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Medical Forum / General / Vision / July 2006

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RGP fit (tight vs. loose)

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Charles - 29 Jun 2006 01:52 GMT
Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's, but things seem fairly
slow anyway.

My RGP fit, in my non-professional opinion, is on the loose side.  When
I blink they go up, then slide back down and hang low.  If I turn my
head to the side, they slide toward the ground.  I expressed my concern
to my eye doc on the follow-up check after getting the lenses, but he
thought I should keep them this way.  His rationale, as best I can
understand, is that he didn't want to make them too tight because of
possible irritation where the edges touch the eye.

My vision is great in these lenses, except that I have quite a bit of
eye watering at times, which makes vision worse.  At some times of the
day, I also get fogginess from dryness (fixable with drops).  Also,
when the lenses ride low, I get effects like light reflecting off the
top of the lenses when going under overhead lights.

I'm trying to decide if I should wait this out a little longer, or if I
should go back and ask _again_ whether these should be tightened up.
What do the group experts think are the pros and cons of tight vs.
loose fitting RGP lenses?  Do you guys agree that there are patients
who are better off with low sagging lenses?  Is there irritation
associated with the lenses sliding around that could be contributing to
my watery eye problem?
Dr. Leukoma - 29 Jun 2006 12:52 GMT
> Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's, but things seem fairly
> slow anyway.

Not a problem.

> My RGP fit, in my non-professional opinion, is on the loose side.  When
> I blink they go up, then slide back down and hang low.  If I turn my
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> understand, is that he didn't want to make them too tight because of
> possible irritation where the edges touch the eye.

Sometimes, but not always, a low riding lens is indicative of a tighter
fit.  There's certainly nothing wrong in wanting a comfortable fit and
a stable retinal image.

> My vision is great in these lenses, except that I have quite a bit of
> eye watering at times, which makes vision worse.  At some times of the
> day, I also get fogginess from dryness (fixable with drops).  Also,
> when the lenses ride low, I get effects like light reflecting off the
> top of the lenses when going under overhead lights.

"WHEN" the lenses ride low, meaning sometimes they don't?  Sometimes,
too much tearing can cause a lens to ride low.  You mentioned dryness,
which suggests the mechanism whereby the eye becomes dry, the dryness
triggers corneal irritation, which triggers an episode of tearing,
which in turn causes the lens to ride low.

> I'm trying to decide if I should wait this out a little longer, or if I
> should go back and ask _again_ whether these should be tightened up.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> associated with the lenses sliding around that could be contributing to
> my watery eye problem?

Again, it isn't clear that the lenses are too loose.  But, there are
more options these days, including larger intralimbal lenses that can
facilitate centration, and corneascleral lenses, i.e. Macrolenses that
always stay centered, no matter what.  If you were my patient, I would
expect you to come back in this situation.

DrG
Dick Adams - 29 Jun 2006 13:31 GMT
> > Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's ...

> [ ... ]

> Again, it isn't clear that the lenses are too loose.  But, there are
> more options these days, including larger intralimbal lenses that can
> facilitate centration, and corneascleral lenses, i.e. Macrolenses that
> always stay centered, no matter what.  If you were my patient, I would
> expect you to come back in this situation.

If you were my patient, I'd suggest a pair of simple spectacles, and, with
a bit of luck, not having to come back for a while.  Of course you would
not be my patient, as I am not a Dr..  

--
Dicky  
Quick - 29 Jun 2006 19:09 GMT
>>> Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's ...
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> come back for a while.  Of course you would
> not be my patient, as I am not a Dr..

No, he wouldn't be your patient because you preach
Zenni's and not wasting all that money on doctors at
all -- since their sole purpose is to take your money
right? Just some cheap experimentation on your own
should take care of anything for half the price. Besides
contacts are just a vanity item like those name brand
frames and stuff. I'm sure glad your here to add balance
to the group Dicky.

