# Contact Lenses?



## Greg (Jun 30, 2004)

I've worn glasses since the second grade. I'm for the first time in my life considering contact lenses and have a consultation appointment set up for next month. My recent hike up a humid Falling Waters trail sealed the decision to pursue it further. It might also be nice to ski without having my glasses fog up under my goggles, or work in the yard without having my glasses slide off my face. My wife got contacts a few months ago and loves them. Most people I've spoken with are happy with them too. I'm not ready for lasic so I think this may be the next best thing. Thoughts?


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## Charlie Schuessler (Jun 30, 2004)

*Living Free of Eyeglasses!*

I didn't start wearing eyeglasses until I was 25 and wasn’t happy about the change in lifestyle, especially for sporting activities.  Within 2-years I made the move to contacts.

When I worked in the field and traveled, I wore contact lenses almost exclusively.  Now I prefer to wear eyeglasses during the week including activities that wearing glasses is not a distraction or burden.  I wear contact lenses on weekends or when frames will be a hassle like being outdoors in the rain, or in facilities where the Safety Officer doesn’t accept my prescription safety frames as meeting OSHA regulations.  Nothing more bothersome than walking around with 2-Pairs of glasses…

Work with your eye care physician to determine which style of contact lenses fits your lifestyle. Most people prefer the disposable style, I prefer the soft-lens that is long life. It’s your choice.

Go for it and enjoy being free of the frames! 
 :beer:


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## MichaelJ (Jun 30, 2004)

I wore contacts 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, from age 14 to age 28. They were my savior, but my eyes are naturally dry (I have a minimal lacrimal pool) and as a result I was oxygen-depriving my eyes and had to switch to glasses.

That said, my eyes recovered wonderfully quickly, and now I wear glasses most of the time but buy a couple of boxes of daily disposable lenses for hiking, skiing, etc. Throw them on in the morning, throw them out at night. No cleaning, disinfecting, enyzyming, etc. Easy on my eyes, great water content, I've had no troubles.

The only quirk is that when winter camping, I have to keep the extra pair(s) for subsequent days on me at all times to keep them from freezing. 

Try it. You've got little to lose but some cash.


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## noreaster (Jun 30, 2004)

Greg one thing that I found is that contacts improved my depth perception.   Another way to say this is things look more 3D rather than flat 2D world.  My eye doctor confirmed contacts will give you a better 3D look at the world.  I remember walking out of the doctors office for the firt time looking up at the mountains and going WOW .  Contact were  a noticable big improvement compared to the way I was use to looking at the world with glasses for 15 years.


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## SilentCal (Jul 1, 2004)

I've worn glasses since second grade and converted to contacts in high school.    To me they are indespensible.   I still wair my glasses from time to time but If I wear them for long days, I tend to get headaches.   Oh and don't worry about sticking your finger in your eye.  After two weeks of practice, it will become second nature.   Be careful in the shower and around splashing water,  that's when I tend to lose them.   If you lose one in a room and can't find it.  Close the doors and shade the windows and take a flashlight out and shine it where you think you lost it.  They usually turn up as a glint of light.   Hope this helps.


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## Greg (Jul 1, 2004)

Thanks for the feedback, all. It definitely makes me more comfortable with my decision.


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## TeleGrrrl (Jul 2, 2004)

I know you said you're not ready for lasik, but please reconsider. I did the glasses/contact thing for over 20 years, and finally opted for lasik last June. I never realized how much my life was inconvenienced by always having to contend with either glasses or contacts. The procedure takes about 8 minutes. You can be medicated with valium or ativan (anti-anxiety medicine) prior to the procedure, and the recovery is quick. In 4 hours I could read the fine print on the beer selection menu  :beer: 

The total cost is around 1200 in Montreal (most experienced), and requires a 2night-3day stay. Motel across the street.

No steamy glasses or goggles, no hassels with kayaing and water sports, nothing to clean or pruchase......and I can buy regular sunglasses  8)  8) 

It's not bad, really. Send a pm if you want more info.


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## Greg (Jul 2, 2004)

Oh, it's not the procedure that bugs me. It's a combination of the expense and the "newness" of it. I'd like to get a feel for the longer term results of the procedure. Thanks for the advice though, and welcome to the forums, TeleGrrrl!


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## TeleGrrrl (Jul 3, 2004)

Greg said:
			
		

> Oh, it's not the procedure that bugs me. It's a combination of the expense and the "newness" of it. I'd like to get a feel for the longer term results of the procedure. Thanks for the advice though, and welcome to the forums, TeleGrrrl!



Good luck in whatever you choose to correct your vision.

Thanks for the welcome. I look forward to hanging out with the bunch of you


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 9, 2004)

Greg said:
			
		

> Thanks for the feedback, all. It definitely makes me more comfortable with my decision.



So, how are the contacts working out?


