My contacts hurt after scleral buckle retina surgery. Is this normal?
JUN 04, 2014
Question:
I had retinal eye surgery with a scleral buckle (a band placed around the eye to reattach the retina) a month ago. It’s painful to wear hard contacts in that eye now. Is this normal? Should I wear glasses instead?
Answer:
With you having had surgery only a month ago, it is likely that the eye has not yet fully recovered. As a result, it could be difficult to wear hard contact lenses. Also, sometimes scleral buckling surgery can change the shape of the eye so that the pre-surgery contact lens may no longer fit accurately. I would suggest that you wear glasses at this point in time, and then work with both your retinal surgeon and comprehensive eye doctor to evaluate the cause of the discomfort. It is likely that you will be able to resume wearing contact lenses in the foreseeable future.