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Questions about glasses vs. contacts - just curious

Kari

Veteran

For those of you who wear contacts and/or glasses:do you wear just one or the other all the time, or do you rotate between methods of vision correction?

If you sometimes wear glasses and at other times wear contacts, what leads you to choose one method over the other?
Do you feel that one option is more stylish/more formal/more casual/easier/more "lazy" than the other?

For extra credit, explain your reasoning.

This post was inspired by a conversation with an optician a few weeks ago, while picking up my new specs. He mentioned that he thinks of glasses as "face jewelry with a prescription" (I may be paraphrasing a bit), a description that I loved.

I'll answer my own question below.

Dressing

62 replies

Latest reply was from Kari

Kari

Veteran

I rotate between contacts and specs. I'm terribly nearsighted and must wear *something* at all times, even in the house. (Not going into details, but there was a near disaster a few months ago involving an attempt to use the stove without my glasses on.)
In the past, I used to prefer to wear contacts almost all the time, unless I was having trouble with my eyes (allergies or dry eyes.) I regarded glasses as something to wear when I didn't care about how I looked, kind of a lazy solution. I thought of glasses as purely a functional accessory, like braces.
Since shortly before the time when I started reading YouLookFab, my perspective started to change. I started to put more care into the selection of the shape of my frames - how it flattered my face - rather than only considering comfort or whether I liked the color of the frame. I started to intentionally select glasses to wear instead of contacts, rather than thinking of specs as a back-up or a last resort.

These days I probably wear specs 3/5 of the time. I often find myself reaching for my glasses when my outfits are simpler - less accessories, more clean lines - or if I want to add a more authoritative/intelligent look to a demure or feminine outfit. For example: I noticed that I'm pairing glasses with my leopard print blouse a lot. I'm not sure if it's true or just a subconscious assumption, but because animal prints tend to make people think "wild" or even "sexy", I feel like wearing a pair of specs tempers that perception a bit.
I also like that my glasses draw additional attention to my eyes - my favorite feature.
I prefer not to wear glasses if there is a lot going on near my face. I rarely wear specs and earrings at the same time, or when I have large-scale necklaces that are shorter (around collarbone length.)
I also don't like to wear glasses when I am working out due to the additional sweat from having the frames resting on my nose.
While I would probably not wear specs to my own wedding, I do feel that they can be appropriate dressy and sophisticated, and don't feel that either contacts or glasses are inherently more casual or less stylish than the other.

CK

I wear contacts most of the time. I only wear glasses at home, usually at night or in the morning up until I work out (I don't like to work out and sweat wearing glasses either). It's not really a fashion reason for me - I love the look of the right glasses. However, if I wear them too long - even with my plastic frames and super light-weight lenses - they give me a headache.

I really like your reasoning about wearing glasses to accessorize a more simple outfit. That makes perfect sense to me. So rock those specs! You look fab in them.

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

MaryK and I were just discussing this tonight. She wears contacts all the time. I have daily disposables but I wear glasses 99% of the time unless I am wearing a fancy dress or going out to a formal event. I swap between my red pair and my brown pair depending on what colors I am wearing. I like the "face jewelry" term--it's like an accessory and can help pull your outfit together. Plus I am too cheap to pay for contacts every day and my eyes start to get dry if I wear contacts all day. I like having both options though. You look great in your specs Kari...they're like a statement necklace!

Kari

Veteran

Cindy, that's a good point, and a wise decision.

I'm actually more like Goldenpig in terms of my eyes - I get dry if I wear contacts too long (especially since I spend long days in front of a computer screen) but can wear glasses without pain. I forget sometimes that there are others with the opposite problem, and thank you for the reminder.

Goldenpig, have you thought about switching from dailies to 2-week disposables instead? My boyfriend has dailies but he finds them very uncomfortable.
Since I have somewhat dry/allergy-prone eyes, my contact specialist put me on the Acuvue Oasys lenses, and I *love* them - they are much thicker and more moist than the disposables that I wore a few years ago, and I can wear them longer (like, 12-13 hour days rather than 8 or 9.) Just an idea since you mentioned the dryness. Since I wear glasses most of the time, even though my contacts are technically 2 week disposables, I wind up going through 1 pair a month given how often I actually wear them. (I just take extra care to keep them very clean.)

