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Red vein in whites of one eye

I am 24 years old and have worn contacts all throughout high school and college, and until recently I have not had any problems.  Now, I have to wear my glasses every day and rarely put my contacts in, due to discomfort and the guaranteed "red left eye" by the end of the evening.  My left eye has developed a vein that looks like it wraps around the "contact area" like it had been trying to supply my eye with oxygen.  Now the whites of my eyes are clouded by this red vein, and may also be causing most of the discomfort with my contacts.  I have used Visine in the past, but have completely stopped it's use, due to the reflex dilation that can occur.  I've seen an optometrist and started to use the "one-a-day" contacts.  I am also going to try using Soothe or Systane because of somebody's suggestion on this forum.    My main question is, will this vein ever go away, or is there a procedure that can "zap" the vein away?  What can I do in the future to reduce this irritation and improve the health of my eyes?  I would love to wear contacts more frequently without having the discomfort I know will occur only after a few  hours.  I don't want to make my eye any worse than it is, so any suggestions would certainly be appreciated.  Thank you for your time and consideration!
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, one red eye was started.
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Avatar universal
I will definitely follow your suggestions.  LASIK is definitely something I have been thinking about as an option recently.  Thank you very much for taking out the time to answer my questions; it is very much appreciated.
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233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The vein will not go away, they are not treated with laser, the irritation, red appearance and abnormal blood vessels are likely a sign that you eye is not tolerating contacts. You may even have smaller blood vessels growing over your cornea around the edge (limbus neovascularization).

If the veins grow out too far it can affect the vision and also cause problems if you ever want to try LASIK to get out of glasses and contacts.

I suggest you see a cornea/refractive surgery ophthalmologist and discuss either giving up contacts and going to glasses all the time or refractive surgery.

JCH III MD
Helpful - 0

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