Wearing contacts

[stimpson]

The peepers have been fading in the last few years. Don't like any of the glasses that I have had. Seem to look ok when I pick out the frames at the eye doc, but don't like them when I get home. Went back today and decided to get contacts. Wow. I was there for over an hour while they showed me how to put them in and take them out. I was terrible. I don't see (parden the pun) how this is going to get easier. They kept telling me it will. Man I don't know. I don't like touching my eyes. Any advice or techniques anyone would like to share. I will greatly appeciate it.

 

[bhelms]

I wore the blasted hard lenses for the better part of 35 years, then went "cold turkey" without them one day never to return. (I couldn't afford the soft lenses needed for my type of correction.) You definitely need to be able to touch your cornea (gently, and with clean finger!), so you might want to practice that without a lens until you're comfortable doing it. I found that minimal fluid helped with the placement, just enough that it stays on the tip of your finger. Try really hard not to look to the side as your finger approaches your cornea as well, otherwise you misplace it, get to dig it out and try again. Keep plenty of sterile fluid around to help with redness and irritation, and don't use any fluid that might have gotten contaminated or is old.

I have narrow eyes, i.e., they don't open fully without extra fingers helping. This always made placement difficult, and the traditional means of popping a hard lens out (pulling the eye corner) didn't work for me. Early in my career when I misplaced a lens I immediately went into the "dig it out" mode and the technician commented that she was glad to see I was not afraid to touch my eye! How true that turned out over the several decades of experience...!

I does "get easier with time"...more as a result of necessity. You'll do fine with them, but good luck anyway...!

 

[Bogy]

It does get easier, and touching my eye wasn't a big deal for me, but on really long days I was really glad to get them out. The only positive aspect was being able to wear any old pair of sunglasses. But I was just as happy to go back to wearing glasses. It was either that, or I either had to get bifocal contacts (very expensive), or start using reading glasses. If I was going to have to use reading glasses anyway, I figured I might as well wear glasses. Especially since one of the times I would need to pull out the reading glasses was when I was reading the Bible in church (I'm a preacher). Besides, the glasses help hide the big bags under my eyes.

 

[navychop]

1979

That's when I moved from glasses to contacts. Now on bifocal contacts. Even still, sometimes I still need reading glasses.

Yep, gotta be able to touch your eye. I disobeyed the original eye doc assistant and used a finger to hold open my eyelid to insert. She was MOST upset. However, next time I was there, I noticed they were teaching that technique to the new customers.

There is some break in time, though, as you get used to doing this.

Only wear glasses late at night, now. VERY happy with soft lens contacts. I've considered laser eye surgery, but why bother? Contacts are fine, and low risk.

 

[stimpson]

1979

That's when I moved from glasses to contacts. Now on bifocal contacts. Even still, sometimes I still need reading glasses.

Yep, gotta be able to touch your eye. I disobeyed the original eye doc assistant and used a finger to hold open my eyelid to insert. She was MOST upset. However, next time I was there, I noticed they were teaching that technique to the new customers.

There is some break in time, though, as you get used to doing this.

Only wear glasses late at night, now. VERY happy with soft lens contacts. I've considered laser eye surgery, but why bother? Contacts are fine, and low risk.

Yep. Bifocal here as well. Good advice all. Thanks a bunch.

 

[nuts4scuba]

I started wearing contacts around 10 years ago. A couple of years ago I started needing to use reading glasses. Instead of using bifocal contacts, my eye doctor lowered my left lenses power and raised my right. It took a few trial pairs to get it right, but now I don't have to use reading glasses and it saves some money over buying bifocal lenses. YMMV doing this. My wife didn't like this when she tried it last year and still uses reading glasses.

 

[Ronnie-]

I have been wearing them for over 15 years (legally blind without them), and yes it does get much easier with time to take them out and put them in. It becomes second nature.

I however only take mine out to put in a new pair. I sleep i them, swim in them, ect.

Most doctors will tell you not to do this, and mine said it wasnt the best idea, but after several examinations (and 5+ years of this), he said that he can see no harm from it for me, as long as I am comfortable with it, and keep them moist. It really is nice waking up and just being able to see, but ymmv.

 

[stimpson]

Got them in pretty quick this morning. Had to redo the right one, it was inverted. I have heard that many people leave them in at night. Might give it a try. Will give them a week. Some times I can't even tell they are in there, and then they get all blurry and itchy. What's up with that?

 

[Rey]

I have been wearing them for over 15 years (legally blind without them), and yes it does get much easier with time to take them out and put them in. It becomes second nature.

I however only take mine out to put in a new pair. I sleep i them, swim in them, ect.

