Anyone else trying to make disposable contacts last longer...

[sunnyday123]

I have one month planned replacement toric lenses. I wear them 2-3 months for each set. My eyes produce very little protein and I usually replace them if they happen to tear.

I've been wearing contacts for 20 years now (ok so now I feel old). Back in the days, my contacts were $300 for one pair and you bought insurance if you tore a lens (that made them like $60 each). Those lenses were worn for a year at a time.

So fast forward to today. Tell me why my new and improved lenses can't be worn for more than a month? They look and feel exactly the same. They are cleaned twice a day (going into the case and coming out) and enzymed once a week.

I've never had contact related eye issues and I got a compliment the last time I went to the ophthalmologist about my healthy eyes - the ones with the 2-3 month old lenses in them

So yes, I think you can stretch them if you have good cleaning habits and don't have a history of eye problems

lol....remember when you had to "cook" them???

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Overwearing your contacts is not something that I would endorse. There are so many things that can go wrong from scratched corneas, infections and worse. Is it worth risking your vision to save some money? You only get one set of eyes and they are not replaceable. I would find somewhere else to cut back in my budget. This sounds like a case of being penny-wise but pound-foolish.

 

[Taja]

Am I the only person in the world who wears RGP lenses? Rigid gas pemeable--not disposable!

I've worn contacts for *ahem* 40+ years and never had an eye infection--and never have been able to wear disposables. Really, really wanted to, but my eyes are too dry. *sigh*

 

[jessp1021]

I too thought this would be such a great idea until the unthinkable happened..gulp... I ended up scratching my cornea and ripping the top layer off of my eye!!!! Talk about pain omg it was horrible and my eye looked gross.. I ended up being put on 2 prescriptions because of it.. and are you ready for this.. they were $165!! On top of that we had an outrageuos dctr bill bc insurance denied part of the claim!! Then I also had to buy glasses to wear for the month that I couldn't wear a contact which was around $200.. Needless to say I could have bought contacts for a couple years off the money that I spent in one day.. and to top it off he said if I could have partial vision loss if it happens again!!!

 

[lisabarr]

I wore contacts for many years and did the same things, then I scratched my cornea due to not cleaning my contacts, yuuuuuck.

I got Lasik surgery 3 years ago and all I can say is its worth every penny and will pay for itself eventually.

 

[Cruise]

Am I the only person in the world who wears RGP lenses? Rigid gas pemeable--not disposable!

I've worn contacts for *ahem* 40+ years and never had an eye infection--and never have been able to wear disposables. Really, really wanted to, but my eyes are too dry. *sigh*

I wore these until a few years ago when they finally made soft contacts that could handle issues with a stigmatism.

I have dry eyes as well, but since my eyes produce a lot of protein I would end up with really, really bad deposits on the RGP lenses. Even with the enzyme cleaning, I'd end up with visable, cloudy deposits within a couple of months. At least now I can dispose of them when that happens, but I still end up having to reposition the soft lenses throughout the day due to the moisture issue.

 

[PADISFAM]

Try Costco - for lenses I only paid about $25.00 a box for the Acuvue astygmatism.

wow!! I don't have a Costco around here, can you order on-line or via phone? I pay $45 a box for the same thing

 

[ajh88]

I have daily wear lenses - I don't know how much disposables are in contrast to these, but I typically get a pair about every 18 months (1 pair). The brand I wear (CSI) is rather pricey, but I have had my current pair for over 18 months and just had an eye exam a few weeks ago - doc said they look practically new still (I clean with Aosept every night).

Anyway, they are $89 per lens (before my insurance) - we paid $222 for 2 eye exams, a new pair of glasses for DH, and my new contacts with my insurance and this will last us another 18-24 months.

This may or may not be an option for you (I tried disposables and didn't like them) - but I would definitely not recommend skimping too much in this area. I did have an eye infection from my contacts way back when I first started wearing them and it was awful. You might also watch for rebates and such - I know at Wal-Mart and Sam's they will occasionally have specials to get a box free or get $50 back by mail or something along those lines. Good luck!

 

[sunnyday123]

I wore contacts for many years and did the same things, then I scratched my cornea due to not cleaning my contacts, yuuuuuck.

I got Lasik surgery 3 years ago and all I can say is its worth every penny and will pay for itself eventually.

