Contacts

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I am debating over whether I want to get contacts or not. My glasses are always uncomfortable since I can never get them adjusted right. The nose pads are always digging into and pinching my nose. I have a bruise on my nose and behind my left ear due to them.

So my question is: Do those with contacts recommend them and why/why not?

[square_duck]

I have wrestled with this question as well. I have worn glasses most of my life, and I usually get new ones every few years, lense crafters have been great! But, I still wanted something different. I had contacts a couple of times in my life and, to me, they were kind of a hassle. getting used to sticking my finger in my eye to put them in was scary, and getting them out was just as bad. I also have an astigmatism, so every once in a while a lens would wander off and get stuck under an eyelid or in a corner somewhere and I would have to spend time getting it back into place...UGH! I stopped wearing them after a while....don't really know why *Shrug*

With todays lenses though, they take into account any oddities you may have, so I can have lenses that work with my astigmatism, and they should stay put....which would be a HUGE benefit and relief. They also have breathable, long wear lenses so I don't have to take them out before bed, and don't have to worry so much about them....so I MIGHT go for it.

For you, it is a tough choice. It depends on how bad your correction is (mine is pretty heavy duty) and any other things that you have going on. I guess they can be a benefit if you are unhappy with your glasses and alway shaving trouble with them, I have been through that as well and yes, it does suck. It really depends on how well you can handle working with the lenses. Like I said, you literally have to stick your fingers in your eye every time you want to put them in or take them out....its kind of freaky, but I guess people get used to it, I never could.

But if you are thinking about it....go check it out. The more informed you are, the better equipt you are to make the best choice for you. Like I said, I had trouble in the past with mine, but given the advances in fit and materials, I might give them a try again....and then go get some really cool shades!!

qwack

[Syne]

I would agree with square, check them out a little bit! If you've got insurance or can afford it, schedule an eye appointment and talk to your guy about them! Most opticians will give you a free or cheap sample to try out for a week.

Myself, I really enjoy contacts. It's nice not having to deal with keeping track of glasses and not worrying about the bruises. At the same time though, glasses are pretty nice if you don't have(or don't want to take) the time to put your contacts in. Having both is actually really nice, just so you have the option. Also being able to change your facial appearance at will without losing vision is pretty cool =p

[sarah_ab]

i get theplastic framed glasses, they have no nose pads and once they are adjusted to your head it takes a lot for them to bend out of shape...

but even if i were eligible for contacts (i'm not due to a non vision related condition) i personally find that glasses make my face look thinner... and with the adorable stypes i have... why not wear them! lol..

plus i have like 5 pairs now, will be getting a sixth pair this fall... just thinking of your glasses as a fashion accessory.. and get lots of different pairs for different days

[Repaid1]

Ah ha a topic I know a bit about. I finally got glasses in the seventh grade. I still remember the lady saying: "read the first line of the chart". I simply replied "What Chart?".

School seemed a whole lot different then, when you could actually see what the heck the teacher was writing on the board. Anyway I digress....

Okay contacts weren't new back in my day but they had just came out with what they called Semi-soft. They weren't much different than the other ones (Hard ones) but did have a bit of flex in them so they didn't break as easy. Putting them suckers in your eye the first time was quite the ordeal. It took about a week or so for my eyelids to adjust and expand over the contacts so that i didn't feel them and they didn't slide all over my cornea. Also you didn't fall asleep in these or you awoke in pain in a few hours with the burning from your eyes...not good.

Flash forward 5 or 6 years...Soft Contacts....WOW big difference. Now these were designed quite a bit bigger to fit fully over your cornea and then some very comfortable. Then about 2 years or so after these they developed extended wear and said you could keep them in for about a week or so. They allowed oxygen to flow about twice as good to your eye and eliminated some of the fatigue feeling you got with the old version. I wore these for probably about 15 years. I could sleep in them with only minor discomfort like dry eyes for a minute or two when I awoke. These I think I paid about $175 for back in the day even from 1 800 Contacts

Over the years they developed the newer versions such as the weekly wear and such and have been back and forth on these, So this one year I had to get a new prescription (Every two years for contacts) I have had the same prescription for 20+ years and I haven't had glasses for over that! So anyway I tell the eyedoc my script he dials the machine, cliks forward and back one strength and says yeap your right. So then he asks if I use the throw away version, I say no I wear extended wear. He then told me (who knows why) that the $175 dollar version that I was wearing and the throw away ones were Identical in material and it was just a marketing scheme.