Elly

Veteran

I wear both glasses and contacts as I am pretty blind beyond what is on the computer screen or my lap without them.

For many many years I never wore glasses outside of my house in my PJs-- I think for me this was because of my age and perceptions myself and others around me had about glasses. I am the only person in my family that wears (even my parents who are both just a year or two away from 50 have perfect 20/20 or better vision) and so everyone made me feel a bit defective when they realized I was nearsighted when I was 13 (which is better than feeling stupid about not seeing things they pointed out I guess). I was also a teenage girl and enough of a nerd that I didn't need the association-- I preferred my classmates and boys to see my pretty face than glasses. In fact, I don't think anyone I went to high school with ever knew I wore glasses, even the ones I traveled with. Also, I had horrible luck with my first two pairs of specs being defective and always looking a bit off because they were constantly bent or broken despite never damaging them. One was brown and one was black, and the first was blah on me and the second a little harsh. I also worked somewhere where safety glasses were a must.

Then I finally lucked into a pair of specs that I liked. I still rarely wore them to work or school, but I did wear them more in casual situations.

Currently I have a pair that I like even more than my last pair, but I still wear contacts the majority of the time (maybe 60/40). For me I think it is partially because I see a bit more/better with my contacts since I have my peripheral vision and get less eye strain with long hours at the computer despite having anti-glare. Also, I have transitions lenses, which can occasionally be a pain during the transition or when taking photos or trying to do something detailed outdoors.

I also feel like I have to wear makeup/be more put together to look passable in my glasses (which is odd, because with makeup I feel prettier in my glasses than without). When I wear contacts I feel better about having unstyled hair or bare skin on very casual days. I think if I kept my hair cut into more of a style and had some nicer casual clothes (instead of my really rough stuff) I might wear mine more, but I still think I need concealer!

Somehow I associate glasses with being stylish, but somehow being less natural/naturally beautiful (on me only), which is something I wish I could still pull off. Also, since developing health problems I tend to hide the fact I wear glasses from new people, almost as if it is another health problem-- which isn't how I want people to see me-- as sick, weak, or defective. Yet, I never think these things about others, although my family tends to have that attitude.

I also workout and swim frequently, as well as hike and do messy things like paint which glasses aren't as good for. The clincher is probably that I was very into amateur photography (film, won competitions) and glasses always smack against my viewfinder.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I also have daily contacts. I really only wear my glasses casually or when I've had problems with my contacts (accidentally sleeping in them was the last problem...LOL). I have two pair of glasses. One is black rolled titanium and is flattering and classic. The other is a geek chic pair that are wide and kind of funky. For some reason I feel less put together when I am wearing glasses.

I began wearing contacts in the sixth grade but I have minerally tears and would get build-up on my lenses very quickly despite vigilant cleaning and heavy-duty prescription cleanser. I have a hard face to fit for glasses, so until I was an adult I never had a flattering pair of glasses (I began with glasses in the 2nd grade). So I think that's why I feel more put together in my contacts.

Plus, I have better peripheral vision and less glare (even with non-glare lenses) when I wear contacts. Although my distance vision is much better with glasses (probably due to eye dryness with contacts).

Elly

Veteran

Oh-- any my answer to comfy contacts are one month air active optics lenses (more oxygen to the eye, thinner, and non-silicone, which some can be allergic/sensitive to) and the hydrogen peroxide cleaner. I have food allergies to preservatives and eliminating them from my solution has hugely helped with what were contacts that were bugging me.

Kari

Veteran

High five, Elly - I love my ClearCare. (Though recently I stupidly tried to pull out the contacts and put them in my eyes before they had been in the ClearCare solution for a full 6 hours. Let's just say that it was a Very Bad Idea, and I've since kept a small bottle of saline solution on hand just in case.)

