Contact Lens

[RobinD]

I have a question related to contact lens. I have been unable to wear contacts b/f I was diagnosed with IC due to dry eyes. Now after reading what all has been posted, I realize that it is probably related to my IC and that is why I have dry eyes. Not long ago I saw my eye doctor and he prescribed the bifocal gas permeable (again b/f I was diaganosed with IC) and I am determined to wear them again because they were rather expensive and I really hate wearing glasses.

Question-I am on Prosed/DS. My doctor says it could discolor my contacts, my eye doctor doesn't know whether it will and the pharmacist says it is highly unlikely that it would discolor my contacts. The pharmacist said that my tears probably aren't blue. But everything else I own is blue, my underware, toliet bowl!! I know I read some of you talking about this on the boards. Has anyone actually went ahead and worn them while on these meds? And if so did it discolor them? Any particular eye drops that help?

Any info would be appreciated.

Robin

[charmedx3]

Hi Robin,
Did you see a optometrist or a opthalmologist? A optometrist should be able to give you more info. also ask about the drops. You may want to have them contact the manufactuer of your lenses they may be able to answer that question for you. Different materials are used for different lens types and will react differently. i hope this helps you

[RobinD]

Great suggestions! My doc was an optometrist. I will try to find out who manufactured them and ask them.

Thanks
Robin

[charmedx3]

you will need to have them contact the manufactuer but they should be able to give you the info you need...i hope. let me know what happens! good luck

[stacey79]

I wear RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses and have since I was 14. I have always taken Pyridium as needed and never had it stain my lenses. I didn't even know that was a possibility until a few years ago. I don't know if the soft ones are more sensitive to that or something. I do know that usually when I am taking Pyridium I either have an infection or a bad flare during which time my eyes are always drier anyway. Some bad days, I don't even try putting in my contacts because my eyes are so dry, but I've never had a staining issue.

[RobinD]

Stacy, Thanks. I appreciated knowing that you have the same kind of lenses I have. I take Prosed 3 times a day everyday, which is alittle different than what you take. I am going to try to wear them again soon. The other day I was watching a special on Elvis and when he died I cried, so I grabbed a kleenex and wiped my tears. They weren't blue. :woohoo: (Some things I do and think of are so stupid), but it still was a good indicator that my tears weren't blue.

Anyway thanks for all the responses. I can ask anything I want on this board and I always get such wonderful responses. This message board is such a blessing to help us all survive this crappy disease.

Robin

[devastated]

I have had alot of trouble with my eyes since elmiron. It makes me upset because i have had to stop it serveral times to see if my eyes got better when i was off it and they did. Today i am going t othe doctor because my eyes have been red for days, burning like crazy, and when i concentrate on things my vision becomes blurry. I think I may have pink eye this time though, because my eye is very puffy. I just wish it didnt happen because I really wanted elmiron to help and ive only been able to take if a full month at a time, and they say it takes atleast 6-12 months to actually kick in well. :confused:

[Claredale]

I am on Proced as well. I heard that too and I think my leaflet mentioned it. I don't wear my contacts all the time mainly because my meds keep messing with my vision. But when I wear them, they haven't turned blue. But I am like you everything I have is turning blue. I wipe well, I even have a water bottle to rinse off and wipe again. My toilet bowl has a faint tinge of blue. I even noticed that in the bathroom at work, I have seen the faint blue, so now I don't use the same one. I have 4 stalls to choose from. I am glad to know that it's not just poor hygiene. I have certain underwear that I wear, so I don't ruin them all.

Robin, what symptom are you taking the Proced for? I was having major nerve pain (burning bladder with feeling like I was peeing shards of glass) This was mainly at night and definitely woke me up and took me forever to empty my bladder since it was so painful. I had already tried Neurontin, Lyrica, Topamox and couldn't handle the side effects nor were they effective. I almost gave up on Proced, but after a couple of weeks, I could definitely see a difference. I have had IC for almost 20 years and I am finally sleeping through the night (5 to 6 hours) and it's heavenly! Of course, I am taking enough meds to knock out an elephant at night, but before the Proced, I hadn't slept through the night in years.

Tracey

[traceann]

As for the dry eye troubles: What really really helped me with dry eyes, and um dry other areas ;) was flaxseed oil capsules. Wow, I couldn't believe the difference it made, I actually had spit again after a week or so on it! I was a bit skeptical as to how much it would help when I started it but it was a great enough improvement for me to swear by it! ;)

[charmedx3]

I have had alot of trouble with my eyes since elmiron. It makes me upset because i have had to stop it serveral times to see if my eyes got better when i was off it and they did. Today i am going t othe doctor because my eyes have been red for days, burning like crazy, and when i concentrate on things my vision becomes blurry. I think I may have pink eye this time though, because my eye is very puffy. I just wish it didnt happen because I really wanted elmiron to help and ive only been able to take if a full month at a time, and they say it takes atleast 6-12 months to actually kick in well. :confused:


You really need to be seen if you think it is pink eye. until you can get into see someone chamonile tea bags on your eyes may help. steap tea bags and when cooled down then use DO NOT WEAR CONTACTS until you see your dr. hope you feel better soon

[dg2901]

From my understanding, the staining issue that could occur from the meds is only a problem with soft contacts. RGP's shouldn't be affected.

This was from my DR and pharmacist; be sure to run this question by your prescribing eye care physician so you can get accurate information that pertains to your situation.

Wishing you well...
D
PS-Traceann--thanks for your tidbit of info regarding flax seed oil caplets! :bow:

[RobinD]

Tracey, I think I take Prosed for bladder spasms and pain. I believe that is what the dr told me when he prescribed it. It seems everytime I try to wean off it I get worse, so I just keep taking it. Dr said I could take it as long as I need to.

PS. I can wear my RGP's without it staining. I just can't wear it too long b/c of my dry eyes. I will be trying the flaxseed oil though. Thanks for suggesting that.

Robin

[devastated]

Thanks for the reply charmed. I went to the doctors Friday and had pink eye in both eyes! something is always wrong with me it seems. But on the brighter side, can continue taking the elmiron, better luck this time i hope.

[Claredale]

Robin, I tried to cut my Proced down to 2 times a day instead of the 4 because of the cost, and I saw a big difference. I am back on the 4 times a day. That sleep is definitely worth the cost of the medicine! I still take sleep meds as well, but before Proced, I was up every couple of hours in pain.

Tracey

[Angeles]

For dry eye infor a good site is drye eye talk (a forum similar to this one) with lots of info.
Oild fish and warm compresses work for me.