The Joy of Contacts

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by BigV

Thank you, sir. You have created a lifelong glasses customer.

I no longer have even the slightest doubt. I now have one fewer things to worry about in my life. Permanently. :bows:

DITTO

[mrnoodle]

I had to wear glasses from age 6. Thick bastards, too. Got soft contacts at 15 (but weird kid that I was, kind of enjoyed the act of sticking things in my eye). My vision was horrendous -- my prescription was so strong that only the dorkiest of plastic frames would hold the lenses, and they weighed a ton.

Got LASIK in 99, at age 29, and I can't even begin to tell you how cool it was to wake up the next morning from the procedure and be able to read the clock across the room. The surgery itself was cringe-inducing, but painless. My vision was better than 20/20 a month afterwards, and only recently has it regressed to 20/20 (I have to go in for regular vision tests because of the rheumatoid arthritis medicine I'm on, so I get frequent updates). If you have the money, go for the surgery -- you're in more danger of getting hurt driving to the clinic than from the surgery itself. Plus, it's cheaper than it used to be (albeit not covered by insurance), and the docs have several years' worth of experience under their belt. When I did mine, it was a new procedure with no proven track record, but it still worked flawlessly.

[Happy Monkey]

I hear it works great for ten years and then your eyeballs fall out.

(but I haven't tracked down which episode I learned that in)

[mrnoodle]

can you type bigger? for some reason i can't quite make that out.

[Happy Monkey]

Did you have laser eye surgery ten years ago?

[itzBoo]

aww poor u! it's ok, i've never had contacts in my life since i'm "contact"phobic lol, i'm afraid of getting foreign objects in my eyes. This is a big fear for me to overcome later on. Anyhow, My friends wear contacts either soft or hard, and yes they have lots of complaints about their contacts once in a while. I do remember my freind had complained once about seeing fuzz around the light at night, but that was after she cried, and also there was tears in her eyes which produced the "fog" that slightly obscured her vision. hmmm unless you cry too?

[bluecuracao]

Originally Posted by chronos

The actual surgery is freaky. It certainly tests your will. There are no restraints or anything to keep you still. The doctor pries open your eyes and locks them open and then comes at you with a little razor device to open up the surface of your eye. Then you briefly go blind while your eye adapts. Then the laser starts up with the clicking noises and you can feel your eyeball changing shape and smell the burned flesh. It's nerveracking.

Oh, HELL no. I'm sticking with my gas permeables, thank you very much.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Did you have laser eye surgery ten years ago?

Ok... that made me laugh!

But back to the subject at hand.... I have had contacts since I was 12 (9 years now) and there are good and bad things about contacts. I do have one question though, were the Ben Stein drops for contacts or for dryness? Because there is a big difference in what you can do with bare eyes as opposed to eyes with contacts. If they did not say "for contacts" in big letters on the bottle than they were probably the wrong ones which would explain the dryness problems. I always have to read the lable really carefully to make sure it gives me directions on what to do if you wear contacts. Usually it says to wait 10-30 minutes before putting in contacts after applying the drops.

I have noticed that when I work at a computer my contacts dry out really bad and give me headaches from trying to focus through the dry fog. I have had to go to glasses (which I never wore all the time, only a day at a time to let my eyes rest from the contacts) because I work at a computer all day long and the headaches were becoming an issue.

When I was 12 and I got my eyes checked (for the first time) I got contacts right away and didn't ever get glasses until a few years later, so contacts were what I knew from the beginning. Anymore, though, I want to get rid of both cumbersome instruments but I can't afford surgery at this time. Phooey.

Good luck finding out what is causing all of the discomfort!! :p

[seakdivers]

My sister's boyfriend just returned from getting the surgery this week. He said it was amazing.
He did admit that it was a bit freaky when the "tools" were heading towards his eye, and also he could smell burning.
Yuck.
However, his eyesight is now 20/15, and he says he would recommend it to anyone with bad eyesight.

I'm still freaked out though...... maybe I will do it..... maybe

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by seakdivers

However, his eyesight is now 20/15

I'm jealous...

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Iggy

I do have one question though, were the Ben Stein drops for contacts or for dryness?

Yeah, they were rewetting drops for soft contacts.

I ended up fixing my problem with a couple of different things. First, I switched to different rewetting drops ("Blink-n-Clean" per Wolf) and different solution (no more Bausch and Lomb -- I can't remember the name of what I switched to at the moment). Just this switch ended up making a pretty massive difference, but I had already asked my doctor to give me a different trial on the problematic lens. He moved me to a slightly more expensive lens and the difference has been very dramatic -- my vision is a lot better than with the previous lens and I don't get the fogging problem at all.

You're right about sitting in front of the computer screen! Sitting at work and gazing into the monitor made my contacts haze over with dryness. Awful. On this fourth day of the new trial, everything is working out much better, though.

[wolf]

You blink less often when staring at the computer. Blinking usually keeps your eyes more moist naturally, and also makes the contacts spin and resettle on your eye.

Just remember to blink!

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by wolf

Just remember to blink!

Easier said then done...

[Fleur]

I wear Proclear Toric lenses as I have nearsightedness and astigmatism. These do the job and I don't have a problem with them. They are made to have extra moisture in them, thus, allowing the lens to fit properly, especially since torics have to stay level.

Good Luck!!!

[Sundae]

Just to add my vote for laser eye surgery. I had mine done at the end of June and have perfect vision in my right eye now (from -3.25). My left eye is currently -0.75, so I have an appointment in November to they can check it again. If it gets any worse they will operate again.

I have to say I don't regret having the surgery, but am keeping everything crossed I don't need a correction. I was disgusted by the smell (why don't they warn you?!) and I did suffer intense pain and swelling for 3 days afterwards. If I knew how to attach an image I'd show you a pic of me 2 days after surgery - I look like I've done a few rounds in the ring

Want to hear the most bizarre part of it? I bought my eye surgery on eBay. The guy who owns Optimax in the UK is an eBay fan and sells off last minute slots in his clinics at a reduced rate. He says it keeps his staff busy & his clinics full and people who can be flexible about when they have the surgery get the same service at a discount. I am rather looking forward to being asked "Where did you get your laser eye treatment?" and answering "eBay actually".