I'm getting contacts...any advice?

[munsifn]

hey

im finally getting contacts...after monre than 9 years of wearing glasses....i have an eye condition (keratoconus - basically, every time i blink, my cornea rotates, so therefore my number changes every blink) and it has resulted in me having to get HARD lenses...

any advice from contact weares?

what liquid thingy should i get? how do i keep them from getting dirty? do they break easy? how different are hard contacts from soft lenses?

[Bordello]

Do you know if you'll be getting disposables or continuous wear ones?

[MT3]

dont worry about them breaking, they dont break. jus keep them in the solution and they wont get dirty.

[munsifn]

Do you know if you'll be getting disposables or continuous wear ones?


my doc said they are continuous wear ones...i have to take them off when i go to bed though.

they are custom order...costing over $350...and he said they should last from 3 to 5 years.


when i went for my fitting/measuring, i had such a hard time getting them in/out...must of spent an hour on each process...but got it in the end :)

[Bordello]

they are custom order...costing over $350...and he said they should ast from 3 to 5 years.
Wow, pricey. I didn't know contacts can last that long. I replace mine every year. When you get your contacts, your optometrist is required to teach you how to put them on properly. He'll also tell you the proper care and safety of using contacts.

As for the solution, I use Alcon Optifree. Just make sure you remove them every night, and avoid taking naps with them (not blinking will dry them out).

[munsifn]

yea he showed me how to do it...it was harder to get them out compared to putting them in. But since i have long eyelashes, it caused problems putting them in(since lashes are for sensory).

what happens if im on the bus and fall asleep...what happens if u sleep with them on? do they get stuck? or just dry? (then requirig eye drops)

[Bordello]

what happens if im on the bus and fall asleep...what happens if u sleep with them on? do they get stuck? or just dry? (then requirig eye drops)
If they dry out, they'll harden, making it very uncomfortable. If you're lucky, blinking and tearing will rehydrate them again. If not, you'll have to remove them and find somewhere to store them until you get home. If you accidentally fall asleep for about only 10 minutes or so, you don't really have to worry.

[munsifn]

eye drops should moisten them if they are dry, right?
im prolly gonna carry some drops with me to class...just in case they dry, that is, if my doc recommends me to use eye drops.

[aquariaguy]

Do you know what brand of contacts you're getting? Is it custom made by the big name companies?

[munsifn]

im not sure of the brand but my doc said something about RGP lenses...dont know if that is a brand or type of lense

[zero_2003]

dont worry about them breaking, they dont break. jus keep them in the solution and they wont get dirty.

They do rip (the soft ones are more vunlerable) if you put too much force on them

Make sure you wash your lenses everytime you take them off with the proper solution.

You might need to apply eye droppers every 3-5 hours to keep your eyes moist. (So it's always good to have eye droppers handy). Once your eyes get dry from wearing the lenses for too long, it'll start shifting places, which can get irritating.

If you're wearing hard lenses, it'll probably take a week or two to get used to.

[CRXGSR]

For me, I'm using acuvue 2, which are good for about 2 week disposables. But I can wear them for more than 3 months, more than 12 hours a day. Not saying I suggest it, but I guess it depends on the person. I never need the eye droplets, and I've actually went to sleep with them twice (by accident). In the morning, no problems what so ever. Maybe my eyes aren't as fussy as everyone elses??

[go leafs]

Don't wear them too long. I did this all the time (thinking there would be no harm). I'd sleep with them on, wear them the next day, and think my eye doctors warnings were just a big joke. Now I am in severe danger of losing all of my vision within the next five years. I am legally blind right now, but I can still see the general shapes of things. It's not that bad; you just have to get used to never seeing the faces of your loved ones for the rest of your life. >:(

just kidding

[gamer123]

they get very dry at night, since i start wearing them in the morning
finger nails must be cut, else you'll hurt yourself

my doc told me even if im napping for 1/2 hr, take them off.....lol i remember there was two times when i worked so late i forgot to take them off and just got right to bed, next morning i see things more clear then other mornings, i was like o no contacts still on, i had to drop fill drops of those contact liquid in my eyes to wet them up

[gprime]

Don't wear them too long. I did this all the time (thinking there would be no harm). I'd sleep with them on, wear them the next day, and think my eye doctors warnings were just a big joke. Now I am in severe danger of losing all of my vision within the next five years. I am legally blind right now, but I can still see the general shapes of things. It's not that bad; you just have to get used to never seeing the faces of your loved ones for the rest of your life. >:(

just kidding

WOW. This was caused by your contacts? That totally freaks me out.