The whole pretense was made for a healthier eye crap. Eliminating the crap of enzyming and disinfecting and saline solutions, which BTW they now have incorporated into one bottle now. Oh how that burnt when they weren't rinsed good enough.

So anyway, the doc tells me that price wise they are a little more but are "better" for my eyes. I thought to myself but you just said they are the same materials in the same format. So anyway he gives me a sample pair to try. So I got these things in my eyes and wear them for a week, then another week, then another, and before long I've had them for 2 months and they are going strong. No problems with protein deposits and the similar. They are still comfortable to wear and I can sleep in them.

So here's the scoop. I'm no eye doctor, I've just worn contacts for 30 years. My eyedoctor said in some cases contacts can correct your vision or at least stabilize it! Your eyes will probably vary but as for me, I would get the exam at a local Wal-mart, they are pretty cheap! ($80) Then have the eye doctor give you a sample pair they usually will have them. You will see how easy it to put them in. You might feel a bit of discomfort for a few minutes but will soon get used to them in a few hours if not less.

Don't order any at that time until your sure you will like them but the longer you keep them in the faster you will adjust to them. If you have to take them out after a few hours so be it, take a break, then put them back in. I wouldn't sleep with them in at first, give your eyes a chance to adjust first. The cool thing is I have light blue/gray eyes. I can change my eyes to baby blue to light blue, to green to Hazel, to light purple (Betty Davis) all for a few dollars more. Course you can get them clear as well!

Okay I'll summarize, My vision is almost 3 times legally blind 20/575 which means what normal people can see at 575 feet I can't see till 20 feet.My glasses were thicker than coke bottles With contacts I'm corrected to 20/25. I have astigmatism real bad, the contacts made for astigmatism are a scam and don't work, they float around on your eye and you keep loosing focus when you blink. The regular ones work great even with astigmatism!!! I can count leaves on a tree at 400 yards! I sleep in them and for me can leave them in my eyes for 3 to 6 months with no ill affects. That varies on time depending on conditions and your own eyes and I wouldn't tell your eye doctor he'll flip out. My eyes just don't seem to mind them in and as such I rarely get protein deposits

Trust me you'll figure out the mileage you can get out of your contacts your eyes will tell you when you get protein deposits and they start to annoy you a bit. If you took them out every two or three days and soaked them for a equal amount of time with a fresh pair put in and alternated them they would probably last about a year!!! A box of 6 (if your lucky enough to have the same prescription in both eyes) will run you about $26 bucks at Wally World. So your looking at about $106 out the door for a years worth if your eyes behave like mine. I had a exam over a year ago and the eye doctor said my eyes were perfect (No scratches or damage to my cornea)

I hear the stories of my Frame wearing friends on the cost of glasses some $400 and up? I'm like WTF!!! If you factor in my prescription really cost $40 a year plus a box of $26 dollar contacts. I pay $66 a year. And I can see 24/7. I don't have smears or scratches, I can wake up and just look at the clock. I can swim and shower and still see! and the winter time or rain? don't get me started. Get CONTACTS NOW!!! You will be happy you did and will never look back. I can't tell you how many people I've told to try contacts, that told me they could never do it. When they did They thanked me and were so happy!!!

One more bonus, I keep a spare pair in the glove box just in case. You lose or break your glasses your screwed. You lose a contact..cost you less than $5 bucks and you can see again in a minute!!!

As for sticking a finger in your eye, it's no biggie. Once your brain gets adjusted that the contact isn't going to hurt. You won't tend to blink. My first eye doctor showed me a trick. So your holding your eye open with your thumb and finger, look up, so you wont get the finger in the eye vision, when you feel the contact touch your eye, release your thumb (lower eyelid) your contact will automatically slide up onto your cornea!!! Easy quick way and no staring at your finger!

Sorry for the book!!!

[sarah_ab]

well thats why you have more than one pair of glasses.. hence i get a new pair every year! and when i travel i always have at least three pairs with me, depending on the outfits i packed....

[tndyperboy]

Go with contacts; I've worn them 30 years and they are much better then glasses. Or better yet save up for laser correction.

[Yvhuce]

I have an extreme aversion to stuff in my eyes. It gets to be a problem when I go to the eye doctor. So, I'd never be able to wear contacts.