Moving From Glasses to Contacts.

LloydXmas

I have a vision appointment Thursday and I'm considering moving from frames to contacts. Anyone ever do this before? How's the transition? (I have an astigmatism).

81

the only difference is you stick a finger in your eye twice a day instead of putting on glasses.

they aren't bad. i did them for about two years. only issue i ever had was my eyes drying out after wearing them for 12 hours.

guitar59

I can't do the contacts full time..still need the glasses. I like the contacts for some occasions, but can't wear them beyond 8-12 hours, and then, only that long when they are fresh pair. I also found them very expensive. The yearly cost was about 1/2 the price of my glasses, but I do not buy a new pair of glasses every 2 years! I have hard to correct vision, with astigmatism, and the dirt cheap contacts just would not work. I was pleased when they developed soft contacts that would work, because I could not ever get used to the rigid, gas permeable ones! My glasses always cost a ton, too! Good luck!

dcfaithful

81 wrote:

the only difference is you stick a finger in your eye twice a day instead of putting on glasses.

they aren't bad. i did them for about two years. only issue i ever had was my eyes drying out after wearing them for 12 hours.

My only problem too. I prefer glasses though, I feel I can see clearer with them... and contacts annoy the shit out of me but I use them when I need to: playing basketball, racquetball, sex (just kidding), concerts where I plan on getting active.

My only complaint about contacts though is that it always feels like there is a tiny speck of dust on them, so it's constantly uncomfortable. Might just be me though...

dcfaithful

guitar59 wrote:

I can't do the contacts full time..still need the glasses. I like the contacts for some occasions, but can't wear them beyond 8-12 hours, and then, only that long when they are fresh pair. I also found them very expensive. The yearly cost was about 1/2 the price of my glasses, but I do not buy a new pair of glasses evey 2 years! I have hard to correct vision, with astigmatism, and the dirt cheap contacts just would not work. I was pleased when they developed soft contacts that would work, because I could not ever get used to the rigid, gas permeable ones! My glasses always cost a ton, too! Good luck!

Astigmatism here as well. The contacts for that are pretty pricey.

sparky_fry

I did it when i was like 16. They made me put contacts in for the first time there to prove that i'd be able to do it, and it really weirded me out first and took some time. Takes a while to get used to put I hardly ever wear glasses now and its great for me. But as guitar59 said after a whole day wearing them they will start to get uncomortable. You just need to find a contact solution that you find comfortable on your eyes, so that may take some time.

81

dcfaithful wrote:

sex

couldn't find "the" spot?

dcfaithful

81 wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

sex

couldn't find "the" spot?

When you're a stud and play Barry White accompanied by a low lighted room with only candles, it's hard to see anything with my eyes.

That's how I roll. :twisted:

pjhawks

sparky_fry wrote:

I did it when i was like 16. They made me put contacts in for the first time there to prove that i'd be able to do it, and it really weirded me out first and took some time. Takes a while to get used to put I hardly ever wear glasses now and its great for me. But as guitar59 said after a whole day wearing them they will start to get uncomortable. You just need to find a contact solution that you find comfortable on your eyes, so that may take some time.

same here. i almost never wear glasses as they annoy me even more than contacts. glasses i can never keep the lenses clean and just seem to get in the way. i've found some just prefer contacts and some glasses so there is no right or wrong answer. you just have to get used to putting contacts in. it took me about a month to be able to do it quickly and comfortably. i have 2-week wears so i am supposed to throw each pair out every 2 weeks but if they still feel ok i will use them longer. i pretty much wear them from like 7:00 am to about 10:00 at night so takes a lot for them to get uncomfortable. you would probably have to build up a tolerance though to wear them that long. i've been wearing contacts for over 10 years so to me they are pretty natural now. good luck.

LloydXmas

Thanks. I'm a bitch when it comes to putting eye drops in my eye so If I do get them it's gonna take some getting used to.

I have a good pair of oakley frames right now so I might take my credit and get a pair of rx sunglasses and replace the courrent lenses.

