Contacts

[judecorp]

I have always toyed with the idea of contact lenses but never enough to actually pursue them. My eye prescription is not terribly strong and I tend to only wear my glasses for distance things: television, movies, driving. Besides that, I like glasses. I think they're cute and stuff. So it was never really a thing for me. Maybe I would think differently if I wore glasses my whole life, or if they were especially cumbersome, but I only got glasses when I was about 19 years old and I am able to get small, cute glasses easily. So whatever.

But now I have a Certified Glasses Grabber and the idea of contacts seemed more appealing. That and sports. Someday I may want to play sports again and it's a PITA to wear glasses and play sports. I'm always afraid of breaking them. So since I was getting an eye appointment anyway I figured I would bite the bullet and get fitted for contacts.

I know there is a learning curve and an adjustment period with them but I pretty much hate them. I hate that I can't get them on easily and I /really/ hate that I have a hell of a time getting them OFF! I have small eyes and don't have a lot of room for error with the manhandling. Ugh. And I don't like how they make your eyes dry and that I can't just pop them off when I'm doing close stuff (like of course the computer). So basically right now I am full of hate.

I have two job interviews today and I can't decide if I want to wear the contacts or not. Maybe I will try to put them on after my shower and if it doesn't take 20 years, it is meant to be. Otherwise, glasses FTW.

Comments

[gimmeapony.livejournal.com]

They do take a while to get used to, but if the dryness persists, you should ask your eye doctor for a different brand. I've always had a little bit of trial and error finding brands of contacts that don't drive me nuts.

I love my glasses and think they are cute, but there is no way I could stand them with all the exercise/running stuff I do. Plus, I need me some sunglasses!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I have trendy prescription sunglasses, yo! But it's the exercising. When I go to a gym or something it's no big deal because my eyesight isn't that bad, but if I want to go play something outside I'm really at a disadvantage. Bleh.

I know nothing about contacts but this is supposedly a brand that lets more air in and reduces dryness or whatever. We'll see what happens.

[starrchilde.livejournal.com]

I never could get contacts past that adjustment period, unfortunately. I gave it three months of wearing almost daily and my eyes hated me with such a passion that I said screw it and just went with my glasses.

Thankfully I like my glasses and I look fairly good with them on.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I didn't buy any contacts last night (just walked out with the pair I tried on) but I may buy a couple of boxes so I can try for a month or two on and off.

But yes, it's no biggie to me if it doesn't work because I like glasses and I like how I look in glasses. :)

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

I gave it six months before going back -- 15 years ago. My sister tried them at the same time and is still happily using contacts.

My midget quickly learned that grabbing glasses did not elicit any more reaction than someone dispassionately removing them from her hands, so it was a short phase for her.

Now she has so many pairs of sunglasses that I sewed a simple loopy elastic holder to hang them all up on her bathroom wall. (I originally planned to make the holder for her cache of lip balm, but then I imagined capless lip balms leaving marks all over the wall.)

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

You look so faboose with glasses though!

I'll get you some freaky eyeglass chains or something.

[rexlezard.livejournal.com]

Just get prescription goggles with really strong elastic to hold them on to thwart the Wee One.

::grin::

Good luck at your interviews!

[marlatiara.livejournal.com]

I have had contacts for 20 years and it DOES get better! Give it a few months (I know I know) because they are awesome (and today's contacts are so much better than mine 20 years ago ;) ) and I see better than with my glasses (peripheral vision FTW!). Good luck!

re: sports

[etherial.livejournal.com]

Eh. I once took a sword to the face and my glasses were fine.

[just-showtune.livejournal.com]

I've been wearing contacts for 16 years and I HATE wearing glasses. Like someone said above, there was a learning curve to the taking them out and putting them in. I ended up discovering a method that works for me which is completely different than the way the Dr. showed me.

Also, over the years I have found that the type of solution I use has a big impact on how dry my eyes get. I wear 2 week disposables and I take them out every night to soak in a no-rub moisturizing saline. I have also found that taking antihistamines really impacts how dry my eyes get.

