for contacts, it works for me.
No doctor here, either, but I’ve personally used Visine instead of rewetting drops for about…3 years now? I’ve never had a problem. However, I use disposable contacts that I toss about every two weeks or so. Visine may harm permanent contacts…not sure about that.
Visine “gets the red out” by using basil constrictors (SP for both.) Basically, it constricts the blood vessels. For people who wear contacts, less oxygen is getting to the eye. If you constrict the blood vessels, you compound the problem.
Anyway, that is how my eye doctor explained it to me.
I usually just drop with the cleaning fluid supplied with my contacts.
[hellojack] I cannot see very far without my contacts but sometimes when I wake up in the morning I kind of forget that I wear contacts. So when I look out the window I can see everything as clearly as if I was wearing them. Then I remember that I wear contacts and as I am still quite sleepy i just asume I forgot to take them out the night before and that is why my eyesight seems perfect, then as wakefulness kicks in I remember that I actually did take them out last night and suddenly my old crappy eyesight is back. Does this ever happen to anyone else? Is it just my sleepy brain re-dreating the outside world in perfect detail from what I normally see with the lenses in? Is my bad eyesight just all in the mind?[seeyalaterjack]
smam, I use the cleansing stuff for eye drops, too. Heh. Visine is pretty nifty and convienient when going out, though. I always buy the big-ass econo-size bottles of cleanser, and I hate to lug one of those around.
As for your can see–wait, no, I can’t see–yes, I can–no, no I can’t thing…I do it all the time.
Hmm. WebMD has this to say:
I’ve never noticed any discoloration, though. Khadaji’s explanation sounds plausible.
ski, I’ve seen Visine for Contacts in the store, but I think it’s the same as the other rewetting drops. A tiny little bottle of rewetting drops costs as much or more than a bottle of Visine twice as big.
I’ve often wondered this about contacts and drops. I’ve thought about using Visine with my contacts, but was always wary. We folks that use Visine use it to “get the red out”, but regular ol’ contact rewetting drops don’t do it. They need some contact drops that’ll decrease the redness while not risking your eye health/contact lens quality.
Inventors out there? Hello? Get on this now!!!