nedd experiences form hard lense contact wearers

[FINFAN]

I have worn hard lenses for 20 years and switched to gas permeable about 10 years ago. Now I have been having problems( actual pain and irritation, fatigued, dry eye, much more sensitive to daylight brightness than usual...never had any problems B4) w/the GP and am scheduled for next week to see the doctor. I have a pretty bad astigmatism in my left eye, and basically so near-sighted that it's laughable. I have had toric soft lenses suggested to me, but was told that I will most likely lose a significant amount of the *sharpness* I am used to from the hard/gas perms. This part bothers me a LOT! Has anyone else switched from years of hard lenses to Toric? I have also had MANY people teel me to get Lasik, but I am just not sure about it yet...not to mention the cost. Even if it were free I am still hesitant, so I need to find a lens that works for now.
TIA,

Pam
Of course, tha fact that I'm over 40 MAY have something to do with it!

 

[KarenC]

I have astigmatism. I wore hard lenses for about 4 years and gas permeable lenses for nearly 20 years. I too began having trouble with my lenses. It seemed that things were always getting under my lense and irritating the heck out of my eyes. I was endlessly taking them out, cleaning them and putting them back in.

I finally switched to soft toric lenses about 2 years ago. I was also warned about losing the sharp vision. I find I see about as well with these lenses as I do with my glasses. Sometimes its hard to read street signs, but other times its no problem. I have no idea why that's the case. I could not stand the discomfort any longer, so I'm happy with my choice.

My eye doctor let me try a pair of the toric lenses for a couple weeks before I bought the boxes of lenses. Maybe you can try them out as well. Good luck.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Pam, I have worn glasses since second grade. I got Gas Perm. contacts in 5th grade. My eyes were changing really fast and that was back in the day when they thought a Hard lens would slow down the rate in which your eyes changed.
I started getting the dryness, bloodshot eyes, around 1999. I finally switched to a Toric lens and honestly I could not tell a huge difference. I was just glad my eyes wear not bothering me much any more!
This fall when I went to my eye Doctor he had me try these new disposible lenses which he said was relatively new on the market. They are by Bausch and Lomb and called SofLens (no "t"). Mine say 66 toric on the box also. I really like them and will continue to get them as long as I am able. Your eye doctor should be able to give you a trial pair of any contact they want to switch you to.
Thankfully my eyes have not changed in about a year now, which has NEVER happened to me! LOL!

Any questions feel free to ask or PM me!

 

[babylisa4]

I too am over 40 and wore hard lenses for 20 some years. Before I need Lasik I switched to soft. Even after Lasik some things are not as "sharp" as I had with hard lenses so don't think it will solve all of the issues. I love not messing with contacts at all but even still I had to give up some of the sharpness. And with the over 40 thing you can do the monovision with having one eye not as clear so as to help with reading but it is still something you have to deal with.

 

[FINFAN]

thanks so much for the advice, I am glad to hear that the symptoms I am experiencing are common. I will ask to try the soflens and see how it goes. All I know now is that I cannot continue this way. We just drove 3,000 miles to/around Fl for the holidays and it was brutal on my eyes.
Now the BIG ? We do not have optical insurance....how did swtching to soft/toric compare in price to hard lenses? I need to budget for this.

Thanks again,

Pam

 

[janette]

Hope you don't mind a quick question, do you have to have hard / GP lenses to correct astigmatism? My 12yo DD started wearing contacts last year and is wearing soft lenses. They said then that she had a slight astigmatism and that the lenses she got wouldn't correct it. It was okay at first but now she's having some vision problems and it sounds like the astigmatism is worse so will need to be corrected with her next perscription. She's going in soon and I was wondering what her options might be.

 

[KarenC]

Originally posted by janette
Hope you don't mind a quick question, do you have to have hard / GP lenses to correct astigmatism?

There are special soft lenses that correct astigmatism. They're somewhat more expensive than regular soft contacts. I think I get two boxes of 6 (about a 3 to 4 mo. supply) for around $80.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Janette, I think it depends on the degree of astigmatism and everything else. My astigmatism is so bad the Dr's don't recommend the toric. I am fairly nearsighted too, but astigmatism is much worse. DH is more nearsighted, with some astigmatism and has worn soft lenses with no problems for 20 years. I guess I will forever be stuck in gas perms. But I also have papillary conjunctivitus(inflamed inner eyelids at times-itch and burn), which I think they said would be worse in soft.

 

[janette]

Thanks, she's more near-sighted so that's why they said she' be okay withou the astigmatism correction. It's just that she's having trouble reading the board in some glasses and from what I know about astigmatism that seems to be the problem. It was probably corrected with her glasses and she did okay at first with the contacts but has said it's getting worse lately. She's worn glasses since 1st grade and her eyes have gotten worse every year so we are used to getting a new perscription.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

janette, Your DD sounds like me! I started wearing glasses in 2nd grade. I had to get new ones every year. The Doctor said they would eventually slow down. Well, it finally happened this last year. I am 26. He also told me that pregnancy can bring about big changes in eyesight! That explained why my eyes were SO bad after I had DD.

