Contact lenses, and sunglasses
Discussion
OK
It has now got to the point where I need glasses all the time to see well enough. I have react to light in my main glasses which is ok if you get caught, but I still want to be able to use my sunglasses on good, bright days. ( I have an expensive pair which were given to me and are sentimental, so I don't want to give them up )
I today asked the optician, but the lenses can't be swapped out, and they suggested daily contacts for the days I feel I want the sunglasses. ( I like the way my day to day glasses square up my face and don't want to wear contacts every day. )
Now, 15 years ago, I tried contacts and failed. My eyes just wanted to reject them. They say I should go in, and be fitted, and walk around town for an hour and report back.
As someone with no knowledge of these things, what should I look for, and ask about to get them right?
Any opinions and advice greatly received. Thanks
It has now got to the point where I need glasses all the time to see well enough. I have react to light in my main glasses which is ok if you get caught, but I still want to be able to use my sunglasses on good, bright days. ( I have an expensive pair which were given to me and are sentimental, so I don't want to give them up )
I today asked the optician, but the lenses can't be swapped out, and they suggested daily contacts for the days I feel I want the sunglasses. ( I like the way my day to day glasses square up my face and don't want to wear contacts every day. )
Now, 15 years ago, I tried contacts and failed. My eyes just wanted to reject them. They say I should go in, and be fitted, and walk around town for an hour and report back.
As someone with no knowledge of these things, what should I look for, and ask about to get them right?
Any opinions and advice greatly received. Thanks
Contacts are amazing little things - but take a bit of getting used to. At first they are tricky to put in and take out and you can feel them in your eyes - but if you endure this they are brilliant.
Mrsmcg1 had a massive eye phobia but she overcame this and now wears contacts daily and trust me if she can do it you can (and by this I mean she nearly hit the first optician that came near her!!).
You need to get a way of popping them in and taking them out that suits you - sort that out and you are 99% there.
Give them a bash.
Mrsmcg1 had a massive eye phobia but she overcame this and now wears contacts daily and trust me if she can do it you can (and by this I mean she nearly hit the first optician that came near her!!).
You need to get a way of popping them in and taking them out that suits you - sort that out and you are 99% there.
Give them a bash.
Modern contact lenses are nothing like the ones around 15 years ago. I remember my first pair being solid discs that lasted a year & felt like grit in your eye for a week. Monthly disposables are very thin & daily disposables are almost non-existent. I suspect you'll cope much better than before & I certainly wouldn't go back to glasses full time.
Mr Pointy said:
Modern contact lenses are nothing like the ones around 15 years ago. I remember my first pair being solid discs that lasted a year & felt like grit in your eye for a week. Monthly disposables are very thin & daily disposables are almost non-existent. I suspect you'll cope much better than before & I certainly wouldn't go back to glasses full time.
This, started using contacts at 20. I am long sighted so only need corrective lenses to read. Contacts make the world of difference in the office and when studying. I only wear them 4 days out of 7 to give my eyes a break (as you only get one set of eyes...
) but otherwise I actually forget I am wearing them.go give them a try, I was a bit unsure to begin with but now I've been using them for about 5 years.
Iv gone to dailys as I found monthly ones unhygienic.
They've been great, does take time getting used to putting your fingers near your eyes but once your over that its not so bad.
Also it might be worth investing in a eye spray, I really like the optrex one, its safe for use with contacts and if you feel your contacts getting uncomfortable or "dry" you just spray it on closed eyes and bingo.
it is expensive compared to the drops but it lasts for ages
Iv gone to dailys as I found monthly ones unhygienic.
They've been great, does take time getting used to putting your fingers near your eyes but once your over that its not so bad.
Also it might be worth investing in a eye spray, I really like the optrex one, its safe for use with contacts and if you feel your contacts getting uncomfortable or "dry" you just spray it on closed eyes and bingo.
it is expensive compared to the drops but it lasts for ages
I thought the same thing until I went for a free trial at Boots. I went in, they gave me a quick eye test, measured the eyeball and gave me a two week supply of daily contacts. I went back for the follow up appointment two weeks later, told them I didnt like dailys, so they gave me a pair of monthly lenses to try. All this was free, so give it a go.
- One thing to mention is that you might find difficulty at first switching between glasses and contact lenses. This is because when wearing contacts your brain will have to unlearn the refraction it copes with whilst wearing glasses. I felt dreadfully sea sick for the first few weeks every time I popped the lenses out and went back to glasses, though I did eventually adapt. This was the case for me with my strong prescription, although with a milder prescription (as it seems you have) you may be fine.
- As above, taking them in and out is a pain. The way I was taught by the optician was awful and I just couldn't get on with it. As the guy said above, learn your own way and then you'll be fine.
