Contact lenses

[kimblebee]

I hate wearing my glasses so I am considering getting contacts.

I'm looking for pros/cons that I need to consider before I make my final decision so please share yours. Thanks : )

 

[ronandannette]

I hate wearing my glasses so I am considering getting contacts.

I'm looking for pros/cons that I need to consider before I make my final decision so please share yours. Thanks : )

I liked the idea of contacts also and have experiments with a variety of them for 20 years. The bottom line for me is that due to extreme myopia (short-sightedness) and astigmatism combined there has never been a pair that corrects my vision as effectively as glasses do. The closest I ever came was with a pair of gas-permeable hard lenses but they are EXTREMELY difficult to get used to and not comfortable for occasional wear.

I'd encourage you to try them but don't be disappointed (like I was) if you're one of the few people that they just won't work for. I didn't realize that was possible and spent a lot of money on different kinds of lenses over the years before I gave up. Good luck and Happy New Year!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've had contacts since I first needed correction at about 13 years old. Mine have changed quite a bit over the years, from the ones you had to heat every night and enzyme once a week, to my current dailies - where I have a fresh, light pair every morning.

Pros - all the things you hate about your glasses are gone! For instance, I have glasses for back-up, and one of the things that bothers me when I do wear them is how the rain or snow gets on them and makes it harder to see.

Cons - expense. They do cost more - either buying disposables or buying solutions for the other kind, but I think it's worth it.

??? - Some people find them uncomfortable. My DH did, but I don't, and my parents wore them when I was a kid (even the older hard lenses) and didn't either. You'll just have to try them and see on this point.

 

[wvjules]

I wear contacts and glasses. I have the Daily wear lenses. If I feel like putting them I wear contacts. If I don't then I wear glasses that day. I also have some extended wear Acuvue Oasis but compared to the dailies that I wear they feel so thick. I love the lightweight of the dailies but I also love the convenience of extended wear. And of course, my glasses are always an option. Lately, I've been wearing glasses more than contacts. I can see in glasses slighly better than contacts.

You don't have to totally ditch the glasses if you don't want. It's not an either/or situation. Try them. What can it hurt?

 

[wgeo]

I had to wear glasses for distance but not for working on the computer, and I hated taking them on and off and then not having them when I needed them.

I just got contacts last spring and I love them!

Pros: Always able to see, never misplacing my glasses or having them fog up. But the biggest one for me is being able to wear sunglasses.

Cons: It took a couple of weeks to get used to them, oddly one eye was perfect immediately I never felt the contact but I felt the one in the other eye for a few weeks.

My prescription is pretty small so I'm able to get a good deal on the price using on line places and I paid less for the contacts for 2 years worth then I would have on a pair of glasses. Yes, you do have to pay for solution etc. but there are good generics available.

I love them and am sooo happy I switched.

 

[Lynne M]

Just try them. I think your eye doctor will have no problems with fitting you with a trial pair.

The ones I'm in now, Air Optix, are silicon hydrogel lenses that I wear 24/7 for a month, then switch to a new pair. They're ultra thin, I honestly can't feel them at all. I'll take them out overnight once a week, and they'll soak in cleaning solution that night. I'll occasionally take them out for a rinse if it's pollen season.

There are many, many varieties of lens on the market these days, go ahead and see your doctor. You may have to try a few different kinds to find the right ones for you.

 

[eliza61]

I use both. Generally I wear my contacts during the week at work and on the weekend my glasses.
I love how easy my contacts are.
As others have mentioned, it can be time consuming finding the right comfort level.

 

[kirstenb1]

I have really bad vision, and have worn contacts forever. Sometimes I'll have a problem with them, and have to switch back to my glasses. I love my contacts for outdoor activities, like water parks, doing yardwork, swimming, jogging etc. All I have to do is put on sunglasses and go. But if I had glasses, I'd need prescription sunglasses.

 

[wiigirl]

Just try them. I think your eye doctor will have no problems with fitting you with a trial pair.

The ones I'm in now, Air Optix, are silicon hydrogel lenses that I wear 24/7 for a month, then switch to a new pair. They're ultra thin, I honestly can't feel them at all. I'll take them out overnight once a week, and they'll soak in cleaning solution that night. I'll occasionally take them out for a rinse if it's pollen season.

There are many, many varieties of lens on the market these days, go ahead and see your doctor. You may have to try a few different kinds to find the right ones for you.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I do a mix: I mostly wear glasses, but have dailies that require no care. I usually wear the dailies on weekends and vacations. I do whatever I want in the dailies, then throw them out at the end of the day.