I have a really bad astigmatism and wear toric lenses. They work great for me. I am blind without my glasses or contacts.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Looks like my DD(8) is getting DH or my bad vision . She had her first checkup last year and is already nearsighted. Dr. said to hold off on the glasses though as it is not too bad, and he did not want her using them for reading-said it could make things worse quicker. Anyway, I think I am noticing them getting a little worse. He wanted to see her back in a couple months anyway. DH said she can have contacts whenever she is ready for them-he does not want her to suffer through glasses like he did(me too) until high school.
DS, on the other had, is older and his vision is just fine now.
I do hate my gas perms at times, but am also very thankful for them too.

 

[FINFAN]

KarenC, do you mind asking me what the brand of soft lense you use for astigmatism is? It does sound a little high, but vision is one of those areas I try and not sacrafice too much for.....

Bibbidibobbidiboo,
I have started feeling an irritation under my left eyelid, almost as if a grain of sand/dust is there...it is not all the time, but something I have never experienced. I hope that I can switch to the soft, but now I am concerned this may keep me from them. We sound very similar as my level of nearsightedness is really bad. My Tuesday eye appointment can't come soon enough for me!
Janette, my DD has a similar issue and she goes in the day after
me. I will let you know what they recommend as she is 13 and wanting to switch to contacts from glasses, but will also need to update he eyeglass perscription.
I hope we all get things worked out for our eyes! We have a lot of WDW to see in the future!

 

[sandbar]

It sounds like you and I are clones, FINFAN! I was just at the eye doctor yesterday for the exact same problems. I am blind as a bat, too, and my major complaint is how uncomfortable my left eye is after I wear my gas perms for any length of time. It seems my left eye is dryer than my right and he suggested having plugs put in that eye to help with the tear production. I've not had that procedure done but I have friends who have and they say it does work. I have tried soft lenses before and I just can't wear them. They tend to slide up and down so everytime I would blink my vision would go from blurry to clear. Hope you find something that works for you. I've worn contacts for 30 years and if I didn't look so bad in glasses I'd probably just stick with them.

 

[KarenC]

Sorry it took me awhile to reply. I had to look it up!

I use the Bausch and Lomb Soflens 66 Toric lenses. I pay $35 a box when I buy just 1 set. If I buy more pairs, it gets cheaper.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Here are a couple sites about what I have. I do ok in the gas perms, though I still have flare ups. Dr. said it would be far worse in soft. I do have 2 different drops I can use when it gets bad.

http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/conditions/allergies/papillary.html

http://www.revoptom.com/handbook/SECT16a.HTM

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

This has been a very informative post. I started wearing hard lenses at 15......wore them for 20 years..........and have worn gas perms for the last 10 years. I am glad I am not the only one having same syptoms.

Finfan
I also have been having more problems in the last 1-2 years(actual pain and irritation, fatigued, dry eye,etc. 4 of my brothers and sisters have had the lasik(in the last 3 years) and have had no complaints. I am just not sure of the long term risks.

KarenC
Are the soft toric lenses "real soft"(tear easily) or closer to gas perms in thickness of the lens? Which was easier to take care of and clean (GP or Toric)?

 

[bsnyder]

I'm in the same boat....I've worn glasses since age 5, contacts since age 12, and gas perms for about 20 years. I'm extremely nearsighted, especially in my left eye (9.75 correction) and have a bad astigmatism. I started having problems with the gas perms about 4 years ago....dryness and irritation. Also started having the age related problems of not being able to read fine print. So I now have monovision gas perms.

I've never heard of the tonic lenses. But I'll be making an appointment with my eye doctor to ask him about them! Thanks for the info.

 

[KarenC]

Originally posted by Nick@ VB+OKW
Are the soft toric lenses "real soft"(tear easily) or closer to gas perms in thickness of the lens? Which was easier to take care of and clean (GP or Toric)?

I have not found that the soft toric lenses tear easily. I can't thing of a single instance in the last couple of years where I ripped the lenses before it was time to replace them. The toric lenses are much easier to take care of. You don't have to rub the solution into them and they are replaced before you get the protein deposits that I always had trouble with using the gas perms. (No matter how hard I cleaned my lenses, I'd end up with protein deposits that were hard to get rid of. Back in the late 70's, my eye doctor recommended lighter fluid to clean them with. YUCK!)

 

[FINFAN]

Well, I'm off to the eye doctor! I sure hope things go well and I can get some relief without sacrificing too much vision quality. I have been in my glasses all morning and it's driving me crazy! The prescription is current, but just that little distance of a lens actually on the eye to the glasses an inch from it...makes me have a much lesser quality. Not to mention they hurt behind my ears. Better get that adjusted today. I am ging to ask about the soflens and any other toric type....after reading how many of us have problems w/gas perms, I really hope I can switch and not keep putting my eyes thru the misery. Plus when my eyes are tired, the rest of me follows....even after a ton of sleep!
Wish me luck...I'll post any info I find out.

Pam

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by FINFAN
I am ging to ask about the soflens and any other toric type....after reading how many of us have problems w/gas perms, I really hope I can switch and not keep putting my eyes thru the misery.
Wish me luck...I'll post any info I find out.

Pam
Good luck today........let us know if there is any hope or options to the rest of us

gas perm wearers.