I am also the only person in my immediate and extended family who needed glasses for more than just long distances or (after middle age) reading, and discovered it when I was 12-13. My mom was upset when I had that "seeing leaves on trees" moment after getting my first pair of glasses, because neither of us had realized how bad my vision had been for a long time.

I appreciate your thoughts about how you style yourself differently when you wear glasses, particularly in regards to makeup. I don't think about it much, but I guess I do change my makeup habits when I wear glasses - I tend to play up the lighter, shimmerier eyeshadow and leave off eyeliner (my glasses prescription is a bit strong and de-magnifies my eyes a bit, and I don't want them to look smaller.) I curl my eyelashes as a practical matter when I wear glasses, because I find it annoying to have my lashes brush against my lenses leaving mascara smears, which happens sometimes when I don't curl them. Lately I'm also choosing to wear lipstick more often with glasses than I do with contacts.

Jenava, as another who has a difficult face to fit for glasses frames, I'm glad that you found some that you like, even if you prefer contacts.
I used to be bothered by the blurry peripheral vision in glasses when I wore contacts most of the time, but now I'm used to it. (Years ago I hardly ever wore glasses for driving because the blurry side-vision freaked me out so much - I'm a nervous driver anyway!)

Desmo April

(website)

Veteran

I have to have contacts or glasses at all times, my vision is terrible. I wear contacts pretty much exclusively. I'll wear my glasses at home or at night. I have light eyes and wear sunglasses all the time. I've never been a fan of prescription sunglasses, I find them fussy to deal with. So I wear contacts all the time.

I like my glasses but I prefer contacts. Its way harder for me to do my makeup in glasses. I can't see well enough to do unless I'm right on top of the mirror. One of these days I'll get lasiks

ButterflyLady

(website)

Veteran

I wear my contacts most of the time - I take them out and put on my glasses at about 5 or 6 pm (having worn them from about 7 am). If my eyes are sore or dry (or I'm on a plane) I will wear my glasses. I am due new glasses at the beginning of next year, and I'm quite excited to choose new frames, using all the YLF guidelines, of course.

I wear rigid gas permeable lenses as they suit my eyes best (I have astigmatism in one eye), so the outlay is not too bad (I get a new pair every year, and solutions are not that expensive, I don't mind the cleaning etc that goes with non-disposable lenses, as I have been wearing them for over 30 years, I've got used to it).

Astrid

Veteran

I wear glasses all the time! I got my first pair when I was five years old and as a child you naturally don't wear contacts. I got so used to seeing glasses on my face that it looks strange to me now when I see myself 'bare'.
I got one month worth of contacts for free one time when I bought new glasses and I tried them at home. I don't know if it wasn't the right sort, but the contacts didn't agree at all with my eyes and they hurt after half an hour. That was the first and last time I tried them.
I also like my glasses because I have fairly small eyes and with the glasses my eyes look bigger and in the right proportion for my features. I like the term 'face jewelry'!

Jonesy

Veteran

I alternate between them, mostly depending on what I'm doing. If I'm staring at the computer for most of the day (writing) I can't wear my contacts because my eyes dry out. If I'm teaching and/or going to meetings, I wear my contacts. I almost always wear my contacts when I'm going out for dinner, etc. To be perfectly frank, I feel less attractive--even homely--in my glasses.

Queen Mum

Veteran

I wear contacts almost exclusively. my glasses come on first thing in the morning and then in the evening when I'm getting tired. Occasionally, if my eyes are REALLY tired from not sleeping or crying all night because of an argument with precious DH, I don my glasses for the day, but like Cindy, I really can't wear my glasses for long term without feeling the pressure on my temples.

znip

I wear glasses all the time; now I don't even have an up-to-date prescription in my contacts. I feel like my face just looks blah and boring without them.

lynne

Veteran

Kari, I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who's had Clear Care accidents. I mistakenly grabbed it one day to do a quick rinse - big mistake.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

I really abused contacts terribly in high school and college and have paid the price with discomfort now when wearing them for extended time (dry eyes).

