contact lenses or...?

anne

I am trying to decide where to go with my eyes. I am shortsighted and wear -3.4 /4 contact lenses and glasses (as we usually call spectacles in Australia – do you all usually call them specs?)

Recently I had a trial of 1 day wear lenses and quite liked them. Previously I was wearing weekly ones (but I basically wore them for as long as they stayed intact, as they seem to break pretty easily). My optometrist suggested that the 1 day ones may work out cheaper as I haven’t been wearing lenses that often. I think he said that if you wore them no more than 2 times a week they would work out less expensive and additionally would reduce the risk of eye infections from lenses that have been sitting around for too long in solution.

At the moment, I wear them less than that. Maybe once a fortnight (Although recently, while on holiday when my daughter broke my glasses frame I managed to wear them for 5 days straight). But I definitely prefer the how I look without them, as does my husband ( who met me before I needed to wear them!) though he doesn’t want me to be uncomfortable, which I sometimes am.

I currently by glasses which come “free” from my health fund. I can get one pair per year, and usually do, as there is a good change of them being broken and/or lost. Every time I see Angie’s advice about statement specs I think *groan* should I do that? Or should I just wait until my kids are older, or make myself wear the contacts more often. I used to wear then about 5 times a week, when I was working.

Any ideas? Also any specific input on the one day lenses decision?

Thanks

17 years ago

General

12 replies

Latest reply was from Nicole

Nicole

Veteran

Hmmm I've been successfully wearing contact lenses for over 22 years. I have a noticeably crooked nose, and I find that glasses exemplifies that crookedness. I do own two pair of glasses, but only wear them at night around the house, after I've taken my contacts out. I wear monthly contacts, but do not change them monthly. But my vision is quite bad--and I can see better in contacts than in glasses. The loss of peripheral vision with glasses mas me dizzy...and the distance between my eyeball and the lense makes my corrected vision less than that with contacts.

But if you are not wearing contacts successfully (it sounds like you are not)--then you should get multiple pair of glasses. (and yes, here in the U.S--we call them specs). OMG---Anne from Austrailia? Same Anne with three kids? Welcome back!

17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Anne! You are back! That’s fab! How are you? 20 year old Aussie swimmer broke the world record at the Olympics yesterday. Amazing.

I can’t wear contacts so I have to wear specs. Unfortunately I can’t offer suggestions but sounds like Nicole has you on route.

17 years ago

Dani

Veteran

Anne, since you wear glasses most, and you get one pair per year, I would definitely get a pair of fun statement specs. There's no use in making yourself miserable with contacts if your eyes don't like wearing them. Do you have a few pair of glasses around now that will be "back-ups" for days that you don't want to wear your statement specs?

I wear contacts primarily (my husband is an optometrist) but I love fun glasses. I only wear my glasses about once a month so I can't justify getting a new pair every year or I would have a ton of funky specs to choose from myself

17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Perhaps you've never had a pair of killer specs my dear Anne!

I see little point in suffering with contacts when you can make a fab pair of specs work with your style and lifestyle. Go for the specs as a backup option.

17 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I have found the key to comfort when it comes to contacts is to wear them regularly. Your eyes will adjust to them with time, but if you only wear them here and there, it's like starting all over again each time. Also keeping a bottle of eyedrops is essential. I change mine every month, but I used to change them only once a year. You can imagine how beat up they were by the time I got to the end of each year, but following those guidelines really helped and I sometimes even forgot to replace them on time.

I like contacts much more. Glasses make me look more shy and reserved and also hide my eyes, which are probably my best feature. I'm also with Nicole in saying that I see much better with contacts than glasses. I do not share Angie's opinion that they cause any "suffering," but it all depends on the person. There are times where I will wear my glasses instead of contacts because my eyes are too tired. That is the only time I ever sense any discomfort.

Stylewise, it's really up to you. There are definitely people who I think look better in glasses. I find that this is often the case when the person has a funkier look, but I'm the exception that proves the rule: I look MUCH better in contacts. I recently got new glasses but even then I prefer contacts. Glasses make me look less funky and more geeky. Somehow i just don't feel polished in them. Also, when I wear mascara, my eyelashes bump up against the lenses and it drives me crazy...which brings me to my other reason: Why would I want to cover my long, dark eyelashes with glasses?! So, in the end, it's really personal and depends on the sum of two parts: how they affect your vision and comfort, and how you feel they reflect your style and personality.

17 years ago

minivanmom

Active Member

I got glasses in the 4th grade. Contacts in the 6th grade. I think I'd go batty if I had to wear glasses all the time. Like Nicole, my vision is horrid. Can barely read the big "E" in the exam lol. My husband likes me in glasses, but the only time I wear them is when I take my contacts out just before bed. And don't take advice from me because I wear my monthlies for MULTIPLE months. Shameful really. Because my lenses must be so thick, they shrink the appearance of my eyes, give me headaches and just don't see as well.

Having said that, I would love to have a funky pair of glasses. I love them on everybody else. I just can't justify spending more $ for the amount of time I wear them.

Good luck with your decision!

17 years ago

anne

Veteran

Hello everyone!

Yes it is me again after a couple of months absence. (I have posted a couple of times recently on other threads as well). Thanks for the welcome. (Angie, that medal is on the news a great deal down under!) I am now trying to see if I can be “moderate” in my time on YLF!
I have been on holidays recently and caught up on nearly everything on the forum, but couldn’t post ( had internet but not my password). And since then we have had a trip to ICU with our baby! 4 days in hospital with bronchiolitis and pneumonia. She is completely better now though.