 

[Simba's Mom]

For those of you who wear dailies, how does the price compare to more long term lenses (I change mine monthly). I only wear mine on the days I work (which is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), vacations, special occasions. I wonder if dailies would be better than letting mine soak for days at a time.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

For those of you who wear dailies, how does the price compare to more long term lenses (I change mine monthly). I only wear mine on the days I work (which is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), vacations, special occasions. I wonder if dailies would be better than letting mine soak for days at a time.

i pay about $600/year for my dailies.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've been wearing contacts for years, since I was 16.

I have the disposable ones that you take fresh new out of the package every two weeks. I take them out daily. They are something like $22 a box.

I love them. I also wear glasses when my eyes get tired or if I am in a dry area. For example, when we are in Las Vegas for a week, the smoke in the casinos plus the dry air means I will have to wear glasses or go around with red eyes.

One word of advice. Ask your eye-care person to explain the difference between discomfort in a lens and a painful eye. It happens very rarely, but you can scratch your cornea when make-up gets between your eye and the lens. At first, it feels uncomfortable and then the pain sets in. You want to take the lens out before the pain comes.

I'm 45 now, and have scratched my cornea twice in all of those years. It heals quickly.

 

[wvjules]

I pay $50 per box of Focus Dailies from my Eye Doctor. There are 90 contacts per box. So 90 days worth for $100. Mine last forever because I don't wear them every day. I'm also lucky in that my prescription is the same in both eyes so I only need one box at a time.

 

[EmJay2001]

I love my contacts as well. I have been wearing contacts for about 20 years now. A pro that has not been mentioned is that I have 100% coverage when they are in, with my glasses I loose were the glasses stop. For example, going down stairs I have to move my whole head down to see where I am going, with contacts, just my eyes. I really want to do laser surgery to correct them but I am afraid too

 

[Angelhalo]

ALL of my cons are for glasses. I HATE HATE HATE my glasses. I don't like when they get dirty, I don't like the marks on my nose, I don't like that my vision stops at the end of the lens, I don't like that my depth perception is skewed, I don't like when they fog up when I go outside, I don't like that they are so thick that even the specialty thin lenses look like coke bottle bottoms, I don't like the way the press behind my ears. I pretty much loathe everything about them.

Yes my contacts cost money to replace but it balances out the cons of the glasses so much, that I don't even consider the expense to be a con. They are worth every penny and then some.

 

[busyshrew]

ALL of my cons are for glasses. I HATE HATE HATE my glasses. I don't like when they get dirty, I don't like the marks on my nose, I don't like that my vision stops at the end of the lens, I don't like that my depth perception is skewed, I don't like when they fog up when I go outside, I don't like that they are so thick that even the specialty thin lenses look like coke bottle bottoms, I don't like the way the press behind my ears. I pretty much loathe everything about them.

Yes my contacts cost money to replace but it balances out the cons of the glasses so much, that I don't even consider the expense to be a con. They are worth every penny and then some.

I also love my contacts - but like this poster, I have very VERY poor vision, so glasses are not nearly as perfect a correction as my rigid gas permeables.

The only con for contacts I would say, is that there is a learning curve with them. For the first year or two I had mishap after mishap - I've torn them, chipped them, lost them... and having to wear my glasses while waiting for replacements was so annoying!

They are especially wonderful doing most sports (I horseback ride and big thick glasses bouncing around on your face are a real pain), and being able to wear any type of sunglasses (not prescription) is a big money saver.

 

[WDWAurora]

I don't even think about them. I wear them from right when I get up until I get ready for bed. They are a non issue. I never have to think about them because they are just part of the routine. I've been wearing them daily for about 16 years. I have had to do glasses once or twice in all that time for eye infections, etc. I find glasses so uncomfortable and can't handle the depth issues. It was hard to get used to touching my eye for the first week or so, but now it's nothing.

 

[mom2rtk]

I hate wearing my glasses so I am considering getting contacts.

I'm looking for pros/cons that I need to consider before I make my final decision so please share yours. Thanks : )

My daughter started wearing contacts when she was 11 and has done great with them. I bet you will too. Good luck!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have worn them for many years. If I had to guess, 22 years probably. I do not wear them full time. I only wear them when I think somebody might see me.

Disposables are the best thing since sliced bread. I can wear them probably 8-10 hours a day before they become uncomfortable. One big advantage is the fact you can wear sunglasses and all.