-Quick
Charles - 30 Jun 2006 00:40 GMT
> > > Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's ...
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> with a bit of luck, not having to come back for a while.  Of course
> you would not be my patient, as I am not a Dr..  

Apparently you have some anti-contact agenda.  Too bad, since aside
from my few complaints, my vision hasn't been this good in 10-15 years.
And, incidentally, the whites of my eyes have never been whiter.
Neil Brooks - 30 Jun 2006 00:51 GMT
>> > > Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's ...
>>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>from my few complaints, my vision hasn't been this good in 10-15 years.
>And, incidentally, the whites of my eyes have never been whiter.

Dick is just one big agenda.

Sorry if I missed this, but what were you wearing before?  Glasses?
Soft contact lenses??

RGP lenses have a *very* high Dk rating (oxygen transmissibility). The
last time I tried a pair--though it didn't work for me--all the
redness disappeared from my eyes, too.

Incidentally, the ones I tried *were* the intra-limbals mentioned
above, and I *have* known a few people who were *quite* happy with
Macrolenses.

The scleral might be shooting a mouse with an elephant gun in your
case.  I really don't know....
Charles - 30 Jun 2006 01:07 GMT
> Sorry if I missed this, but what were you wearing before?  Glasses?
> Soft contact lenses??

Just glasses before.  I tried torics a little but never had any luck
getting consistent good vision.

> RGP lenses have a very high Dk rating (oxygen transmissibility). The
> last time I tried a pair--though it didn't work for me--all the
> redness disappeared from my eyes, too.

It's pretty amazing really.  I had glasses before and chronic slightly
red eyes.  Maybe it's just the extra tearing induced by the lenses or
something?

> Incidentally, the ones I tried were the intra-limbals mentioned
> above, and I have known a few people who were quite happy with
> Macrolenses.
>
> The scleral might be shooting a mouse with an elephant gun in your
> case.  I really don't know....

What's the down side of these other types vs. the run of the mill?
Just cost?
Neil Brooks - 30 Jun 2006 01:47 GMT
Neil Brooks wrote:

>> Incidentally, the ones I tried were the intra-limbals mentioned
>> above, and I have known a few people who were quite happy with
>> Macrolenses.
>>
>> The scleral might be shooting a mouse with an elephant gun in your
>> case.  I really don't know....

Charles replied:

>What's the down side of these other types vs. the run of the mill?
>Just cost?

Here's where I bow out to the docs for real answers.

From my limited knowledge, there's not much downside to the
intra-limbals:

http://www.lensdynamics.com/Irregular%20Corneals/Dyna%20Z%20Intra-Limbal.htm

OR: http://tinyurl.com/zqo8e

or the MacroLens:

http://www.chcontacts.com/macrolens.asp

http://www.chcontacts.com/article.asp?title=machist

http://www.chcontacts.com/article.asp?title=macconcpt

[I don't like their site particularly.  Difficult to find ready info,
IMO]

The "however" is: it's quite possible that there are larger diameters
available for the lens you are wearing ... if that turns out to be the
issue (rather than fit or design).

Again ... above my pay grade ;-)

Doc's?  If you would??

[scuse me]
Charles - 29 Jun 2006 13:55 GMT
> > My vision is great in these lenses, except that I have quite a bit
> > of eye watering at times, which makes vision worse.  At some times
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> triggers corneal irritation, which triggers an episode of tearing,
> which in turn causes the lens to ride low.

They almost always move towards low.  They move somewhat slowly, so if
I blink often, they keep moving back up and the effect isn't as
pronounced.  Towards the end of the day my eyes seem more dry and the
lens are more likely to stick between blinks.  I just put them in this
morning and looked right away.  They are riding a little low, but not
as low as after wearing a while.  They also stay in place sometimes.

On one occasion I noticed a lens sticking a little high, so I get the
impression that the lenses move high when I blink, then start moving
down.  Where they stop seems to depend on how "watery" my eye is at the
time.

