Advice on contact lenses causing red eyes

You should really talk to your optometrist about this.

As a layperson guess just as someone that uses contacts, you probably have dry eyes. Consider trying brands that have better oxygen permissibility. Dailies Total 1 is considered the king or at least one of the best in this regard.

But you should bring this up to an eye care professional if you want definitive answers.

I used to wear toric contacts before getting eye surgery. If you work on a computer, you tend to stop blinking. Not a character flaw, just how we work. This is especially bad if you wear contacts.

Try the rewetting drops. There are special lubricating drops specifically for contacts. Clean your contacts well each night after you remove them if you wear them more than one day consecutively. Torics try to rotate in your eye, that's how they correct astigmatism, so what might be happening is they are getting dry, and they are irritating your eye as they try to rotate as they rewet. Keeping them better lubricated, both with drops and, if you are reading or looking at computer screens, taking more frequent breaks, will help.

Is your astigmatism so bad that you need toric lenses?

I had a new opthalmologist who wanted me to try toric lenses (after 20 years of standard spherical lenses). I didn't like them and went back to spherical, but just with a higher strength then the toric.

It might be worth exploring it to see if it's something specific to the toric lenses or just a sensitivity to contact lenses.

My first few years in contacts I had a lot of dry eye and irritation. I switched to Bausch infuse dailys and it went away entirely, I can wear them all day no trouble. You just have to find the brand/type that works for you. Most the optometrists I've been to will give you samples of different options too. I've also improved habits with frequently using lubricating drops (never rub your eyes, just do drops!) and that has definitely helped as well.

A few other thoughts just to add to the great comments you've already had:

• Some optometrists have more experience with contact lenses than others. Especially if you are seeing quite a young optometrist it could be worth asking (nicely) if there is a more senior optometrist who could have a look at your case and make some suggestions. Failing that, have a look round to see if there are any other practices in your area that position themselves as 'contact lens specialists'
• Sometimes the problem isn't actually the lens itself but the solution you're using. The big clue for this is stinging on insertion of the lens. If the redness happens more at the end of the day it's more likely to be a dry eye problem.
• Some people (including me) just can't tolerate contacts no matter what you do. In this case it's worth considering laser vision correction. It seems like a big cost up front but if you add up 10 years worth of contact lenses or spectacles it's really not that bad.

I have trouble with contacts and my optometrist diagnosed me with dry eye. Here's some things that worked for me on and off.

• Warm moist compress daily or a few times a week, this takes 5 to 10 minutes per day
• Tear suppliments, I used EyePromise EZ tears and it worked but it was expensive at $30.00 to $60.00/per month
• Prescription dry eye medication, there are 2 types and 3 brands last time I checked. Used it once or twice a day. Note it does sting the first month but worked very well and got better after the acclimation period. Beware you may have a bad reaction to the medication. I had very good success with Xiidra and a bad reaction to Restasis that gave me blackouts and headaches. I stopped Xiirdra due to trouble with insurance.
• I work on a computer, don't blink often, and don't close my eyes fully when I blink (didn't know that was a thing till my optometrist told me) so I have to be more conscious of blinking fully to compensate
• I use preservative free artificial tears with my contacts though I mostly wear glasses for convenience and comfort
• my optometrist measured my eye diameter and switched me from a 9.0 to 8.5 diameter, this moves around less on my eye which might help the irritation. I only learned this recently after wearing contacts over 15 years and having them not stick to my eye sometimes.

I hadn't heard about the oxygen rating. That sounds interesting to check out.

I have worn contacts forever (torics). I don't usually get completely red eyes, but after a long day or too many FPS hours I get red areas on the....​nose side of my eyes.

Some things that have helped, or I have noticed issues with:

• Dailies tend to be thinner and dry out faster
• Weeky/biweekly/monthly tend to be thicker and dry out slower
• Different solutions do make a difference, try all of them to find one you like
• Squirt your eyes first, then add a drop or two to a contact, then insert when you put them in.
• Contacts will dry out and stick to your eyeball. You can squirt your eye with solution, then pinch the contacts to "un-suction cup" them from your eye, so they float/rotate better
• Store reusable contacts in a container with fresh solution each night...​Don't like just put them back in the package they came in (apparently people actually do this, and was part of some corporate sponsored experiment justifying why you must throw out dailies every day [you don't,​ they last multiple days with care, and it's cheaper])
• Rohto (Japanese?) or V.​ Rohto (Vietnamese knockoff?) eye drops are amazing for red eyes. I like the V. Rohto Vitamin drops (orange bottle), slightly minty, but clears up small red veins in minutes (https://rohto.com.np/product/v-rohto-vitamin/).