Calling All Contact Lens Users

mooficat

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So heres the deal, I´m having my eye check-up tomorrow

There a brill deal on the contact lenses 106 euros for 6 mths supply, plus the cleaner, the lubricant, lens holder and carry case (that about 133$ or 71 sterling)

So IF I get them, this would be my first venture into the contact lens world, so any tips or things I should be looking (
sorry) out for ??

Ta very

 

sar

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Have you not had a trial? If I were you, I would speak to your optician about a free trial to see how you get on with them first! Will save on a load of unused contacts if you don't really like them!
 

zissou'smom

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Your opthamologist should put them in for you the first time, then have you hang out for a while and make sure you like them.

My eyes were, apparently, the tightest and most difficult he had experienced in twenty years of practice, and he said if he couldn't get them in the one last time, I couldn't get contacts because my eyelids weren't stretchy enough
. But he finally did get them in!

Contacts are fabulous if you take care of them properly! They can also be a disaster if you don't. Wash your hands with a non-lotion soap before you ever touch your eyes, take them out every night, etc. The doc will go over all this stuff with you.

Also, to get them out I always slide them towards the outside corner of my eye with my ring finger. There are tons of ways to do it, but that's my favorite!
 

jugen

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I know I've had contacts for years and if you can't touch your eye, don't bother getting them. They are a convience but some people really have a hard time with that so I'd try touching your eye ever so gently in the corner to see if you can deal with it, because when you get your contacts, that's basically what you'll be doing.
Let's see what else...oh, they SAY you can wear them overnight, or weeks at a time, but I take mine out every night and my eyes thank me for it. My poor eyes tend to get dry when I wear them too much so on my days off, If I'm not going anywhere, I wear my glasses to give my eyes a break.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by jugen

Let's see what else...oh, they SAY you can wear them overnight, or weeks at a time, but I take mine out every night and my eyes thank me for it. My poor eyes tend to get dry when I wear them too much so on my days off, If I'm not going anywhere, I wear my glasses to give my eyes a break.
i take mine off every night, & on saturdays, if i'm not leaving the house, i wear my glasses. i think the lenses stay in better condition that way, & so do my eyes.
 

cdubbie

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My corneas are damaged for life after years of contact lens wearing.
it happens to all long term lens wearers, but they will never tell you that before you get hooked on them. (You can never see as well with glasses and you can with contacts)

It doesnt matter how well you take care of them either.

My strong suggestion for you is - do not wear them all waking hours for years on end. Like wear glasses to work but contacts later - for going out, sports, or whatever.

The corneas are damaged due to lack of oxygen...contacts doesnt allow for enough to pass thru and sleeping with them in does even more damage. Blood vessels to supply oxygen to the corneas cant keep up their job so they actually grow into your cornea, which is not something that happens normally in nature (or to non contact wearing ppl). Once the vessels are there, they will never recede as they were once before.

It took me over 10 years to damage my eyes, but I wore them for 20 years and never gave a thought to life long discomfort issues.

I also recommend buying the highest oxygen passing contacts you can. They are more expensive but worth it for the health of your eyes.
 

jessy

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Wow, that's bad, no one ever warns you about how they can damage your eyes.

I occassionally wear daily disposables, for going out etc.

Definately have a trial before you buy, it should be free. The optician should also show you how to put them in and take them out, and make you do this a few times in front of them until you can do it easily.
 

jcat

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I've been wearing contact lenses since I was 18 (I'm now 49, and wearing soft bifocal 14-day lenses). Although I could wear mine to bed, I take them out at night, because I can't figure out how to remove my eye make-up at night without destroying the lenses. I started out with hard lenses, switched to soft, and then started with the disposable soft lenses about 8 years ago.) Basically, you have to do what's most comfortable for you.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Make absolute sure that you have no silicone allergy whatsoever before trying out any of the newer breathable contacts such as the Oaysis ones. They are almost completely silicon. (I'm super allergic to silicon- found that out when I swam competitively and used borrowed a friends goggles with silicone on them. - I wound up in the hospital
) It's a rare allergy, but definitely be sure you don't have it before putting anything like that near your eyes. I wear the Acuview One a Day's...they're not as breathable as i'd like, but they're the most breathable ones on the market without silicone. Also, be sure to keep your contact case clean so that you don't have a protein buildup or residue problem on your case or lense.

Also, never, never,never sleep in them- even if the label says it's safe for overnight use- your eyes will dry out and overwearing your contacts can damage your eyes.

If you have any kind of eye allergy or cronic dry eye (i have both) I suggest alternating between glasses & contacts to reduce irritating your eyes!
(Good luck!
 

annabelle33

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My father (59 yrs old) has worn the same exact pair of contacts since he was 16 lol!! They are the hard kind though, I don't think they even make them anymore..

I've been wearing contacts since I was 15 with no problems, I'm 26 now. You need to go for regular eye exams though to make sure no problems arise. Also a word of caution, my bf's mom does optometric exams (I don't know if that's the right word) and one college age kind came in, he had went swimming in a pond and didn't take out his contacts that night and some bacteria got trapped underneath and made a blister over his eye and now he may have to get a transplant.. so make sure you cleanse and disinfect daily~!
 
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mooficat

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wow - thanx guys lots of interesting reading there ! and a lot to think about really

I am off for the check, in about 45 mins, so will re-read to digest as much as possible
Thanks all, very, very much
 

loubelia

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I know there's the hard contact lens and the soft kind. I have the soft kind and they are great, after I put them in-I can't even feel they are there. I just know they're in cause I'm not blind!
I would reccommend the disposable soft lens that way you reduce the risk of protein build up and it reduces the chance of eye infections. Use Opti Free solution or Clear Care, that's the kind I'm using.
 

misskitty4088

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Contacts are the only reason I can see. I hated my glasses so much that never wore them even though I basically couldn't see anything with out them. I really like the ones with Hydroclear. You can wear them while you sleep. I don't really have a regular sleep schedule and often fall asleep while watch tv or reading. Change them reguarly and they won't cause problems.
 
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