contact lens discussion thread (merged)

jamjar,

I think I got that wrong, asking about contact lenses for short sighted when I should have said I was now long sighted, and can't see close up so that is why I need glasses/contact lenses.

Destiny33

Afraid i'm short sighted as well so possibly of no help but i know they do bifocal contact lenses so perhaps you could ask your optician for a trial of those and see how you get on?

treliac

jamjar - exactly as you have done, I got fed up with reading glasses. For the past 18 months, I've been wearing contact lenses, one eye set for reading, one for distance. It's called monovision and works very well for me, although clarity of vision can vary a bit depending on things like how tired I am etc. and it does take a while to get used to.

I wear daily use lenses and find the best ones to be New Day by Sauflon, both for comfort and acuity. They give me much superior night driving sight. Daysoft are also fine for me and I vary which I wear according to what I am doing on any day. I have very slight astigmatism .50 in one eye and .25 in the other, I think it is and do not need to have this corrected by special (toric) lenses.

I would really recommend contact lenses, despite the slight inconvenience. They take some getting used to but the freedom from glasses and general all round improvement in being able to see at different distances, more than makes up for it.

I have wondered about surgery and am not sure how suitable it is for presbyopia, age related sight changes - so I'm watching the other thread running with interest.

Mrs_Thrify

Hello, I ware contacts.Started in middle life too. The advice I can give is putting them in and out will get easier with lots of practice. Each person will find their own way. Mine are monthly's. I can explain how I do it but it might not be for you. Putting in I use the right index finger for right eye, open right eye wide with left hand and strieght in. IF it does not go in first time it is usually because I have not opened the eyelids enough.At the beginning your eyes run like mad but this stops with practice. Then the same for the left using the left hand.

Skippycat

Good luck with it. It can be difficult at first.

Mine are the soft lenses which last a month. I normally put my lenses in using a finger on my right hand (I'm right handed). I hold up my eyelid up with one of the fingers on my left hand. Once the lense is on the eye I look up, left, down and then right as this seems to make the lense fit better on to the eye.

Also always remember to clean the lenses thoroughly but carefully (as if they are soft lenses they can tear).

Good luck with it and just keep trying!

BigBouncyBall

there is a tool you can buy to help insert lenses:

http://www.visiondirect.co.uk/product.php?xProd=99&xSec=81

Alikay

If I put a drop of the cleaning/storage fluid from the holder they've been sitting in, into the concave middle of the lens, my eye seems to "slurp" the lens into position much better than if it's dry.

*Louise*

I find if my finger is wet with some solution, it helps then lens slide off and into the eye better.

It just takes lots of prcatice - after 10 years you will be able to pop them in without even using a mirror.

belle2008

Try rinsing them with a few drops of solution before you go to put them in. When I first tried wearing contacts I gave up after a few days as I thought they were impossible to put in. However I had another go a couple of years later, it really is just practice and after a couple of weeks you'll be wondering why you ever had any problem with them. Just persevere, you will be thankful you did in the end as contacts are brilliant!

Skint_Catt

Are toric lenses more expensive than 'normal' contacts?

I have an eye test appointment with D&A on Saturday (haven't had one in four years :eek:) and in the last year I've been wearing my glasses more and more to the point I wear them all day now. All my previous prescriptions (last 17 years) have just been for astigmatism and I was thinking about trying contacts now but could do without another constant monthly expense to be honest.