- Don't give up if you don't get on with one lens type. If you pay more you can get lenses that are more comfortable and permeable to air. There really is a big difference. Also, at least back when I wore lenses up (2001 to 2006), toric lenses that correct for astigmatism were never as comfortable as standard lenses, so consider ditching this requirement and just having ordinary lenses for basic myopia, provided you're safe to drive etc.
- Another thing to be wary of is the amount of training and experience the contact lens supplier has at judging the health of your eyes. I was ruining my eyes by wearing contacts - they just weren't suited and my optician never said anything until I took action myself and stopped wearing them. My ex actually went blind in one eye due to incorrect contact lens fitment; though thankfully the blindness was temporary. I don't mean to scare you, but bear your eye health in mind and don't push wear time to a level that's uncomfortable.
- Don't discount sighted sunglasses. You may find the old refraction issues, but you will adapt. Carrying two pairs of glasses everywhere is a right pain though.
- Finally, it's a surgical procedure not to be taken lightly, but do consider laser treatment. I hated the whole glasses/contacts thing as I found it uncomfortable and limiting with my everyday life. Laser treatment is easily the best thing I've ever had done - it's completely changed my life. I shan't advise on this thread, as there's been a huge thread running on it on PH - all I can say is that it is a serious operation, so get it done properly.
I've been wearing contacts now for 30 plus years and 'dailies' for the last 10. They go in when I wake up and come out when I go to bed - not totally as recommended. I pay £90 every three months (or 90 days!) which includes regular eye checks so pretty reasonable.
They are absolutely brilliant, especially as I am not brave enough to go in for the laser surgery. Now I need reading glasses (which I hate having to wear) my optician has prescribed me one contact lens for reading and one for the long range stuff - the brain works out what eye to use. Too long range ones work best on the golf course though.
They are absolutely brilliant, especially as I am not brave enough to go in for the laser surgery. Now I need reading glasses (which I hate having to wear) my optician has prescribed me one contact lens for reading and one for the long range stuff - the brain works out what eye to use. Too long range ones work best on the golf course though.
Great replys, thanks.
I am going to try them and see what happens. I think one problem I had all that time ago was I worked on a farm, with corn dust. My eyes were constantly trying to clear away dust and it probably thought the contact was more dust.
I am long sighted with the short sight getting worse.
I don't think my eyes are stable enough and I'm not sure I am man enough for laser treatment.
Looking in to it, I won't get much choice on lenses. It seems the optician will prescribe what he thinks.
I am going to try them and see what happens. I think one problem I had all that time ago was I worked on a farm, with corn dust. My eyes were constantly trying to clear away dust and it probably thought the contact was more dust.
I am long sighted with the short sight getting worse.
I don't think my eyes are stable enough and I'm not sure I am man enough for laser treatment.
Looking in to it, I won't get much choice on lenses. It seems the optician will prescribe what he thinks.
JABB said:
Great replys, thanks.
Looking in to it, I won't get much choice on lenses. It seems the optician will prescribe what he thinks.
Of course you have a choice & if your optician doesn't discuss what options there might be then go somewhere else. I have some astigmatism in both eyes & my optician tried a couple of different types of lenses until we settled on Bausch & Lomb Torics. As I travel a fair bit I personally get on better with monthly lenses rather than daily disposables but you should ask to try both if you want. They should give you a sample set for free to try for a few days.Looking in to it, I won't get much choice on lenses. It seems the optician will prescribe what he thinks.
Of course there may be technical reasons why the optician suggests one lens over another but it's not very likely your prescription is so unique that there's only one lens that is suitable.
The optician will prescribe the prescription (strength) of lens that he thinks that you need.
Most opticians are tied to one brand or another of lenses.
My advice for you would be to ask for the lens with the highest water content that is offered by the manufacturer your optician stocks.
These will be more expensive but in my view worth it. You get what you pay for and in the world of contact lenses, water is expensive!
I have worn lenses for over 20 years, I have only ever worn "soft" lenses but when I started out you kept the lenses for a year, cleaned and disinfected them after every wear and then went on to daily disposables (miles better). Last year I deceided that as I was wering lenses so infrequently I would get some dailies from a direct source in Jersey. I bought all of the marketing that the reason they were cheaper than the competition was gone to having lower overheads and having a lower cost packaging design.
This may all be true but I believe that the reason they are cheaper is the relatively low water content.
I have NEVER had so much trouble with lenses in all of my experience of them. To be fair to the guys in Jersey they did swap my lenses for their higher spec version (but at this point you are starting to lose the advantage on your friendly High St optician) and whilst better than the standard pairs they aren't particularly comfortable, with only middling water content.
Most opticians are tied to one brand or another of lenses.
My advice for you would be to ask for the lens with the highest water content that is offered by the manufacturer your optician stocks.