I dream of having Lasik.....I went 4 years ago for a consultation and they told me I wasn't a candidate ( then ) because my eyes dialate too big. My dr said he would keep me up to date on any new findings....he has since abducted his kids so I don't think he'll be giving me updates anytime soon.

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

Am I the only person in the world who wears RGP lenses? Rigid gas pemeable--not disposable!

I've worn contacts for *ahem* 40+ years and never had an eye infection--and never have been able to wear disposables. Really, really wanted to, but my eyes are too dry. *sigh*

I wore these until a year ago..... they were hurting my eyes soooooo badly that I couldn't stand to wear them (burning, stinging, constantly hurting). I'd always been told I couldn't wear soft contacts (astigmatism and a horribly bad sript), but I went to a new doctor who switched me to soft and I'm soooooo happy with them!!! I LOVE them b/c they are sooo comfortable and they don't get dirt in them when it's windy..... I do wear mine for longer than I'm supposed to (seems like everyone I know does this!) and sometimes I do fall asleep in them when I'm putting the kids to bed, but after reading this post I may have be better about following the rules!

 

[miss missy]

I have one month planned replacement toric lenses. I wear them 2-3 months for each set. My eyes produce very little protein and I usually replace them if they happen to tear.

I've been wearing contacts for 20 years now (ok so now I feel old). Back in the days, my contacts were $300 for one pair and you bought insurance if you tore a lens (that made them like $60 each). Those lenses were worn for a year at a time.

So fast forward to today. Tell me why my new and improved lenses can't be worn for more than a month? They look and feel exactly the same. They are cleaned twice a day (going into the case and coming out) and enzymed once a week.

I've never had contact related eye issues and I got a compliment the last time I went to the ophthalmologist about my healthy eyes - the ones with the 2-3 month old lenses in them

So yes, I think you can stretch them if you have good cleaning habits and don't have a history of eye problems

Me too! been wearing them for 28 years! Went from yearly to monthly. They are worn all week, even sleep and I clean them once a week. No problems. I replace them more by thinking.. hmm its been a while. They never seem to give me trouble so I just keep doing what I do. I buy them online- http://www.visiondirect.com/ much cheaper than the DR's! I use AOsept and enzeme.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I wear the 2 week lenses and use Aosept every night. I have no problem wearing them for 3 weeks on occasion. I don't think it saves me $ though b/c it seems like I have to throw away a pair before 2 weeks is up at least every couple of months. Heck, one box had 2 contacts sealed into the adhesive - that was a total waste of $.

 

[Dr Pepsi]

So, I decided that what I need to do is try to make my monthly contacts last for a month and a half. It isn't easy.

I'm a week away from being able to switch and I'm blinking constantly and want to take my contacts out as soon as I get home.

I'd say go for it, except that your eyes are irritated. Listen to your body. Replace them monthy, unless you goal is to develop a chronic dry eye problem so that you can't wear contacts at all. You'd save lots of money on contact lenses if you couldn't buy them.

I wear two week disposables and often can't make it two weeks. I listen to what my eyes are telling me. If they are getting dry/irritated, it's time for new lenses.

 

[PoohHappens]

My DH worked in the optical field for years. Many, but not all, of the contacts on the market are actually the same lense. So sometimes a lense that is weekly, monthly or a year contact is actually identical but the care instructions are different. You are getting a discount for buying in bulk basically with the dispose. Again this is not all brands all lenses. So if you take a disposable lesne and care for it like a daily wear you can extend the life of the contact. It does need to be disposed as soon as it is not holding its shape, irritating your eye etc. Toric lenses are thicker and it seems to work well with them. Daily disposibles are really thin and you would have a much harder time doing this with them. You cannot however, overwear the lense for numerous hours a day and you absolutely cannot sleep in it. My DH used to laugh because they were literally putting the exact same lenses in different packaging. I agree your eye health is nothing to mess with and everyones eyes are different, they must do what their eyes dictate.

 

[becky7953]

I've got to agree with this. I have dry eye and it is not fun. I don't have any medical reason for developing it so I'm not sure what caused it. I never slept in my contacts overnight or anything but I know that I sometimes wore them for a lot longer than I should have. It wasn't even for the cost but just lack of time/opportunity in getting to the eye doctor.