Most doctors will tell you not to do this, and mine said it wasnt the best idea, but after several examinations (and 5+ years of this), he said that he can see no harm from it for me, as long as I am comfortable with it, and keep them moist. It really is nice waking up and just being able to see, but ymmv.

same exact experience here except for the legally blind part. my biggest issues is astigmatism. for example when i look at the direct blue circle on the dvr it looks like i'm seeing 4 more circles around them. letters and lights are at least doubled up.even with the contacts it's beginning to get worse. might need a new presc.

as mentioned already you do get used to the taking on and off. what helps me the most is putting a few drops of lube on the contact before i put it in. i take a shower after that and the steam from the hot water seems to help too. i leave them in for about 5 days before cleaning them again. never need to put drops in between but you may.

 

[Kevinw]

The new soft contacts are light and painless. I stared back in the late 70's with hard and could not stand them. Mid 80's switched to soft and only quit after Lasik 3 years ago. One thing about contacts if you need reading glasses you can have the prescription set for mono vision. One lens for close and one for far. You get use to them pretty quick but you have to try.

 

[Neutron]

I've been wearing soft lenses for 14 years now. During allergy season they suck to wear. I've been looking into LASIK for 3 years now but the cost is just too expensive.

 

[Kevinw]

I've been wearing soft lenses for 14 years now. During allergy season they suck to wear. I've been looking into LASIK for 3 years now but the cost is just too expensive.

And the one thing you do not want to do is budget shop for Lasik.
Mine was 4k and I got the Excimer Laser procedure. Now I wear glasses for reading but I have 20/30 vision compared to 20/900 before

 

[dijohn76]

I've been wearing contacts since I was 15 (now 52) started with the old hard, now wear the extended wear soft multifocal, wouldn't trade them for anything. It does get easier to insert, will actually become second nature. Good luck.

 

[stimpson]

as mentioned already you do get used to the taking on and off. what helps me the most is putting a few drops of lube on the contact before i put it in. i take a shower after that and the steam from the hot water seems to help too. i leave them in for about 5 days before cleaning them again. never need to put drops in between but you may.

Been talking to some coworkers who echo all that's been said here. They, and the wife, told me to use the drops they gave me. I said what drops? They said the folks at the eye clinic should have given me eye drops to use through out the day. That's why they are fine one minute and blurry and itchy the next. What type do you use rey?

I've been wearing soft lenses for 14 years now. During allergy season they suck to wear. I've been looking into LASIK for 3 years now but the cost is just too expensive.

I agree. Way to expensive to justify the expence right now.

I've been wearing contacts since I was 15 (now 52) started with the old hard, now wear the extended wear soft multifocal, wouldn't trade them for anything. It does get easier to insert, will actually become second nature. Good luck.

Thanks for the info. I hope it does get easier. The girl at the clinic showed me how she does hers. She didn't even use a mirror, and had them out and in, in a few seconds. I hope I can get to that point.

Again. Thank you all for the advice and help.

 

[Ronnie-]

And the one thing you do not want to do is budget shop for Lasik.
Mine was 4k and I got the Excimer Laser procedure. Now I wear glasses for reading but I have 20/30 vision compared to 20/900 before

There are a few things that make me say no to lasik.
First, since I wear my contacts 24/7, I do not see a real advantage to getting mine surgically corrected.
The main reason however is I have thin retinas. The risk of retinal detachment would go up with the surgery, or so I understand it. That is a risk I am not willing to take at this point.

 

[Neutron]

I sleep in mine, swim, shower, etc. I usually keep them in straight for a month and then change them out the next day. I've been doing that for the 14 years. Eye doc always says my eyes are healthy.

 

[Ronnie-]

I sleep in mine, swim, shower, etc. I usually keep them in straight for a month and then change them out the next day. I've been doing that for the 14 years. Eye doc always says my eyes are healthy.

Yep, same here.
Makes it more convenient for me.

 

[stimpson]

I sleep in mine, swim, shower, etc. I usually keep them in straight for a month and then change them out the next day. I've been doing that for the 14 years. Eye doc always says my eyes are healthy.

I'm going to try that rout.

 

[Kevinw]

I always kept mine in for a month at a time then swapped for new. My 17 year old Son does the same thing. Other than the occasional popped contact I loved them.

 

[Rey]

Been talking to some coworkers who echo all that's been said here. They, and the wife, told me to use the drops they gave me. I said what drops? They said the folks at the eye clinic should have given me eye drops to use through out the day. That's why they are fine one minute and blurry and itchy the next. What type do you use rey?

i use the refresh plus for sensitive eyes drops. and for cleaning i use clear care. it's a bit expensive but well worth it. never use it as drops though and you can't pull the lenses out until after 6 hours. http://www.clearcaresolution.com/
and http://www.refreshmyeyes.com/