EDIT:

Oh. You sneaky bastard :P

[gprime]

How different are hard contacts from soft contacts? I remember someone once told me I was so lucky I could wear soft contacts, because they had hard contacts but didn't wear them because they were so uncomfortable. Are they actually "hard" as the name suggests? (like a solid piece of material?)

[gamer123]

the hard contacts i heard of, cost like $1000s, because you actually wear them when you sleep at night, take off in the morning, why so expensive? because they actually "heal" your eyes and your prescription degree will get less and less

i have a neighbour doing this, started off with like 400-400, now he is more like 50-50 after 1yr of use

[munsifn]

they are hard...but not like rock hard...but you know how you can flex soft contacts? u cant do taht with hard ones.

when i went for my fitting, they didnt hurt while they were in, it just felt really weird. when i put them in, i couldnt open my eyes at first...and when i did, it felt like i was crying because of all the tearing...lol...and i noticed that i was blinking ALOT more...my mom said i looked goofy with all the blinking :lol:

[jory29]

I used to have the RGP lenses - they are hard contact lenses; like little pieces of glass. Boston Envision was the brand of them. They are quite tricky to place in the eye and take out, compared to usual soft contacts. The vision you get from them compared to soft contacts is AMAZING!!! However, I couldn't get used to the fact that when a speck of dust or dirt gets in under them, it hurts/burns/irritates like crazy. You can NOT wear them quite as long as the soft lenses, per day, and, you HAVE to go with the guidlines to begin wearing them. It's my understanding that you have to wear them for only a couple of hours at a time at first, then you gradually advance to more time. You have to actually build up a bit of a callus on your eye, apparently, and once you have worn them graudally, and built up a bit of the callus, they become easier to wear.

[munsifn]

I used to have the RGP lenses - they are hard contact lenses; like little pieces of glass. Boston Envision was the brand of them. They are quite tricky to place in the eye and take out, compared to usual soft contacts. The vision you get from them compared to soft contacts is AMAZING!!! However, I couldn't get used to the fact that when a speck of dust or dirt gets in under them, it hurts/burns/irritates like crazy. You can NOT wear them quite as long as the soft lenses, per day, and, you HAVE to go with the guidlines to begin wearing them. It's my understanding that you have to wear them for only a couple of hours at a time at first, then you gradually advance to more time. You have to actually build up a bit of a callus on your eye, apparently, and once you have worn them graudally, and built up a bit of the callus, they become easier to wear.


thats what my doc told me...when i get them, for the first few days wear them for two hours, take them off for two hours and then out them back in for another two.

next day same thing...but slowly increase the amount of time you leave them in your eyes. he said it will take about 10 days for my eyes to adjust, after that i should be able to go for about 12 to 14 hours.

[hydrophantom]

I have the same condition as you hows it going since you first started with your hard contact lenses? Know of any other options im getting tired for wearing hard contacts and glasses that barely help out.

[Lazy Susan]

I have no clue about eyes and glasses and prescriptions. So I have to ask, instead of contacts, why not just spend the money to get laser correction?

It would probably be cheaper in the end instead of constantly replacing contacts.

[brianPDX]

I don't know much about hard lenses, but just do what the doc says.

Falling asleep in your lenses once in a while won't ruin your eyes but it is a very bad habit. They get dried out and bacteria will grow on them quicker and your lenses will not last 1 year let alone 5 years. Once mine stuck to my eyes and hurt to remove but that was like 48+ hours of me being stupid.

I am guessing hard lenses and yours in particular are more expensive because of the custom design of them plus the materials used are different.

Hints: Always carry spare glasses, a contact case and eye drops. Keep them clean and wet. Once they have dried out they never feel like they did new.

Good Luck

[Talamasca]

I have no clue about eyes and glasses and prescriptions. So I have to ask, instead of contacts, why not just spend the money to get laser correction?

It would probably be cheaper in the end instead of constantly replacing contacts.

Laser eye surgery is usually not covered by health insurance plans while contacts/glasses are, at least partially.

[hi-tech]

Wow, I use dailies. I couldn't even imagine having the same pair of lenses for 3-5 years. Just be diligent about cleaning them with tablets and rubbing them after wearing them.

[tail_duck]

How different are hard contacts from soft contacts? I remember someone once told me I was so lucky I could wear soft contacts, because they had hard contacts but didn't wear them because they were so uncomfortable. Are they actually "hard" as the name suggests? (like a solid piece of material?)

Don't go for hard. Majority of people I know use soft contacts. Monthlies are a great option, can be extended to 1.5 or 2 months even if you renew the solution everyday. If you're forgetful in renewing solution, use the monthlies for just that, 1 month and then toss.