does anyone here wear contacts?

arcadian girl

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i am getting some (brief backstory-i had the longwearing kind a couple years ago, but no matter how much i cleaned them, after a few weeks they really started to irritate my eyes-itw as like i couldn't get the clean, no matter what..so i stopped wearing them).

i have astigmatism and faraway things are blurry. i got my trial pair last week, and tomorrow i go back for one more eye test, and then they'll order my lenses. i had wanted to get the kind you wear one day and throw away, but theyre not available in my prescription
he did say they have the two week ones-the ones you wear two weeks and then throw away. better than nothing i suppose.. and depending on how much they cost, im thinking maybe i could wear them 5 days or a week and then toss them, instead of two weeks.

anyway, i just wanted to know if anyone here wears contacts, and if you have any tips for me on keeping them in good condition so they don't start irritating my eyes.. i dont have to wear them all the time, but i'd like to, because it just feels so good to be able to finally SEE. also, if you don't mind me asking, how much did your contacts cost, and do you have the daily disposable, two week disposable, or the long-term ones?
 

pjk5900

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I wear disposable contact lenses.

I was wearing ones that were supposed to be changed once a week or maybe 2 weeks, I can't remember cause I never did it that way.

I now have the kind you are "supposed" to change once a month but I wear them until they start to bother me.
I sleep in them, they're made for it.

I take them out once a week and soak them overnight.
I have had this pair in for a little over a month and they still seem fine.

They are the kind that lets oxygen in around or through the lens so your eyeballs can breathe. Sounds gross, but apparently without oxygen you do a lotta damage.
 

jugen

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I wear contacts too. I have the ones that you are supposed to throw away in two weeks, but I'm a bad girl and wear them for as long as I can. Mine are expensive. I take them out at night though. I hate wearing them to bed. My eyes bother me anyway so if I wear my contacts to bed, they are dry and irritated in the morning. I look like I've been crying because my eyes are red and bloodshot. So it's better this way and they last for months. I've had the same pair in for at least two months. I toss them when the contacts aren't comfortable anymore.
 

zissou'smom

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I wear focus monthlies, but I have to admit I also stretch it a little. I also use this really cool solution, called Clear Care, that is mostly hydrogen peroxide (way diluted) that has a special case that holds your lenses in little baskets and a special metal disk that must have some kind of chemical reaction because by morning the solution is turned into basically water. Works better than anything else I've tried.

I won't wear the kind you're supposed to wear overnight. I just don't trust it.

My mom wore contacts but she has some kind of weird genetic disease that basically makes your eyes break out in styes if they're at all irritated, so she can't wear them or any kind of eye makeup anymore. So I'm really paranoid about keeping my lenses clean.

I also have astigmatism. I don't know what that means though. Mine isn't bad enough to affect the kind of contacts I wear though, I guess. Stuff being blurry far away is just nearsightedness I thought
 

sandtigress

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I have both horrible vision and bad astigmatism, so I know where you're coming from. I use Bausch and Lomb (or however you spell it) monthlies, and they work great for me. Give them a good rub and soak them overnight every single night to keep them clean. I use Ciba Vision's Aquify, which is my favorite lens solution so far, in over 9 years of wearing lenses. It might take a little while to get lenses that fit really well, but I don't usually even feel my current pair unless I let them get really dry, so don't settle for less!
 

lunasmom

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I have horrible vision, and a slight astigmatism (but not enough to need toreque).

Anyhoo, I wear the month longs...they're the B & L Purevision and LOVE THEM! I have it timed so that on the 1st of every month I throw out the old and put in the new.

Could it be the solution you were using? I use to use one solution that I think I was allergic too...I couldn't wear my contacts after a week...I would get puss in my eyes, etc. I would try changing solutions before changing to dailys. Contacts can get kind of expensive.
 
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arcadian girl

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thanks for the feedback everyone
lunasmom - i'm not sure if it was the solution...my eyes didn't get pus-y, its just, after a week or two, it felt like no matter how much i cleaned them, there were bits of debris on the lenses, so when i put them in, they were really uncomfortable. it's not really a matter of "changing" to dailies, cos the longwear ones i had are long gone-i had them a couple years ago, and only wore them for a month or so, becuase they just hurt too much. i tossed them out a month later. i just went back to the eye doctor saturday and got an exam - i go back today for my follow up and to order my lenses.

i'm looking forward to the two-weeklies (as i said, they don't make my prescription in the dailies). hopefully it'll be a good solution for me. i'll try to wear them the full two weeks, but if they bother me, i may try to just keep them for five days or a week.