Probably going to change my mind 100 times between now and thursday

dcfaithful

BabaBooey1979 wrote:

Thanks. I'm a bitch when it comes to putting eye drops in my eye so If I do get them it's gonna take some getting used to.

I have a good pair of oakley frames right now so I might take my credit and get a pair of rx sunglasses and replace the courrent lenses.

Probably going to change my mind 100 times between now and thursday

Why not put your regular lenses in the Oakley's and wear them everyday/all day.

Chick magnet.

LloydXmas

dcfaithful wrote:

BabaBooey1979 wrote:

Thanks. I'm a bitch when it comes to putting eye drops in my eye so If I do get them it's gonna take some getting used to.

I have a good pair of oakley frames right now so I might take my credit and get a pair of rx sunglasses and replace the courrent lenses.

Probably going to change my mind 100 times between now and thursday

Why not put your regular lenses in the Oakley's and wear them everyday/all day.

Chick magnet.

The oakleys are the regular everyday frames. (they make those too). I could get some blublockers or "HD" Sunglasses.

redrock

My daughter went from glasses to contacts when she was 13 with no problems whatsoever. A couple of tries to get them in the first time but thereafter, no hassles. It's been a few years now - she has soft dailies and keeps them in from approx 7am to approx 19.30hrs or later if she is out.

If you do go for contacts, buy them online. Much cheaper.

dcfaithful

BabaBooey1979 wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

BabaBooey1979 wrote:

Thanks. I'm a bitch when it comes to putting eye drops in my eye so If I do get them it's gonna take some getting used to.

I have a good pair of oakley frames right now so I might take my credit and get a pair of rx sunglasses and replace the courrent lenses.

Probably going to change my mind 100 times between now and thursday

Why not put your regular lenses in the Oakley's and wear them everyday/all day.

Chick magnet.

The oakleys are the regular everyday frames. (they make those too). I could get some blublockers or "HD" Sunglasses.

Why go to contacts when you could sport these?

Get_Right

I love my contacts.
I wear biofinity. They are so comfortable that once in awhile I forget to take them off at night.
Glasses are a pain.

Lizard

I have an astigmatism contact for one eye -- seems to work well. I have worn contacts FOREVER and need to move on to eye surgery soon!!

chiquimonkey

I've been using contacts for about 10 years now, and also have astigmatism. I use these lenses, they are very comfy



It took me about a month of getting over the idea of sticking things in my eyes, but I was just a weirdo about it because I was always afraid of poking my eyes lol I love them, especially when it's raining

It's good to give your eyes a rest though, I take them out when I get home and just use glasses there. Lets the peepers breathe some!

norm

i've been wearing glasses/contacts for 30 years...i've switched between the two all that time...i've been wearing contacts for a couple years now after wearing strictly glasses for like 5 years previous...i've finally found contacts that are comfortable and i wear my glasses in the evening...and yeah i have an astigmatism in one eye...whole thing is a pain in the ass but no way am i gonna have a laser shot into my eyes

chiquimonkey

norm wrote:

i've been wearing glasses/contacts for 30 years...i've switched between the two all that time...i've been wearing contacts for a couple years now after wearing strictly glasses for like 5 years previous...i've finally found contacts that are comfortable and i wear my glasses in the evening...and yeah i have an astigmatism in one eye...whole thing is a pain in the ass but no way am i gonna have a laser shot into my eyes

Yeah I can't bring myself to do the laser treatment. Besides my eyes are so jacked up even if I did it, I'd still need glasses/contacts! I need to wait for some alien technology or something lol

LloydXmas

Lizard wrote:

I have an astigmatism contact for one eye -- seems to work well. I have worn contacts FOREVER and need to move on to eye surgery soon!!

LASIK is another option but probably not until next year so I can add tax free funds to an FSA or HSA.

mikalina

My eyes have gotten pretty bad lately - especially at night - I can't see a thing....

but everytime I try contacts - my eyes water, mascara everywhere, the contact doesn't even make it in my eye-go figure -

RKCNDY

I have worn contacts for over 20 years. in the last 10 years, I've switched from RGP (rigid gas permeables) to soft contacts.

my thoughts...