Thanks for your input re glasses. Here is how I have synthesized your comments.
Firstly, I can’t get actually get a new pair til next Jan, as I have used up this year’s pair. Hopefully I can keep the current pair til then (lost last years 2 weeks after baby was born which was NOT good timing) and use it for backup round the house. But next year I will start looking for some better looking ones.

In the mean time, I am going to give contacts a better go. From what Maya in particular said, sounds like if I to commit to wearing them consistently for a while I will get a better idea if I can wear them frequently. I have had stages even this year where I have worn them constantly for up to a week and it has mostly been ok. I just have to slot them into my morning routine

Now as for the issue of wearing 7 days or 1 days ones – is there anyone out there who has an opinion on that specific question? Out of 1000 forum members there must be someone :-). The brand under discussion is Aquvue

Thanks again

17 years ago

Steph

Veteran

Anne, I have never used Acuvue's one-day lenses, but if you think you want to start wearing them every day it sounds like you should go with the ones that you replace every two weeks, which will be cheaper (as you said, the daily ones are cheaper if you don't wear them as often, but the longer-wear ones become cheaper if you are going to wear them on a daily basis).

I have been wearing Acuvue lenses for years--Acuvue Advance, to be exact. I sometimes felt that they would dry out and pop out of my eyes every once in awhile, and I recently changed to Acuvue Oasys. I have found them to be moister and don't have the issues with the contact drying out at all. So you might want to look into those.

And as for your question about the term "specs," I am from the US and have to admit that I have never heard anyone use that term in conversation. Obviously, I know what it means, but everyone I know calls them glasses. I always thought of the term specs as an Angie-ism on the board.

Also, I totally agree with Maya's advice about the contacts getting easier to wear the more you wear them. I don't even notice my contacts in my eyes at all anymore.

17 years ago

Sihaya

Veteran

Anne - in addition to wearing contacts regularly (my husband wears them), you need to phase them in. So don't wear them all day long on your first consistent day. Wear it for a few hours and then gradually increase the duration. Since you have a baby, you might also sometimes take a nap. Initially especially try to avoid wearing them during naps. Good luck.

17 years ago

Dani

Veteran

Anne, I don't know if you can get this brand in your location but I wear Focus night & days and you wear them straight for 30 days and then replace them. I LOVE them. I wore Acuvues for longer than I can remember and all of the sudden, I developed severe dry eye. I couldn't tolerate the Acuvues any more so I switched to this brand. I can't even feel them on my eyes most days. They make it very easy to wear extended contacts. You can, of course, take them out daily if you like but I'm too lazy

17 years ago

shiny

Veteran

I don't know if this is really true, but years and years ago an optometrist told me that there is no difference between dailies, weeklies and monthlies; it is all only in the marketing and who gets to make the profit (the contact lens manufacturer or the manufacturer of the cleaning supplies).

With that said, I am in Nicole's and Maya's camp. I have had bad eyesight forever and refused to wear what was coke-bottle size lenses back in my preteen years. So I have been wearing contacts since age 16 when it was either that, or not be able to get my driver's license. I started with extended wear, the type of lens you can sleep in, which I would do all the time... for months on end. I'm not sure they sell those anymore. I wore those for years and years (well over a decade). In college I suffered eye infections and scratched corneas because I abused my use of them.

I switched over to dailies eventually, after they first came out. Initially, I would wear them for a week or more (cleaning them at night) to save expense (and because my eye doctor said they really weren't any different so this was perfectly fine strategy - as long as I didn't sleep in them). I wear the acuvue. I have tried other brands and only this one works.

However, as I've gotten older, my eyes have gotten drier. Eye doc says this is normal and common - something about our eye ducts not making as much tears. So I am finding since turning 40 that it is more comfortable to wear a fresh lens daily and to not wear them all day long like I used to do. So I do find myself wearing specs more and more. Still only mostly around the house (since I work from home). I also like the idea that with dailies you aren't handling the lenses so much, which reduces the risk of infection.

There is one other option you might want to look into, and that's getting the laser surgery to correct your vision permanently. I might consider this myself one of these days.

My DH has perfect vision and he has a set of specs he wears anyway - when he wants to look more professorial. They look great on him but I always have to giggle, thinking that someone would WISH they had bad eyesight!

And my DD15 inherited my eyesight; she has both contacts and glasses. She got the contacts when she got braces and I took pity on her going through that awkward stage. Her glasses are absolutely adorable on her but she has never seen it herself, until when we were in Paris. Then she switched over to wearing glasses almost exclusively. Why? Because so many Parisians sport the most fabulous funky specs. She is now wearing hers proudly.

17 years ago

Nicole

Veteran

Sihaya brings up a good point about not napping in them, and wearing them a little more each day.

Shiny also brings up a great point about the possibility of laser surgery. My sister and her husband both had it done a few yrs ago, and they are very pleased. My doctor said I was not a candidate for it because I am so comfortable wearing contacts. He said if I ever have difficulty wearing contacts, he'd discuss it with me then.

I just spent the afternoon at the eye doctor with Mia. She was going to get contacts, but after her "lesson" she decided to wait another year. (She'll be 12 in November--so she's still quite young). I've been wearing contacts so long, I forgot a lot of the things I had to do initially. He said to wear them 4 hrs the first day, 6 hours the next, and then 8, 10 etc...and he said you should take them out for at least an hour before you go to bed. And he told Mia that she would feel them in her eye for about 10-15 minutes the first day, and a few minutes less each day, until she got to the point that she didn't feel them at all. I actually feel better with them in my eyes than out. So it was good to have that refresher of information.

But on a side note, since Mia didn't get contacts, she got her current pair (which are less than a year old) updated with new lenses, and a new pair that have some deep red coloring. I told her she could start building up an assortment of funky glasses. She was all about that idea!

17 years ago

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