How many people here wear contact lenses?
 

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Had them for a decade, and would never wear glasses again. They're a huge convenience on a variety of levels. They don't bug me at all. I don't even know they're there anymore.

No I don't

If I didn't have a ****ing astigmatism I would wear the ones that didn't need taken out. I wish they made a toric lens that didn't need taken out every night. I'm thinking about using lasic as a reward for when I reach my weight goal.

I've worn contacts for 25 years, and disposables for the past decade.

I've thought several times about getting Lasik, but there's no guarantee that my vision will be as good as it is with the lenses - and I'm spoiled by my eyesight now, so it's not worth the risk to me.

I've worn contacts since my freshman year of college (I'm 44). Love 'em, no problems with them. It's nice that I don't have to enzyme-soak them anymore like I did in the old days.

In fact, the technology is so good now I have bifocal contacts to keep pace with my deteriorating vision.

I got them a few years ago. Alot better than glasses imo.

Although, im probably going to damage my eyesight further cause a havent taken them out in over a month

Contacts are FTW. I'm wanting to make the leap to LASIK, but I'm scared.

I don't have to wear glasses or contacts, which is odd since everyone else in my immediate family does have to. Somehow I lucked out and have past-perfect vision.

Ive wore em for 7 years now, like em alot better than glasses. And usually when I get a 6 month supply, I stretch them out for almost a whole year. Alot of times I dont even take them out at night either.

I've worn CIBA's Night and Day lenses for about 5 years. Awesome lenses. I thought about LASIK but these contacts allow you to wear them 24/7. No problems at all.

I wore contacts for 20 years. Five years ago I had lasik along with my wife. Best monet I ever spent. Contacts are better than glasses, but if you can afford it go with lasik.

I wore glasses for 10 years and contacts for 20.

I made the leap to lasik in march.
I am thrilled with the results.
I just turned 40 so I opted for the monovision. One eye for distance and one for close up. I do not even notice now.
My distance vision is 20/15 and my close up is 20/15 also.
I would recommend this to anyone.

Ang

I'm afraid to get contacts, and I'm afraid to get lasik. On the lasik, no one knows what happens to an eye that's had lasik for 40 years and is aging, so until a full generation dies with perfect vision I'm going to hold off. On the contacts thing, I'm a little squeamish about having stuff in my eye, and after taking a light-speed rock to the glasses when mowing the lawn as a teenager, I'm kind of comfortable with glasses being a kind of armor protection for my eyes.

Plus I also think that glasses are kind of cool face jewelry.

Are the ones who hate it all blind?

I wore contacts in high school in the early-mid 90s and in college, then started having issues caused by not getting enough oxygen to my eyeball. Went back to glasses for years and made the leap back at the beginning of this year. Much better experience this time around.

In February I got a 1-year supply the doc said I could "easily" stretch to 2 years.

I've worn contacts since I was about 15. I never had the option of choosing glasses (except as an emergency backup) because my vision is weird. One eye is pretty good, the other is damn near blind, so on my pair of emergency glasses, one lens is a LOT thicker than the other. That is bad because with those glasses I pretty much have either double vision all the time, or a headache with my mind constantly focusing the 2 clear dancing images into one.

So, I've pretty much always been told by the eye doctor that I had to have contacts, and I love them. Even if I could regularly use glasses instead, I wouldn't now. I use 2 week disposables, taking them out every night, carefully following all the cleaning directions my eye doctor has given so I dont get any eye problems that would force me back to glasses, which as described earlier, would suck for me.

I have no desire for laser surgery, for a couple reasons. One, my vision is not stable, the prescription shifts every 2 or 3 years so it would probably not be a good permanent solution for me. Two, I am perfectly happy with disposable contacts. They are comfortable, convenient, inexpensive with my vision plan at work, so there is no reason for me to want to take the risk of eye surgery.

Touching your eye is a really tough skill to learn. Even though it was so long ago, I still remember how hard I struggled with it years ago the first few weeks as a teenager, overcoming the basic lower-brain instinct that nothing should ever touch your eye.

Now I can do it like nothing, I'll still blink if a bug is coming at me, but I could touch my finger to my eye without blinking, with no problem at all.

n00b, birth control goggles next month for me. I've had to wear contacts since high school, but I'll be getting Lasik as soon as uncle sam pays for it.

That was my big thing about them, but trust me, after you put them in a few times, its no big deal.

I use to wear contacts. I just got glasses though, during the spring time I can't wear contacts because of my allergies. I lose atleast 2 contacts during the spring because they just pop out.

Wore contacts for about 25 years. Got PRK about 18 months ago. Pretty good decision. My wife just did Lasik and she loves it. Neither of us miss taking out and putting in lenses.

Like someone else said, you'll get over the eye touching thing really quickly. I'd much rather wear contacts than glasses.

