How do I know if dry eyes would cause long term damage whilst wearing contact lenses?

[Mount Hope]

At a recent contact lens check up I was diagnosed with very dry eyes, one more so than the other. The optician prescribed preservative free eye drops for application every few hours or whenever needed and to reduce the amount of time I wear my lenses. During the day I am wearing them no more then eight hours and only for less than a full day at the weekend. Is there any risk of damaging my eyes? My husband thinks that it would be better to stop wearing contacts altogether. My optician hasn't recommended that so I would prefer not to. How would I know if this would cause long term damage?

[Summerville]

You should not cause long term damaged. You would probably become a lot more uncomfortable when wearing your lenses if the problem became particularly acute. I would be guided by your practitioner and have regular checks to ensure that your eyes remain healthy.

[Mount Horeb]

Loss of sensation in the cornea from long-term contact lens wear can lead to dry eye. You should not wear contact lenses whilst using many types of eye drops. Check with your doctor or pharmacist. It is often the preservative in the drops that may cause problems. Some types of drops are available without preservative, which are suitable for contact lens wearers. Since your optician prescribed you preservative-free eye drops, so it will not cause long term damage whilst wearing contact lenses.