RGP contacts anyone?

[RaptorsFan]

Good Day Everybody!

Not long ago I was diagnosed with an eye condition that has left me wearing RGP lenses. Has anybody had issues with the hard contacts popping out on any of the rides at Disney or Universal?

Thanks for looking.

 

[tinaluis]

I've been wearing them since 1988 and have been visiting WDW and Universal since 1993 with no problems at all.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I don't know what RGP stands for, but I do wear hard lenses and never had a problem with lenses popping out. What I do for a safeguard is wear my sunglasses (cheap ones) on the rides, so the glasses can shield my eyes from the wind.

 

[Minnie & Me]

RGP stands for Rigid Gas Permeable- you will probably have less problem with them than soft lenses because they were custom made for you. Plus they won't dry out as fast.

 

[BamaFan121s]

Depending on how well they were able to fit them, I would be cautious on Dinosaur and Primevial Whirl especially...but I would think you'd be OK elsewhere. Again, you have to judge it based on how well of a fit they got...tricky buggers, they are.

 

[RaptorsFan]

I had to go through a few fitting sessions to get the right ones, so I think I'm okay with the fit.

Thank you all very much for your prompt replies! I feel a lot better now.

 

[BamaFan121s]

I had to go through a few fitting sessions to get the right ones, so I think I'm okay with the fit.

Thank you all very much for your prompt replies! I feel a lot better now.

Ugh...I'm sorry for you! Sometimes they are perfect, sometimes they come out when you blink too hard. Not too many violently jerking rides, so I'd think you'd be OK. have fun!

 

[RaptorsFan]

sometimes they come out when you blink too hard.

That's plan b when I can't get them out

 

[Heluvsme]

I've worn RGP for over 20 years now and I've never had a problem with them on any of the rides at Disney. My vision is so much crisper in these than with my glasses or any soft lens, I love my RGP's. The only thing that I watch out for, on the windy rides, if something gets in my eye...LOOK OUT! I have to take it out right away, because the harder RGP lens is right on your cornea you feel every little thing in there!! But....my sunglasses typically provide ample protection. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, take it out, rinse it off, pop it back in, and you're good to go.

 

[disnut8]

I've worn them for 30 years. I wear them from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to bed. Never lost one at Disney World. I do wear sunglasses but not on the attractions. My husband has them too and wears them all the time at the parks. He even wears them in the pools.

One thing I would definitely recommend. Ask your eye doctor about a little suction thing (we call ours Mr. Sucky). It's about a little over an inch long and one end has a suction cup that will fit right over the contact. When your contacts just aren't cooperating and you need to take them out, use the suction cup to "pull" them out. This is not available in drug stores so ask your doctor about it. If you need more info or a picture scanned in, let me know. So, if you ever seen a fourty some year old woman on Main Street having a contact attrack yelling "I need Mr. Sucky, I need Mr. Sucky!", that would be me.

 

[BamaFan121s]

You can order a Mr. Sucky from easyeyes.com...they call them Lenserters. I previously was an Op Tech for a Corneal Specialist and that is where we got them from...cheaper and easier than begging them out of the contact reps.

 

[Diznotyzed]

I've worn hard contacts for 36 years, through many DL and WDW trips and haven't lost one yet. I also wear sunglasses to keep dust (and the sun ) out of my eyes, and goggles on the slides at the water parks.

I purposefully have no comment on yelling for Mr. Sucky on Main Street, USA.

 

[disnut8]

You can order a Mr. Sucky from easyeyes.com...they call them Lenserters. I previously was an Op Tech for a Corneal Specialist and that is where we got them from...cheaper and easier than begging them out of the contact reps.

Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! We only have one Mr. Sucky and he's the most prized possesion in our house. We'd sell our grandchildren before we'd sell Mr. Sucky.

I almost didn't write about Mr. Sucky. Now I'm glad I did. Others have said it but these boards really are awesome!

 

[PictureJumpr]

I have to agree with the earlier post about clarity in RGPs, i have worn them for 15 years and they are so much better to me than any other lenses i have worn in the past.

One thing i found indispensable in the parks (or any time, really): good rewetting drops. Once RGP lenses get dry, which can happen if you wear them outside or in windy areas or even happens to me when i get especially tired - you get cloudiness or they might be more likely to pop out. We use AMO Blink-n-clean rewetting drops and they are fabulous, some other brands can tend to sting or just not be effective so be sure you have good ones!

 

[disnut8]

One thing i found indispensable in the parks (or any time, really): good rewetting drops. Once RGP lenses get dry, which can happen if you wear them outside or in windy areas or even happens to me when i get especially tired - you get cloudiness or they might be more likely to pop out. We use AMO Blink-n-clean rewetting drops and they are fabulous, some other brands can tend to sting or just not be effective so be sure you have good ones!

Good point. My husband always has these drops in his pocket. The bottle isn't very big at all.

 

[CVW]

I'm an ophthalmologist and also an RGP wearer.

If your RGP's are fit properly, it's very rare for them to pop out from spinning rides, roller coasters, or even from wind.

HOWEVER, you say that you were recently "diagnosed with an eye condition" requiring RGP's. Since it was a recent diagnosis, I'll assume it probably WASN'T regular astigmatism (which is what I--and probably the others on this thread--have.) Regular astigmatism is a dime a dozen and can typically be corrected with spectacles and gas permeable lenses (RGP's) but NOT soft contacts. It's by far the most common reason to need RGP's.

But it's not usually a "recent" diagnosis. That makes me wonder if you have keratoconus--a condition where the cornea becomes cone-shaped. This is a form of IRREGULAR astigmatism. RGP's work great for keratoconus, but they become a medical necessity, as spectacles can't correct IRREGULAR astigmatism.

With irregular astigmatism, the RGP lens fits, but not as perfectly as it might for other patients. THIS MEANS the contact lens is at higher risk of popping off.


WHEN DO RGP's POP OUT?

1. Poor fit, whether it's your cornea's fault, or the lens'.

2. Sudden, tight blinking--as when a foreign body hits your cornea or conjunctiva. As mentioned earlier, you can minimize this risk by keeping the eye WET WET WET. Use artificial tears. "Rewetting drops" are a bit of a scam for most people. Cheap artificial tears are fine if you can tolerate them. The more expensive ones have better (or no) preservatives. I USUALLY tell patients to buy the cheapest artificial tear that they can tolerate.

3. The biggest risk at WDW is almost certainly jumping into swimming pools and aggressive water slides. Patients often lose contacts when jumping into a pool without goggles. (Routine swimming won't do it.) The only time in ten years that I've lost my own contacts is from diving into a pool.

In fact, on our last trip, this is why I couldn't go down Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. I wanted to wear my goggles to protect my RGP's, but the CM wouldn't let me. I had no place to put my contacts, so I had to wuss out.

Bottom line, bring some artificial tears and an emergency contact lens case.

And if your eye doctor disagrees with any of my advice, just tell him you read it on the Disney web site from some guy on the internet who said he was an ophthalmologist. We always love to hear that kind of stuff from patients.