I wear 'em

they cool

I forgot to mention, I like wearing contacts, but the females seem to like me with the glasses look as well.

80/20 contacts/glasses. I'd love to get LASIC at some point, because I'm pretty much blind without them (-7.75, if you know what that means).

This thread got me to do some research and I found out that there are actually two brands of extended wear toric lenses. I'm going to find an optometrist on Monday that will prescribe them to me. It would be nice to lose the glasses but I cant stand to take contacts in and out every day.

It literally takes 30 seconds out of your day to put them in/take them out.

You don't really have to take them out every day. I use to go weeks with out taking them out. In fact the only reason I ever took them out was because of my allergies.

Its also the fact that I think my eyes need more oxygen and the normal lenses bother me. The extended wear lenses allow your eyes more oxygen. Plus, so what I'm lazy. I want to wake up and see.

I said **** the glasses and got lasik

I'd really like to get it, but it's still not cheap (insurance doesn't cover it) and it freaks me out to think that they're literally cutting my eye open and putting a laser in it.

BOTH THESE....

I've been wearing contact lenses for nearly 20 years now, some were 16-20 years.

Anyway I have never had any issues with them and in fact love them after having had glasses for 15 years prior to that.
I also leave mine in for extended periods of time, any were from 3-6 weeks at a time. The biggest reason being I'm just lazy about taking them out and hate to wake up blind. Just went in last month and got my yearly exam and Dr said my eyes looked great other than a small cataract that is starting. He again gave me the lecture about wearing them for long periods, but said in all honesty my eyes were showing no ill effects from doing so, and frankly didn't really think in my case there was a problem with me doing it.

I agree, I don't trust anyone touching my eyes. Especially with a knife!

I had contacts for 4-5 years, but eventually it seemed like my eyes were constantly dry with them, so I went back to glasses. I might do laser surgery at some point, but for now, glasses work for me.

I've had it for over 5 years now and love it. Cost me a good chunk of change and they had a payment plan. Worth every penny considering i wore glasses from 16-24

I've never understood why some people are lazy about contacts. I'm lazy about a lot of things, but never that. My sight is the 2nd-most valuable thing I have after my mind. I'll do nothing to put it in any more risk than necessary, and if my doctor says sleeping with my contacts in is a bad idea, I wont do it. I even use the name-brand solution because I was told the generic stuff wasn't as good. That might be false, but I'm taking no chances with my eyes.

15 people

Love my contacts, it took me a couple weeks to get used to putting them in weirdly it was only my right eye that was a problem I could put them in my left eye no problem from the get go. I dunno how folks sleep with them in the few times I've accidentally fallen asleep with them in when I wake up and its eye protein city. Switched to the Acuvue Oasys lenses a couple years ago and they are fantastic.

This.

Some contacts are permeable enough that they don't cause damage if you sleep in them. They're made for lazy people.

Oasys are great lenses. I find they last about three weeks for me, as long as I take them out every night (sometimes I miss a night here or there butI try not to let that happen) and clean them. After thjat, they're ready for the garbage. Much better than the overrated Focus Night & Day lens I used to wear. Was getting occasional infections with those bastards and forund out from an eyedoc that the quality control standards at Focus had gone downhill and the production was extremely shady...

No Ophthalmologist I know (I've had five of 'em in the last decade--I move around alot) recommends sleeping in contacts anymore...The risk of infection goes up astronomically for every sleep session you have in your contacts vs taking them out & cleaning them daily...

I guess it just depends on your doctor. My last three have all prescribed me contacts that I can sleep in and I've yet to have any trouble.

I went through same thing last year. I had above average vision my whole life. Well over the last two or three years strange as it was to me my arms started getting shorter. And I got to the point where I just could not hold things far enough away to read. I started wearing readers but it was a pain in the ass to carry them around. I went to the eye doctor and she sat me behind this huge multiple lens contraption and come to find out my overall eyesight had faded. I have glasses I wear all the time and I see as good as I did as a kid. She asked me about contacts but I couldn't get my mind around poking things in my eyes every day.

I've worn contacts for 21 years now, and the only time that I've had any trouble was when I had a bad reaction to a particular cleaner I tried.

In terms of the lenses themselves, I used the Acuview line for years (Advance then Oasys), and I recently made the switch to the CooperVision Biofinity lenses. For those that haven't tried them, I would highly recommend giving them a shot. They're more durable than the Oasys lenses, and I've had far fewer quality issues (I was getting at least one bad lens per box of 6 Oasys). Additionally, they're made to last a full month instead of just two weeks.

I wore glasses for years and then went to contacts for about 5 years. Had lasik 10 years ago and it was life changing. I highly recommend lasik if you are a candidate.