RGP:
#1 choice for those with astigmatism, they help shape your cornea and make things much more sharper than the soft contacts can.

smaller surface area, much smaller than the iris (colored part of your eye) so they let in much more oxygen to the eye.

any products that say 'remove lenses before use' can be ignored, RGPs don't absorb liquid as much as soft contacts do.

tough to get used to (apparently, depending on how much you want to wear contacts depends on how fast you can adjust to them.) most optritians will give you a 'wearing schedule' 2 hours a day for a few days, then 4 hours, then 6 etc

cleaning is a 2 step process: rub lenses with cleaner, then rinse under water. Boston (the RGP solution maker) says they have a 'no-rub' formula, but it doesn't work as well...my dr told me to go back to the cleaner/soulution schedule

RGPs must be replaced every 2 years, and are VERY inexpensive. When I bought my last pair in 2000, I paid $80 for a pair

get anything in your eye, and it hurts like you wouldn't believe, people always thought I was crying

tough to remove from your eye...you place your finger on the outer corner of your eyebrow, push up, rest your finger on your cheek, pull the skin back while keeping your eye open, and blink..the contact pops out. I lost many contacts down the drain because they go flying...I would take the sink apart to get my contacts.

RGPs MUST be taken out EVERY DAY-a real pain if you like to go camping and don't have access to fresh water to wash your hands and contacts.

my eyes would 'feel tired' and dried out after 10 hours of wear...not cool if you want to go out all night.


Soft Contacts:
I wear the same ones that chiqui has..toric lenses. I went thru 6 different kinds of lenses to find a good pair before they came out with the toric

I LOVE being able to sleep in my contacts, see the clock in the dark, watch TV in bed, not worry about rain on the lenses, lenses steaming up when I go into a warm building, I can wear cute sunglasses.

I am a good canidate for LASIK, but I will still have to wear reading glasses anyway when I'm 40, and I would lose my 'close-up' vision, so if you do any intricate work (tying flys) you will have to get magnifiers

one year of the toric lenses run about $200 (I buy at costco, and they are always running a coupon special, $40-60 off a 2-box purchase and then Bauch and Lomb will have a rebate on top of that of another $40-80)

I still buy glasses for when I want a break, but I LOVE the freedom of 'no glasses'

norm

RKCNDY wrote:

I have worn contacts for over 20 years. in the last 10 years, I've switched from RGP (rigid gas permeables) to soft contacts.

those were the first contacts i had...but as soon as they came out with the long wear lenses i got those...i hate putting in contacts (although these new lenses i have go in great)

my problem with the long wear lenses is i would never take them out...for like months at a time...not good for the eyes so now i take them out every night

RKCNDY

norm wrote:

RKCNDY wrote:

I have worn contacts for over 20 years. in the last 10 years, I've switched from RGP (rigid gas permeables) to soft contacts.

those were the first contacts i had...but as soon as they came out with the long wear lenses i got those...i hate putting in contacts (although these new lenses i have go in great)

my problem with the long wear lenses is i would never take them out...for like months at a time...not good for the eyes so now i take them out every night

I don't take my lenses out every night...maybe once a week....shhh don't tell my dr!

I actually got an infection from the RGPs, there was a minor chip in the edge of one of them, and a scratch in the other, and they scratched up my corneas...had to wear my glasses for 3 months... :x

chiquimonkey

RKCNDY wrote:

I don't take my lenses out every night...maybe once a week....shhh don't tell my dr!

I actually got an infection from the RGPs, there was a minor chip in the edge of one of them, and a scratch in the other, and they scratched up my corneas...had to wear my glasses for 3 months... :x

Wow I am a serious paranoid, I never sleep with my soft lenses in, even for a nap! :shock: I guess I'm overcautious. :?

Johnnyguitarwatson

i tried contacts for a few weeks but couldn't get comfortable wearing them... plus i had a bitch of a time getting them out ha ha. I'm thinking about laser eye surgery :geek:

Good luck