> > I'm trying to decide if I should wait this out a little longer, or
> > if I should go back and ask again whether these should be tightened
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> always stay centered, no matter what.  If you were my patient, I would
> expect you to come back in this situation.

Thanks for the info.  I'll probably schedule another visit.  I hate
being the problem patient.  I already moved on from my last eye doc
because I started getting a feeling of "eyes rolling" when I walked in
for repeated visits.  Is RGP a specialized enough area that I ought to
seek out an expert if I want to be picky and really nail this?  I see
so much promise for great vision with these if I could just solve these
few little issues.
Dr. Leukoma - 29 Jun 2006 14:02 GMT
> They almost always move towards low.  They move somewhat slowly, so if
> I blink often, they keep moving back up and the effect isn't as
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> down.  Where they stop seems to depend on how "watery" my eye is at the
> time.

One old technique for getting a lens to stay in place is to have it
stay tucked up under the upper eyelid.  It may be that your upper lid
may actually be catching the upper edge of the lens, and then forcing
it down when you blink.  As well, you may be only partially blinking,
which then never allows the upper lid to "capture" the lens and pull it
back up.

> Thanks for the info.  I'll probably schedule another visit.  I hate
> being the problem patient.  I already moved on from my last eye doc
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> so much promise for great vision with these if I could just solve these
> few little issues.

Sounds like you should see an expert, although I'm not versed in how
you go about finding one.  : )

DrG
Charles - 30 Jun 2006 00:41 GMT
> One old technique for getting a lens to stay in place is to have it
> stay tucked up under the upper eyelid.  It may be that your upper lid
> may actually be catching the upper edge of the lens, and then forcing
> it down when you blink.  As well, you may be only partially blinking,
> which then never allows the upper lid to "capture" the lens and pull
> it back up.

Hard to say for sure, but it looks to me like my eyelid pulls it up,
then it slides back down.  When my eye first opens, it's up.

> Sounds like you should see an expert, although I'm not versed in how
> you go about finding one.  : )
>
> DrG

Where are you located?  I travel for business sometimes...
Dr. Leukoma - 30 Jun 2006 01:22 GMT
> Where are you located?  I travel for business sometimes...

http://www.copfameye.com

DrG
CatmanX - 29 Jun 2006 22:10 GMT
What diameter are your lenses? If they aren't sufficiently large, they
will give blur on blinking and side glances. Use a 10 or 10.5mm lens
and this will get rid of the edge awareness of your vision.

Also, the general rule is fitting large and flat (loose) but sometimes
it can help to tighten the lens up a bit. There will be no ocular
discomfort from going a little tighter, the edges are polished and will
not cut into your eye.

dr grant
Charles - 30 Jun 2006 00:46 GMT
> What diameter are your lenses? If they aren't sufficiently large, they
> will give blur on blinking and side glances. Use a 10 or 10.5mm lens
> and this will get rid of the edge awareness of your vision.

I don't know.  I don't know if it's universally this way, but no doc
I've been too has ever volunteered my prescription.  I always have to
ask.  I haven't yet asked for my full contact Rx, although I do know
the power numbers.

Anyway, I did ask my doc about going larger and he though it was a bad
idea because they were hanging low, and thus the bottom edge of the
contact would be into the white area of the eye.  When I first got them
I felt like I saw the edges in all different directions.  For whatever
reason, I now only notice the top edge when they are sagging.

> Also, the general rule is fitting large and flat (loose) but sometimes
> it can help to tighten the lens up a bit. There will be no ocular
> discomfort from going a little tighter, the edges are polished and
> will not cut into your eye.

What I was told was that tight lenses cause long term "wear" at the top
and bottom edges.  Sounds like you don't necessarily agree?
drfrank21@gmail.com - 30 Jun 2006 01:09 GMT
> What I was told was that tight lenses cause long term "wear" at the top
> and bottom edges.  Sounds like you don't necessarily agree?