These will be more expensive but in my view worth it. You get what you pay for and in the world of contact lenses, water is expensive!
I have worn lenses for over 20 years, I have only ever worn "soft" lenses but when I started out you kept the lenses for a year, cleaned and disinfected them after every wear and then went on to daily disposables (miles better). Last year I deceided that as I was wering lenses so infrequently I would get some dailies from a direct source in Jersey. I bought all of the marketing that the reason they were cheaper than the competition was gone to having lower overheads and having a lower cost packaging design.
This may all be true but I believe that the reason they are cheaper is the relatively low water content.
I have NEVER had so much trouble with lenses in all of my experience of them. To be fair to the guys in Jersey they did swap my lenses for their higher spec version (but at this point you are starting to lose the advantage on your friendly High St optician) and whilst better than the standard pairs they aren't particularly comfortable, with only middling water content.
I too have worn soft lenses for more than 20 years.
Try weekly or daily lenses as they are thinner than the permanent lenses.
I am using daily lenses just now and they are great. Saves any hassle with lenses etc.
No problems wearing them with sunglasses either.
Whatever you do, don't be tempted to get those specs with the lenses that get darker when the sun is out. Not a good look
Try weekly or daily lenses as they are thinner than the permanent lenses.
I am using daily lenses just now and they are great. Saves any hassle with lenses etc.
No problems wearing them with sunglasses either.
Whatever you do, don't be tempted to get those specs with the lenses that get darker when the sun is out. Not a good look
Well, I know it has been a while, but I am busy at the moment and I have got glasses!
Finally went today and had the eye test and had some lens fitted.
I love them! So clear.
I am, however, having difficulty getting them out. I managed once each per eye in the fitting and I was there for 3/4 of an hour. I have managed it again at home, but it took 15 mins and alot of swearing.
Tips and advice please. I seem to have sensitive eyes!
I have been given Coopervision 52% daily trial lenses, both eyes at +2.
I wish to persevere but my eyes are hurting now after trying to get them out.
Finally went today and had the eye test and had some lens fitted.
I love them! So clear.
I am, however, having difficulty getting them out. I managed once each per eye in the fitting and I was there for 3/4 of an hour. I have managed it again at home, but it took 15 mins and alot of swearing.
Tips and advice please. I seem to have sensitive eyes!
I have been given Coopervision 52% daily trial lenses, both eyes at +2.
I wish to persevere but my eyes are hurting now after trying to get them out.
Perseverance! You just need to keep practicing putting them in and out, you'll get used to it. Took me ages when i first got mine but now I've had them for about 15 years it's second nature.
Good news that you got on well with them, I recently got the updated acuvue dailies and they are miles better than the last lot.
Good news that you got on well with them, I recently got the updated acuvue dailies and they are miles better than the last lot.
I've been wearing contact lenses since October, glasses for about 13 years now. Wish I'd done it sooner!
One thing that doesn't appear to be common knowledge at the moment though, is extended wear lenses which I switched to a couple of months back (they wouldn't let me get them until I was used to wearing ordinary contacts).
They're amazing - you pop them in, wear them for a solid month - no need to take them out at all during that time, even to sleep - and then chuck them away and replace. A hell of a lot thinner and more comfortable than the monthly ones I had before, and around the same price too. I never notice I'm wearing them at all, aside from a bit of blurriness when I first wake up for a few minutes (no discomfort, though).
All for £17 a month. Highly recommended. They don't seem to advertise their existence, which is strange. I wasn't told about them until I asked, and nobody I've spoken to socially has ever heard of them before. But, they pose absolutely no inconvinience whatsoever. I might as well have perfect sight, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
One thing that doesn't appear to be common knowledge at the moment though, is extended wear lenses which I switched to a couple of months back (they wouldn't let me get them until I was used to wearing ordinary contacts).
They're amazing - you pop them in, wear them for a solid month - no need to take them out at all during that time, even to sleep - and then chuck them away and replace. A hell of a lot thinner and more comfortable than the monthly ones I had before, and around the same price too. I never notice I'm wearing them at all, aside from a bit of blurriness when I first wake up for a few minutes (no discomfort, though).
All for £17 a month. Highly recommended. They don't seem to advertise their existence, which is strange. I wasn't told about them until I asked, and nobody I've spoken to socially has ever heard of them before. But, they pose absolutely no inconvinience whatsoever. I might as well have perfect sight, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Nope, they're far more oxygen permeable than ordinary contacts. In my experience, they're actually a lot more comfortable. I could really feel my old ones in the evenings when I was tired, or for the first 5-10 minutes when I put them in, again especially when tired.
Now I never notice I'm wearing any contact lenses at all.
Now I never notice I'm wearing any contact lenses at all.
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