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## Greg (Aug 9, 2004)

Charlie Schuessler said:
			
		

> So, how are the contacts working out?


Funny you should mention it as I just got fitted with them today. I have an astigmatism so they needed to order special toric lenses. They went in pretty easily and I was impressed with the clarity and good peripheral vision. I'm seeing 20/15; about as well as with glasses. I can only wear them four hours/day at the start, but I think they will be great for outdoor activity and I will probably try to wear them as much as it's comfortable.

It is a little weird having a piece of plastic sitting on your eyeball and due to the "weighted" properties of the toric lenses, I can feel them shifting around a bit. It'll be something I just need to get used to, I guess. I can give a fairer evaulation once I wear them a bit longer. Thanks for asking CS!


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 10, 2004)

Your needs are the same as mine.  Check the lenses carefully.  One time they sent me the right lens weight 180° off...it took a few days to "verify & confirm."  Good luck & enjoy.  Think SNOW!


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## Greg (Aug 10, 2004)

Thanks again, Charlie. I had a ton of trouble getting the right lens in this afternoon. I took me the better part of half an hour and I was getting pretty frustrated, but kept at it. I'm determined to do a full evaluation for these first two weeks. They felt more comfortable today. I do really notice the added peripheral vision.


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## Stephen (Aug 11, 2004)

You'll feel seasick the first time you put your glasses back on after trying the contacts...


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 13, 2004)

Ha, ha, ha, that happens....


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## Greg (Aug 16, 2004)

Luckily I can go back to glasses after wearing the contacts with no problem, but the loss of clarity and peripheral vision is a bummer.

I'm on day 8 of wearing them and up to 7 hours/day. I'm getting much better at putting them in and even got them both in on the first try over the weekend. Removing them has never beena problem. They still feel a little weird and make my eyes feel "heavy" but I'm slowly getting used to them.


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 29, 2004)

Greg said:
			
		

> Luckily I can go back to glasses after wearing the contacts with no problem, but the loss of clarity and peripheral vision is a bummer.
> 
> I'm on day 8 of wearing them and up to 7 hours/day. I'm getting much better at putting them in and even got them both in on the first try over the weekend. Removing them has never beena problem. They still feel a little weird and make my eyes feel "heavy" but I'm slowly getting used to them.



So it's been 8/16 since your last report...are you ski ready with your newfound vision paradigm?


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## Greg (Aug 29, 2004)

I may not be the best candidate for contacts, but I'm going to stick it out for a few more weeks. I've found the quarterlies to be much better than the monthlies. I almost couldn't see out of my right eye with the monthlies. The clarity was terrible.

I'm much more used to putting them in/taking them out. I also find that since my job entails me staring at a computer screen all day, my eyes dry out quickly. My contact consultant said it's been proven that we blink less when looking at a computer screen. Re-wetting drops have helped, but I haven't fully commited to wearing them full-time at work. So..I may not be a full-time contact lens wearer, but they certainly will make a difference skiing, I suspect.


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 30, 2004)

Greg said:
			
		

> So..I may not be a full-time contact lens wearer, but they certainly will make a difference skiing, I suspect.



I ride bicycles & ski with contacts in place and bring the wetting solution along.  Wearing goggles, at times my eyes get a bit dry.  However when wearing sunglasses they're seem to be streaming.  I’ve found just a splash of the wetting solution (which is why I may drop a glove off the chair occasionally and thus must ski under the lift...that's another story) and presto, comfortable vision!   

Hang i there, I think you will like them!


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## Charlie Schuessler (Nov 2, 2004)

So it's been 8/29 since your last report...are you ski ready with your new found vision?


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## Greg (Nov 2, 2004)

I'm wearing them full time now - about 12-14 hours/day. There are pros and cons to them, but they are far better than dealing with glasses!


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## SilentCal (Nov 2, 2004)

I bet you'd never want to go back now!     After some time with contacts,  you might find that when you wear glasses,  you may get headaches.   It happens all the time whenever I need to go back to glasses.    Then again having LASIX does could eliminate all of that.


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## cbcbd (Nov 17, 2004)

Glad the switch is working for you. I wore glasses from the age of 8 to 11 and absolutely despised them. Made the switch and now I only wear glasses at night before/after bed time and those lazy morning days. 

Eventually I will get Lasik done, maybe even pretty soon. A friend of mine is getting it done this week and so I'll have a personal guinea pig to check out the whole procedure and results


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## jetboy1004 (Nov 22, 2004)

I've worn glasses for about 10 years. I used to be able to ski, & jetski without them and be ok. But had to do something about 4 years ago. So I got contacts. Now I can see the trials when I ski :wink:  I usually only wear my contacts when I'm skiing or playing a sport. I don't wear them daily. My contacts are comfortable enough, I guess I'm too lazy to fool with that every day. They work a whole lot better that wearing glasses for skiing though. 8)


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