When redness is a warning sign
The FDA lists unusual redness among the symptoms of eye irritation or infection, alongside discomfort, discharge, light sensitivity, blurred vision, swelling, and pain. If you have symptoms like these, its advice is to remove your lenses right away, don’t put them back in, and contact your eye care professional. Keep the lenses in their case: your eye doctor may want to look at them.[1]
When it’s the fit
A ring of redness around the edge of the lens by evening, often with a feeling of pressure building through the day, can mean the lens has become too tight. The white of the eye isn’t perfectly round, and your fitter can change where and how the lens lands so it sits more evenly. Redness and pressure aren’t something you should have to put up with.
Common mistakes
- Wearing through redness and pressure day after day.
- Assuming redness is just part of wearing scleral lenses.
- Waiting for your next routine visit when the redness is getting worse.
Common questions
Is a little redness after removal normal?
Ask your fitter what they expect for your eyes. Redness that keeps coming back around the lens edge, or a feeling of pressure through the day, is worth raising at your next visit.
What can my fitter change?
They can adjust how the lens lands on the white of your eye so the edge presses less. Eyes aren't perfectly round, and the lens can be shaped to match.