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Contact lens (Read 146 times)

    After a couple years of wearing the dime store cheaters because me arms were not long enough to read anymore, I finally went in to see the eye doctor. Much to my surprise, he said I needed a dual prescription because I was clearly far sighted (arms too short), but was losing my distance vision too. He asked me how I felt about wearing glasses.

     

    How do I feel???? I'd rather not have to wear them! I asked if I could get some contacts because I'm a triathlete and would like to be able to swim, bike and run without glasses and as it is right now, I can't read the garmin. He said we could try something but it doesn't work for everyone. I would need a far sighted prescription in my left eye and a near sighted prescription in my right eye. Hopefully my brain can be trained to combine the prescriptions so I can see all distances.

     

    Its been nearly a week now and I'm having a hell of a time getting them in, but removing them is a breeze. The sight is okay, but I think the right prescription is not quite right so my distance vision is still a little blurry. I can read and see the pc monitor without the cheaters so that is cool. I can also read my garmin again and that's awesome.

     

    My biggest problem is that the contacts don't seem to fit very well. I guess its really just the left one that doesn't feel like it fits. It feels like it moves off center at times and the vision blurs. I have to blink hard several times and it straightens out. I also feel like I have shit in my eyes nearly all the time. You know when you have goopy eyes and are constantly pulling the sleep out of the corner of your eye? That's what it feels like.

     

    Question for you contact wearers...Do you always feel like there is something in your eye, like dirt or a lash? Can the lens be the wrong size and move around like I think it is?

     

    I have another week to decide if I'm going to stick with them and have an eye appointment on Friday, but I just thought I'd try and get an idea if what I'm feeling is normal or something that can be alleviated with a better fit or more time wearing them.

     

    MTA: Getting old sucks

     

    The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

     

    2014 Goals:

     

    Stay healthy

    Enjoy life

     

      I always tell my patients that if one contact lens worked for everyone, then they would only make one contact lens.

       

      There are many options available for patients needing a bifocal but wanting contacts. Your doctor has you it what is called mono vision. It is difficult to adjust to but it does work. There are also bifocal contacts available etc. With all options, there is an adjustment period. It is normal to feel like something is in your eye (there is), but the lens moving aroung should not be happening. From my experience, you need to make sure that the lens is not in wrong side out.  If it is not wrong side out, then a different lens needs to be fitted. The foreign body sensation goes away with time. Be patient and talk to your doctor. You may need to try a few different options but it is worth it if you want to avoid glasses.

       

      Hope this helps

        I've been wearing lenses for a long time (started before they had soft lenses so if you think they are uncomfortable know, imagine wearing the glass lenses that actually felt like you had a spec in your eye and where one could only wear them 12-15 hours a day or risk corneal abrasions). One of your lenses may be "inside-out". I was also fitted for mono-vision lenses a couple of years back so I wear a different lense in each eye. I sometimes find that for one of the manufacturers, the lenses are all inside-out so I have to inverse the lense. As a long-time lense wearer, I immediately know the difference if the lense is fitting correctly, and for me it if the lense is inside-out it feels like there is a spec is in my eye. If that does not correct things, you could be sensitive to the disinfecting solution (so you would want to experiment with the "sensitive eye" solution options at your drugstore), or you were steered to using a peroxide disinfecting solution and your sensitive to that (so try a different and/or pH balanced option).

        Rob

           

          Question for you contact wearers...Do you always feel like there is something in your eye, like dirt or a lash? Can the lens be the wrong size and move around like I think it is?

           

           

          I wear contacts all day, every day and the vast majority of the time I'm not conscious of having anything in my eyes. If the lens gets a tiny rip in it, then it immediately becomes quite irritating and then it does feel like I've got some dirt in my eye.  If you have been struggling with putting your lenses in over the first few days (which is perfectly normal) then there's probably a better than average chance that you've torn one of them slightly, which would explain the ongoing irritation.

           

          I'll leave the second question alone as you've already had a prompt and helpful reply from a professional subject matter expert (RA is great, isn't it?).

           

          MTA: Did your optician say anything when you mentioned you wanted to swim while wearing your contacts?  Mine told me not to swim or shower wearing mine. I'm afraid I ignore that advice about 7 times a week.

          Julia1971


            Sometimes I do feel like I have something in my eye.  It's usually just my left eye.  I think my eye doctor said it's because that eye is shaped funny and the lens wasn't sitting on the eye ball very well causing the lens to move a little when I blink.  So, he switched out the brand and I really don't notice it happening as much/anymore.  But, the inside-out suggestion is a good one too.  Although, when I put an inside-out lens in my eye, it hurts so much I have to take it out immediately.  (To check to see if it's flipped, put the lens on your finger tip.  If the outer edge is curling out, the lens is flipped inside out).

            Teresadfp


            One day at a time

              I started wearing contacts when I was 10 years old - over 40 years ago!  Back then, you made your own saline solution by putting a salt tablet and water in a plastic container and shaking it up.  Not exactly sterile, and I guess some people ended up losing their sight.

               

              Anyway, it took over 30 years to find the brand and type of lenses that worked for me.  Like you, I could ALWAYS feel the things in my eyes.  In high school, sometimes I would wear only one lens, I hated them so much (I know, stupid).  With the right lenses, now I hardly ever notice them. So if the lenses are not inside out, you should definitely talk to the doctor and see if he has any suggestions.

                I've been wearing lenses for 25+ years and I do not feel them in my eyes except for late at night.

                I have bad astigmatism (sp?), and the rotation of the lenses at night make it hard for me to focus.  I always change into my glasses after dinner.


                But, I swim in them, and run and ride in them without any irritation.  Obviously, I wear goggles, so the swimming with lenses isn't an issue.