I used to think of glasses as sort of lazy and schlumpy (for me, anyway) because that's just how I treated them. I was not sporting fashion forward frames! Now, I really work hard to find funky frames and they are a major fashion accessory for me. In fact, thanks to the wider arms, I feel they make me look a bit younger as they hide my crow's feet! lol

Because I was wearing glasses so often, my pierced ears closed up and now I can't wear earrings unless I get them repierced...I kind of felt like they were getting sensitive (itchy) with the earrings (gold??) so I don't think I'll bother getting them done again...earrings and glasses look too busy to me.

BTW the term "face jewelery" makes me cringe a bit as I think of chin, lip, eyebrow piercing! lol

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I wear contacts 99% of the time I'm in public.

Because:
o With our sunshiney weather, I need to wear sunnies when I drive.
o I finish every day with a workout at my Crossfit, and glasses would get in the way and possibly damaged
o I honestly don't feel as fab in specs (probably just the particular pair I have)

I wear my specs when
o My eyes get extra irritated (with these wildfires and all the smoke that followed, I've been wearing my specs more lately)
o It hasn't been six hours since my contacts were last in (I use my fave solution that has peroxide and it needs six hours to neutralize before I can wear them again)
o I'm running a quick errand and that's the only time I'm going out in the day
o In the evenings when I'm relaxing

Lynne

Veteran

Yay for preservative free hydrogen peroxide cleaning systems. And OUCH getting un-neutralized solution in your eyes, Kari and Lynne.

@Butterflylady, so glad to hear your RGPs are going well. They are the gold standard for eye health and vision, even though they constitute a very small percentage of all prescription lenses out there. I thought of you today, too; I learned that the Danish word for butterfly is sommerfugle, literally summer bird. Isn't that lovely?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I'm not a good contender for contacts, so I've never tried them. My vision isn't that bad, though. I wouldn't drive without glasses, but I don't wear them to the gym or in the pool (don't laugh- some people wear them for water aerobics), or for very dressy occasions. My dd wears glasses, and I could see her being a contact wearer in the near future. She has to leave her glasses off for dance (or they fly off her face during spins), and for the gym- and her vision really isn't so good without them. They make me nervous, but she would take good care of them.

lpr200

Veteran

You know that commercial where the woman is calling "Here Kitty Kitty Kitty" and lets the raccoon into her house? That's pretty much me. I wear contacts 99% of the time because my vision with glasses is just not as good. I love colored lenses, too- super fun. I love my glasses and would wear them more if I felt I could see better with them.

Diana

Veteran

I wear glasses 100% of the time. I have never ever tried contacts. I have needed glasses since I was about 10 years old - all during middle and high school, my mom refused to let me use contacts (we knew lots of people who got eye infections etc from contacts b/c they were not good about taking care of them and at the time, disposables were not common). In college and grad school, I continued to wear glasses because they made me look older (I am always mistaken for younger) and more "intellectual". Now I'm just so used to them that most of the time I don't even consider getting contacts. The specs are definitely part of my overall look.

I love the idea of "face jewelry"! To be honest, I always think I look super weird these days when I don't have my specs on (plus there's the whole not being able to see anything bit, of course...).

Interestingly, my fiance also wears his specs 100% of the time... he claims to be so squicked out by the idea of things touching his eye that he can't bear to even think about putting contacts in them.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I love that phrase, prescription face jewellery!

I suffer from Cindy's problem. With my low vision and nose shape, even with extra thin lenses, my glasses are uncomfortable.

But I also get dry eyes if I wear my contacts (and yes, I love my Oasys!). Not to mention the fact that they don't quite correct my astigmatism, and although I now have "graduated" contacts, they can't fully correct my vision for reading. So I have to wear drugstore readers on top of my contacts when I'm reading or at the computer.

Also, I work out almost every day and glasses get in the way of that.

So, I follow a schedule like Jonesy's. At my computer, I usually wear my glasses. But when I get a headache, I put on my contacts for a while.

When I'm teaching or driving or watching movies, I like my contacts.

