Hi Nancy,
Please, please, please keep trying to find someone that will work with you. I know we are all different, my left eye blinks when my right one does, if memory serves me correctly your eye doesn't blink, I might have more tone in my face to keep in eye drops, or I might have less tone then you. I do believe from what my doctor has told me that there are lots of options and there is something out there that should work for you and me.
My eye was so dry and hurt so very, very bad that I would often take naps after work, would nap for two hours Saturday & Sunday after sleeping 8 to 9 hours. By Thursday I could hardly look at a computer screen because the brightness hurt my eye, I hated sunlight. My eye was so red that customers would ask if I was ok, I could see the damage on the edge of my cornea, it's gone now. One week after I got the lens the doctor said my eye went from a blank screen(completely scarred) to waves of scarring and good tissue, (read the big E and two lines below it for the first time in 15 years or more), two weeks later she said my eye looked like a finger print, little lines of scarring. It's only been a month! This past weekend was the first weekend in a couple of years that I didn't take a nap during the day despite staying up later than I should have, busy enjoying my new freedoms. Not sure what caused it to get so bad the last couple of years, thing it was a long slow progression.
Ok, now for answering your questions. I had read that they don't want you using the lens more than 8-10 hours a day because of possible infections. The first day I got the lens I wore it for 2 hours, was very nervous as I was afraid it would be stuck to my eye. The next day was 3 hours, then 4, then 6 THEN 12 hours. I have worn it from 7:30 a.m. tell 10:30 p.m. every day since then. I put preservative free drops in the lens, if I put to much it feel strange for a little bit then I'm fine. I put ointment in after that as needed. I use to use 2 to 3 tubes in 8 hours, now I use almost half a tube. I bought some thick gel drops in single vials a couple of days ago and will try those instead of using the ointment. Not sure I have the tone in my face to hold the drops. I read somewhere that you would have to take the lens out and put more drops in every few hours but I haven't had to do that, would be more than happy to do it if necessary but glad I don't have to. I haven't had any infection issues at all, my eye feels WONDERFULl!
My doctor said she has a lady that wears the lens 24/7, against her wishes but so far is doing fine!
Years ago I went to the clinic I'm at now but stopped because they insisted I have my eyes dilated, it burned my left eye so bad I swore I would never do it again. They said they wouldn't examine my eyes if I didn't so I went elsewhere, he was an ophthalmologist, thought it was best to see him because of my eye issues. I ended up going to a very caring optometrist, he's the one that referred me to the contact lens specialist back at the clinic that I use to go to. I wrote her a detailed letter about what I was going through and she personally left me a message on my phone saying she could help me.
I clean the lens every night with an extra strength cleaner made for the lens then soak it over night. I've had a day or two where it take a couple of tries to get the lens to stay in, 5 times one day, arghh! One night last week it took 15 minutes to get the lens out at night, arghh again! Most days and nights it's in and out without a hitch, told you the bad times so when you get your lens you won't panic when it doesn't go well knowing that sometimes that's the way it goes!
Did your eye doctor say why he wasn't sold on the lens?
Can't wait to hear what you find out and of course can't wait to hear you are trying the lens and that it works for you! Jill