                 

                I've tried multiple lense manufacturers over the years, and sometimes, it takes 2 or 3 months to find lenses that fit the best.  That rotation challenge you're describing in your left eye should be able to be fixed, and would be annoying.

                 

                My advice is not to decide on the options until you're ready.  Your doc should be willing to work with you.

                 

                Cheers,

                Life Goals:

                #1: Do what I can do

                #2: Enjoy life

                 

                 


                Menace to Sobriety

                  At times, I've worn contacts daily, and other times only while playing sports. I have to wear safety glasses at work all the time now, so now I just wear contacts for sports. I usually couldn't tell if they were in as long as they were clean and fresh. I did try the multi focal lenses about a year ago, but just couldn't get used to them. It was just too much of a compromise for both far and near vision. Now I use the single use lenses, I wear them for the day and just toss them when I'm done. Definitely a more costly option if you're an everyday wearer, but they tend to be thinner and more comfortable than the more durable ones. Given that I only wear them once a week or less, it's a good option for me, always a fresh pair and no hassle with cleaning and storing.

                  Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go f*** himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.

                  FSBD


                    It took me a long time to get used to contacts.  I didn't start wearing them until I was in my late 20's, (I'm 33 now)

                    I had a really hard time putting them in and by the time they were in my eyes, they were so irritated I couldn't stand to keep them in.  I actually had to start getting ready about 15 minutes earlier because of how long it took to get them in and feeling right.

                    I gave up for about 6 months but mogul skiing with blurred vision or foggy glasses got a little treacherous so I gave it another shot.  I kept practicing putting them in until I got better at it.  I also went through a lot of eye drops because that helped them feel more comfortable and less noticeable in my eyes.

                    What really helped me out, besides the practice of putting them in was switching to dailies.  They are a little more expensive but putting in fresh clean contacts every day is definitely worth it to me.  Dailies are also a little flimsier than monthlies so they seem to actually conform to my eyes better.  Now I wear contacts every day and love them, but it did take a while and some trials to get there.

                    We are the music makers,

                        And we are the dreamers of dreams,

                    Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

                        And sitting by desolate streams; 

                    World-losers and world-forsakers,

                        On whom the pale moon gleams:

                    Yet we are the movers and shakers

                        Of the world for ever, it seems.

                      I would echo what pretty much everyone else says, it's about finding the right  brand and style of lenses for you. I've been wearing contacts for 10+ years (glasses wearer for 35+) and I really only got the glasses for running, swimming and being able to golf in the rain without having to constantly wipe glasses clean.

                       

                      I have worn any number of brands and styles over the years - some horrible and some I barely noticed wearing. I think with a little time you'll probably find the right fit for you where you hopefully will be able to forget you've got them in.

                        I started wearing contacts for sports about 3 years ago (wear glasses for work) and had a heck of a time learning how to put them on.  After a few weeks, I figured out the best method and it eventually became second nature.  Someone mentioned this, but it is very uncomfortable if I put the contact in when its inside out.  Especially at first, I didn't know how to tell the difference visually.

                         

                        Secondly, I can't wear my contacts while swimming without them floating out.  I'd definitely need goggles.  You might check on that.

                          I've been wearing contacts for over 20 years, always the soft version.  I first got them when I ran cross country in high school.  I never found a pair of glasses that fit well enough to stay put when I was running, so I would hand them off to a friend for races on the track.  When I started cross country, that was no longer a safe option so I talked my mom into letting me get contacts.  (My dad had a bad experience with the hard lenses years before so was vehemently opposed.)

                           

                          I now wear the two week version, which I've found is a good compromise between convenience and price.  They are so comfortable I often sleep in them.  If they are in correctly, I cannot feel them at all.  I can't remember if I had any sensation from them at first.  I never found glasses comfortable, and I've always been hyper aware of the loss of peripheral vision.  So even if there had been minor discomfort when I switched to contacts, it would have been a huge improvement relatively speaking.

                           

                          My uneducated opinion is that if you feel one moving around and not the other, that one is probably not sized quite right for you, and the Dr will have you try something different tomorrow.  Don't give up without a fight.

                           

                          ETA:  I don't swim much anymore, but as a teen a swam a ton, including frequently opening my eyes under water, and never once lost a contact.  YMMV.

                          Jeff F


                          Free Beer

                            I wore contacts and/or glasses for over 20 years.  As I aged I ended up with the bifocal lenses, because I couldn't handle the monovision thing.  With the bifocal and monovisioin approaches you always give up some detail on the distance; I eventually got tired of giving up the distance.  Besides running, I am a golfer and I got tired of not being able to see where my ball went when I hit it.  Two years ago I had lasik to address the distance issue, and I wear cheaters to read.  I wish I would have done this years ago.  My vision is good enough that in daylight I can still read my Garmin and see most things from arms length and further without the cheaters.  Prior to Lasik I could not read my Garmin without my contacts or glasses.  I know this is not an option for everyone due to the cost, but for me it has definitely made a significant difference in the quality of my sight, with alot less hassle.

                              Good info here guys, thanks for commenting. By the replies I've had, it sounds like it may be more of a fitment issue right now then it is just getting used to the monovision. I'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow morning so I can now ask a bunch more questions and try to keep the contacts. Hopefully I can get these sorted out.

                               

                              The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                               

                              2014 Goals:

                               

                              Stay healthy

                              Enjoy life

                               

                                I adjusted to the monovision immediately, but I know not everyone does.  I was surprised that I did as well as I did with it.   I wear the CIBA Night and Day (I think they are called something else now) lenses that I wear for a month, including sleeping.  I love them.  They have such a high liquid content that they are extremely comfortable.  As was pointed out, I almost never feel the lens unless it is inside out.

                                Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth

                                 

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