Anyway, now I can rarely wear contacts lenses anymore. I bought some daily disposable ones and I will occasionally wear them for a few hours when I want to look my best, but I tear them out of my eyes and throw them away as soon as I can. I HATE wearing glasses with a passion, but I just can't tolerate contacts anymore.

So, I agree that you should be really careful with your vision.

I also agree that buying lenses online is a much more economical option. And I also agree with the comment about your vision getting "better" (going the other direction) in your 30s. Sadly, it will never go back to perfect.

My sister in law had the problem with dry eye for a few months... they couldn't figure out what caused it either. Then for whatever reason she switched her Birth Control pills and the dry eye went away. Her Dr. said that could have been the cause. ??? Go figure

 

[becky7953]

I have 2 week disposables. I try to wear them 3 to 4 weeks. I do take them out at night... and also use perservative free saline (feels so good on the eyes) it comes in a spray bottle and clear care "no rub" cleaner. It disinfects with a percentage of peroxide. Once you put them in the solution you have to wait 6 hours to put them back in.

But that being said... if I have any discomfort I throw them away and get a new pair out. Do not mess with your eyes.

 

[SandraVB79]

OP, if I were you (but I'm not), that would be an area where I would NOT cut back!
In the beginning that I wore contacts, it was 1 pair for 6 months, and I had to clean them every two weeks with a special product to get the "proteines" off. Even then my eyes got infected, and I switched to monthly contacts, not needing the proteine-cleaning. I can only imagine if you were them longer, you would need extra clenaing-measures + probably the material they are made out of, isn't suited to be worn for that long.

Remember: you have only 1 pair of eyes. And I intend to keep mine this good for as long as possible!

 

[EC0323]

I wear mine until they start bothering my eyes. I have had 2 different eye doctors tell me that the contacts that I use are the same as long wearing contacts. Just marketed different. They both said maintain good daily care and I should not have any problems with my eyes. I wear my 2 week contacts on average 2 months sometimes more. I have not had any problems in the last 5 years. (my original dr moved; that is why I have seen 2 doctors over 5 years. No problems)

But that is just me. I would do what feels right for you.

 

[lntsmom]

I'd say go for it, except that your eyes are irritated. Listen to your body. Replace them monthy, unless you goal is to develop a chronic dry eye problem so that you can't wear contacts at all. You'd save lots of money on contact lenses if you couldn't buy them.

I wear two week disposables and often can't make it two weeks. I listen to what my eyes are telling me. If they are getting dry/irritated, it's time for new lenses.

I guess I should have added...I have major spring allergies and, although we've had snow three times so far this month, there are things blooming. I'm thinking this is why I'm having trouble with the stretch this month.

In the past, when I lived in the land of the evil Magnolia trees, there were times I had to throw my contacts away after a week- or less- of wear.

Does anyone else remember that 60 Minutes investigation years ago when they showed that there was no difference, except packaging, between the contacts that were disposables and the ones that were meant to be worn a year? I just keep thinking of that. If it's still true, it's silly to follow the directions. Kind of like "lather, rinse, repeat". I've never fallen for the "repeat"!

 

[CarolA]

Here's my deal: I changed jobs this year. My new insurance pays towards an eye exam and contacts or glasses every other year! Compared to my previous coverage this is pretty much an insult. Oh, they will pay towards an eye exam every year IF your prescription has changed.

So, I decided that what I need to do is try to make my monthly contacts last for a month and a half. It isn't easy.

I'm a week away from being able to switch and I'm blinking constantly and want to take my contacts out as soon as I get home.

My goal is to make them last long enough that I can buy one more box of each before my prescription expires so I'll be able to make it through next year without an eye exam.

Anyone else?

I have not read this whole thread, but STOP!!!!!!!!!


I screwed up and did this one time. Result, one corenal ulcer which if NOT properly treated can lead to MAJOR eye issues. Dirty contacts are DANGEROUS not just uncomfortable...


According to my eye doctor (who I would trust with my life) there is a difference in the "weight" and substance of disposables vs. long term. And if you "clean" your disposables hard to "extend" them then you may do the "tiny'" tear. And that's all it takes...... That tear tears your eye and off to the ER where if you are lucky you will NOT be misdiagnosed with pink eye (as I was LOL!)