And, BTW I think you look great with glasses!

[theshapeshifter.livejournal.com]

There is definitely a learning curve with putting them in/taking them out. However, if you get used to that and they are still a pain, it's worth asking your eye doctor about whether a different brand of actual lens would be better. I know a friend of mine who was never able to wear contacts without a prohibitive hassle has now found that they work for her, after a new eye doctor tried her on a different kind.

Me, I've been a contacts wearer since age 13, so I'm quite used to it. (And I'm blind as an effing bat without them).

[oppendonnell.livejournal.com]

C. has never been able to tolerate contacts. She tried again not long ago. I looove mine. I think some people just can't deal.

If you want to try to make it work, different brands can make a *huge* difference (I've had that experience). But if it's not worth experimenting to you, glasses FTW indeed.

My dad had cataracts about 10 years and got his eye lenses surgically replaced. So for the first time since he was like 8 years old, he doesn't wear glasses. So there's always that. ;-)

[violane.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to my husband when he tried contacts recently and he never got used to them and still doesn't wear them. My personal (purely anecdotal) observation is that if you don't get them when you're young, you never really get used to them.

[posthaste.livejournal.com]

i just went in for an eye exam last week and i still have boxes and boxes of contacts leftover from last year. i'm just lazy when it comes to contacts. i wake up, throw my glasses on and i'm done.

that being said -- i am pushing myself to use contacts more, especially in the summer when i'm outside working on stuff. i've found that the contacts around these days are much better than they were when i was wearing them full time about a decade ago. they definitely breathe more and i've found a great combination with my allergies and contacts. there's a prescription eyedrop out there now called pataday that works wonders with my contacts. that + rewetting drops and i'm good to go.

[evewasframed.livejournal.com]

I have had contacts since I was 12 and I absolutely couldn't imagine having to wear glasses full time! I have cute ones that I wear around the house at night, but I don't even like to watch tv in them or anything. I totally think glasses warp things! Also, I am a sunglasses addict so I could never wear regular glasses outside or to drive.

Anyway, when Matt got his contacts he had a horrible adjustment period and his complaints were similar to yours but he got used to them. I actually had to take his contacts out for him a few times because he was having trouble. You will get used to them if you persevere!

glasses + sports = hot

[calledmara.livejournal.com]

[skatured.livejournal.com]

Holy cow was the picture in that last comment huge or what?!

Anyway. I love contacts, but I had to start wearing welfare glasses when I was in 5th grade. As soon as I was able to afford them myself I got them! But it took me a couple weeks to get the hang on of it. Now I can put my contacts in one handed with Morella in the other arm, in the car, in the dark without mirrors...etc.

It'll get better! And then you'll wonder what took so long making the switch. I sort of wonder that about lasik ... should I go for it and correct my vision for a long time..

Oh the other great thing about contacts is that you have 3-d vision instead of flattened 2-d vision.

[mermil.livejournal.com]

I loathe contacts. I wore them a little in high school and for my wedding but because I am blind in one eye, I have no depth perception and it takes me forever to pop that little sucker into my seeing eye. Also, I hate that if I rub my eye while wearing contacts, the contact lens gets all tangled up. euw.

Nicholas already broke my husband's glasses and he'll probably snap mine in two, but I am sticking with them anyway. In the morning I simply don't have time to put in lenses, get ready for work, and get Nicholas out the door for daycare. Well, unless he learns how to, like, make breakfast.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

There is definitely a learning curve with contacts. I used to put mine in sitting down in front of a stand mirror so I could see what I was doing. It took a while to develop the skill. In my case, I also have a lot of eyelashes to push back out of the way, so part of the trick is holding eyelids open and lashes back with one hand and inserting the lens with the other.

Sports is exactly why I got mine. I called softball in a persistent mist one day—on an artificial field, so we played regardless of the rain. It didn't take long before my hanky got soaked, so wiping the glasses just meant streaking the water around more.