A lens that is too steep/tight can "lock" on the
cornea and cause lens adhesion which aint
good.  There are various fitting strategies
that can work equally well- I try to get
an upper lid fit (sup edge tucked under
the lid) for best comfort for most
patients.  

frank
acemanvx@yahoo.com - 01 Jul 2006 00:52 GMT
> Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's, but things seem fairly
> slow anyway.
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> --

You have some options there.

1. If you want to stick with RGP contacts, try a different size and
base curve. A scaral lens would stay put but its so huge its scary to
put in your eye!
2. Go back to glasses. This might not be easy if your pescription is
high with lots of astigmastim due to spectacle minification and
disortion
3. If you are totally fed up with RGP contacts and really hate glasses,
theres laser surgury. Its not without risks and trade-offs. You will
NOT see anywhere as well as you do with RGPs and probably not even as
well with glasses. But itll greatly improve your uncorrected vision and
should give you vision good enough to function. Great if you arent too
picky about perfect vision and just want to ditch those irritating
contacts/glasses.
Neil Brooks - 01 Jul 2006 01:25 GMT
Charles,

Fair warning: Ace woke up in a meadow some years ago ... after a
tremendous binge on hallucinogenic mushrooms ... and now seems to
think he's an optometrist.

Be afraid.

Be very afraid.
acemanvx@yahoo.com - 01 Jul 2006 03:45 GMT
> Charles,
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Be very afraid.

LOL silly doctor Brooks! I wish I were one, but I am not a doctor.
Ann - 01 Jul 2006 08:00 GMT
>> Charles,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>LOL silly doctor Brooks! I wish I were one, but I am not a doctor.

Ace, you need to go and do something useful in society.  We know
you're a bit odd.. probably got Aspergers like half those on usenet
but still there must be something you can do.   Quit sitting at home
and surfing the internet.
Charles - 01 Jul 2006 04:28 GMT
> Charles,
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Be very afraid.

Don't worry, I read ace's posts for amusement purposes only.
acemanvx@yahoo.com - 01 Jul 2006 15:17 GMT
> > Sorry to keep bugging the group with my RGP's, but things seem fairly
> > slow anyway.
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> picky about perfect vision and just want to ditch those irritating
> contacts/glasses.

I gave you a great reply to your RGP problem. knowing you, youll
probably just stick to your uncomfortable RGPs and deal with it best as
you can. At least it gives you 20/15 vision. You mentioned in another
post how picky you were about your vision so I now know that glasses
and lasik is out. You wouldnt be happy with 20/40 even though almost
everyone would, as long as the quality is reasonable.
Quick - 01 Jul 2006 19:59 GMT
> I gave you a great reply to your RGP problem.

You meant "great" as in volume, right?

> You wouldnt be happy with 20/40 even though
> almost everyone would,

Sorry, 20/40 is not acceptable to me if I can do better.
A doc told me that same thing. I found another.

> as long as the quality is reasonable.

Please explain the difference between 20/40 good quality
and 20/40 bad quality?

-Quick


Charles - 02 Jul 2006 01:08 GMT
> > You have some options there.
> >
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> I gave you a great reply to your RGP problem.

Great reply?  Please.  If you were really trying to help, then thanks,
but I'm not an idiot.  I can tell you've learned some vocabulary words
on the net, but I can do Google searches too.  Your first point was the
only one that even tried to answer the actual question, but I've
already explained why my doc doesn't want to go bigger, or go steeper.
Telling me to get glasses or lasik really doesn't help much.

> knowing you, youll
> probably just stick to your uncomfortable RGPs and deal with it best
> as you can.

Knowing me?  Hmm....
Neil Brooks - 02 Jul 2006 01:14 GMT
>> > You have some options there.
>> >
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>
>Knowing me?  Hmm....

Change of address is indicated at this point.  Looks like you've
picked up a stalker....
 
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