Dry eyes after doctor's visit

I usually wear contacts and do have dry eyes, but I usually just use rewetting drops and I am fine. I had my yearly checkup with my eye doctor. She did the normal thing - numbed eyes with yellow dye, dilated them, etc. My prescription changed just in my right eye. When I went to put my contacts in a few hours later, they were really bothering my right eye. It felt like there was something in my eye or the contact was inside out or something. It wasn't comfortable and I couldn't see normally. I threw out those contacts and tried new ones - same thing. I even tried putting in my old ones and the same thing happened. I went back to the doctor a week later and she said that my right eye was extremely dry. Worse than when I saw her a week before. So how did I go from wearing my contacts fine in the morning to a few hours later not being able to wear them? Is this just a coincidence that it happened after my eye appointment? Or could the doctor have done something to cause this?

It's been about a month and a half now. I still can't really wear my contacts. Maybe for a couple of hours. What do I do? Can an eye become extremely dry within hours?

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

First, you should carefully consider anything else that may have changed - different soaking solution, different case?  Are you sure you are using identical lenses from before your visit?

Second, the numbing and dilating eye drops contain preservatives that can 'decompensate' some patients with marginally controlled dry eye disease.  This is a very rare occurrence.  However it might explain the timing of your symptoms - immediately after your exam.  In this case, your eyes are really too dry for you to be wearing contacts anyway and you should begin treatment for dry eye syndrome. You can find lots of info at www.dryeyezone.com.