I'm gonna hafta take the leap soon. I'm pretty blind. I usually just buy large shit to compensate for it. I bought a 65'' TV, and I even moved it closer to me. It's probably about 8-10 feet away when I sit on the couch and sometimes I have to squint at that. I found a reputable place that costs $99.99 for an exam, but I don't know how much contacts will cost...

[rain man irrationality]And yet you put a foreign object in them and don't protect them with an armored lens protecting against light-speed rocks and stuff.[/irrationality]

I know I'm completely irrational about it, and contacts are harmless. It just gives me the heebie-jeebies, and seems like one more life complication that's optional over just swiping a washcloth across a lens.

Though I sure wish I could get back to good eyesight. In the past five years, my up-close vision has completely gone to hades.

So that's why you only date women over 300 pounds. All the pieces are falling into place now.

heh, I actually wear these huge goofy-looking $5 sunglasses when I mow or use the trimmer. It's not really a choice for me. I'm one of the few people for whom glasses dont work worth a damn, so I have to like contacts.

Another advantage that I didn't mention is that the entire field of vision is corrected. Its a small thing, but I dont have to deal with blurriness out of the top/bottom corners of my eye where the glasses aren't covering.

I think its roughly $30 per eye +tax per box (3 months). Maybe a little less if you can order them yourself over the internet. Not sure how that works, maybe you pay a doctor for the exam and prescription, then buy them yourself? Sometimes you get a discount for buying a year's supply.

So, maybe $250 for 2 eyes for 1 year. 4 boxes per eye, 6 contacts in each box, so 24 contacts per eye, 2 weeks each, so a little less than a year. You can try to stretch them out longer if you want, but thats up to you.

edit: this is for 2-week disposables. I have no idea how much contacts that are intended to last longer cost for a year supply. I just like having 2-week disposables because I think they are more comfortable.

This is pretty much completely false. If you're willing to spend the money, they have contacts out there designed to go a full 30 days of day/night wear without any issues at all. It's recommended you take them out to clean them after 15 days, but you don't even have to do that.

[Shrug]...They're *your* eyes, maltreat em how you want to, I guess.

The contacts I wear are 24/7 for 30 days. When I first started wearing them five years ago they recommended taking them out once a week due to infection concerns. That was found to be a non-issue and now there's no problem wearing them 30 days straight. I just had a checkup in February and my eyes are as healthy as can be. The advice your ophthalmologist gave you is bogus. I'm sure he has stuff to sell you to do it another way.

I tried, lord I tried, but sticking my finger in my eye, was just something I couldn't get used to.
My wife used to have to put them in for me, I finally gave up.

I'm guessing its more along the lines of "the added risk is negligible for these specific contacts" rather than "it makes no difference at all". I refuse to believe that taking out contacts every night makes no difference at all. I've had 3 eye doctors and none of them like the idea of wearing them to bed, no matter what kind of contacts they are.

If you have contacts intended to be worn a lot where taking them out every night reduces the risk by only 1%/year or whatever of getting an infection, I might believe that, but with my eyes I want to take that extra step to avoid an infection even if it doesnt make much of a difference.

Seriously, it takes no effort at all. It's what 45 seconds out of the day, no discomfort, no hassle, to remove and clean contacts. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't.

Because the contacts are DESIGNED to last 30 days in your eyes without being taken out. The more you take them out and mess with them, the more they lose their integrity. And eye infections are a nuisance at worst. You get some antibiotic eye drops and use them for a week to get rid of the infection. It's not like you go blind.

The thing people need to worry about is starving your eyes of oxygen because that can cause some permanent damage. This happens when you buy regular short term contacts (that are meant to be cleaned daily or disposed of weekly, etc) and wearing them for months at a time without cleaning.

It is for the birds...

Yes, the early contacts were not very oxygen-permeable. I tried them in the late 80s and after a week with them I went back for a follow up, and my optometrist said, "Oh, um, you need to stop wearing them." I said, "Why?" he said, "Well, they're making veins grow across your eyes and, if they touch, you'll go blind." :eek:

This. I tried them last year and had a hard time getting them in and out. One night it took me an hour and a half to get them out.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to try them again. I'm getting a cataract removed in my left eye and the lens they're implanting will correct that eye's vision. And I can't have 20/20 in one eye and 20/800 in the other, because I can't wear a monocle... and, even if I could, the size difference in the images would make it impossible to see. (When your vision's really bad, glasses make images 15% smaller, so my brain would never be able to combine the two images.) So once I get this operation I'll need a contact in the right eye. I figure, if I only have to put 'em in ONE eye, it might be easier... hopefully...

Nope, and I can't remember the last time I had my vision tested.

You guys having trouble with your contacts:

It goes away. You just have to give it a week or so.

As for touching your eye... I never actually touch my eye. The contact does. I can get the contacts in and out without ever making contact with my eyes.

Love them.

I use the O2 lenses. Most comfortable lenses I have ever worn in my life--you pay a price for them, but it's worth it.