does anyone here wear colored contacts? i have blue-gray eyes, i've always wanted to try a color like violet
 

sophiec

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I've been wearing contacts for 23 years. I used to wear the long term kind, but now I wear disposable. I, like someone else posted, throw them out once a month and put a new pair in on the 1st of every month. I clean them every night and do not sleep overnight with them (except for the occasional nap). My contacts cost me right at $107 for a years supply. The solution I use is Allergan Complete Moisture Plus. It's a no-rub solution, but I rub and clean mine.
 

kaleetha

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Hi! I've worn contacts for the past 7 years.... soft, three month disposables. Right now I have flexvision (don't remember how much they were) and I don't wear them over night because my eyes get irritated.

I use Renu No-Rub solution and soak them every night, although I do rub them when they get really dirty. I keep my contacts for as long as they are comfortable. I had one pair that lasted a year... but I also had no money to buy new ones.
 

babyharley

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I have contacts too, and I have the monthly kind - but I stretch it sometimes and wear them a bit longer.

I have the 'regular' clear kind - and the colored ones. I just ran out of the colored ones, and I'm really sad
I have dark green eyes, so I got the green contacts, and they make my eyes SO green, I love them so much and always got compliments on them - but I never told anyone they were the contacts that made my eyes so green


I have to go and re-order more very soon.
 

starryeyedtiger

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I wear the Acuview One a Days. Anything else just about kills my eyes. First off i would say- Make sure you're not allergic to Silicone! It may sound weird but trust me, it's worth investigating. Many of the new contacts such as the Oasys and the Hydra Clear contacts are mostly silicone because they are more breathable. They're supposed to be great if you're not allergic to them, but if you are- watch out! I tried both kinds and my eyes were soooo swollen,red , and itchy-did i mention painfull! -that it freaked my eye doctor out while i was there trying out samples. Signs of a Silicon allergy include- red rashes around the eye after using swim goggles, eye irritation and redness -watch out for mascarra too, some new formulas as well as new eye creams have silicon in it too. It's possible to just be irritated on your face from silicon and not the rest of your body. The most breathable disposable contacts that are non-silicon contacts are the Acuview One a Days....and they're not very breathable-but it's ok for just a day. Also, if you have a good cleaning solution, it's posisble to resuse them for a few days- i resuse mine. Also, Have Cronic Dry Eye ruled out as well- i have it and it make wearing contacts even more difficult because they're constantly drying out. So i would suggest alternating between contacts and glasses, and using some good eye drops. Also, when you go into your eye doctor next, bring in your contacts in solution and wear your glasses- this way, your eye doctor can see how much of a protien build up is on your contacts- that way he can help you find the best solution and contacts for your eyes. / Also, be sure to keep your contact case clean and to follow the proper cleaning instructions with your contact solution. Also, i wouldn't recommend sleeping in them if you do- I can't even take a nap without mine drying out. Unless you get contacts that are specifically designed to be slept in like the more breathable ones- i wouldn't. It could cause potential eye problems. Good luck!
 
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arcadian girl

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thanks for all the info, i really appreciate it
i went back for my checkup today, and these two-weeklies i'm wearing are fine so far. my vision is 20-20 with them in, and i'm really happy
i ordered a thhree month supply, so if they turn out to end up bothering my eyes, i wont be stuck with a ton of them..but i'm hoping they'll work out for me, cos they've been ok so far. they dont make color contacts in my prescription tho-i asked :/ they said maybe in a year or so they might have colored contacts for ppl with severe astigmatism.

im still in the "wow i can see!" phase to be honest...it just feels really great. and i can't wait to go see Dirty Pretty Things in two weeks, cos i'm actually going to be able to SEE them up onstage, instead of just seeing blurry shapes


i know it would be easier all around if i just wore glasses, but i'm too vain :p
 

loubelia

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Hi I go to the local walmart supercenter visioncenter and the ones I wear are a weekly throw-away. I also have the near sighted vision and the blind far sighted vision...the doctor reccommended using Clear Care : One Bottle Solution for Cleaning & Disinfecting and clinically provwen #1 in comfort-NoRub
So far, I have no complaints. I definitely like it better than Baush and Lomb and it's even better than McAfee or whatever the green bottle solution is...
Forgot the price of my contacts but I want to say it's under 20.00 for 3 sets of lens (you'd have to ask the local Wal-Mart Dr. for an exact price, don't take my price seriously as I'm unsure of it)
 
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