When I'm out in the sun, it's contacts all the way (so I can wear sunnies).

Kari

Veteran

Desmo April, I have that issue with putting on makeup. I wouldn't get by without a self-standing makeup mirror that I can put on a counter and draw close to my face (especially great when I need to use the magnified back-side for tweezing brows.)

Butterflylady, I hope you'll have great luck finding frames that you like next year. We'll certainly be here for help if you need it!

Astrid, glasses suit your face so well (I love your current frames.) I never thought of you as having small eyes, so I guess they are doing their job.
The ill-fitting contacts sound awful! Yikes.

Jonesy, I don't think that "homely" is an adjective that I could ever associate with you. I wonder what makes you feel less attractive in your glasses? (Have I seen them on YLF? I am having trouble remembering.)

Znip, that's kind of how I'm starting to feel (and one of the reasons I started this thread.) I'm starting to prefer the look of my face/eyes with glasses.

Yeah, Lynne, that's certainly a mistake I don't plan to make again. Major stinging!

Hehe, MPJ, I didn't think of "face jewelry" that way. Oh dear.
Off topic, but I went through 2 failed ear piercings as a child/teen until I nailed down the fact that I had a nickel allergy that was causing my ears to react horribly once I started wearing cheaper earrings. One of my coworkers actually has the same reaction to gold. I guess it's not a big deal if you don't plan to wear earrings again, but if you do decide to get re-pierced, it would be worth trying something very hypo-allergenic like surgical steel.

Sarah, living in an area where sunglasses is essential definitely makes sense. I'm surprised, though, that you don't feel as fab in your glasses. We've seen them on you and I think they look beautiful on your face. That being said, you look stunning with contacts too, and maybe not wearing glasses is also giving more flexibility to play with the more dramatic lipstick colors that you're favoring (which also look awesome.)

Lynne, the hydrogen peroxide solution is *amazing.* When I used a saline solution I really struggled with trying to get my lenses clean enough, or free of debris. Not only does the hydrogen peroxide solution leave my lenses incredibly clean, but the shape of the case also means that all the debris sinks to the bottom of the case rather than floating around with my lenses or ending up on my fingers when I'm putting my contacts in my eyes.

Khris, I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing glasses in the pool, though I've considered wearing a cheaper pair when I'm just using the kickboard. I think as long as your daughter is responsible and understands the importance of keeping contacts clean, and also making sure they are in good condition (checking for rips or tears, not falling asleep in the lenses, and replacing them as often as they are supposed to be) she would probably be fine. I've had a handful of friends/family with contacts who ended up with bad eye infections, but these were all results from making bad decisions (such as: mixing their own contact solution with table salt and water, or wearing the same pair of 2-week disposable lenses for 6 months.) I've been wearing contacts since I was 15 and have never had a problem with infection. I do recommend keeping a pair of glasses around in an up-to-date prescription as a backup, though (in case I come down with pinkeye or allergies that won't allow me to wear contacts, or I lose or run out of them...)

Ha - LPR, I haven't seen that commercial, but that sounds like me too. Oh dear. I'm nearsighted, but my "clear vision range" basically ends 9" away from my nose when I am not wearing glasses or contacts - after that everything gets blurry.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Sarah - curious why you don't invest in a fab pair of prescription sunglasses? I FINALLY did this this past summer, and I don't regret it for a second. Best money ever spent!

Kari

Veteran

MPJ, I don't have to (or even, get to) wear sunglasses very often in Seattle, but I'm curious - how much of a pain is it to switch between glasses and sunglasses when you're going indoors/outdoors? I know if I had a pair of prescription sunnies I'd probably keep them in a case in my purse; however, having to switch between one and the other sounds like it would be potentially annoying.

Sylvie

Veteran

Ok, here's my (long) story.

Age 8: Started wearing glasses and got a new and ugly pair of plastic frames that were bigger than my head every year. No joke, I looked hideous.

Age 11: Got contacts and wore them for a year until they tore. Wrote despairing diary entry about how I would never be pretty.

Age 13: Second try at contacts, which I wore daily with no issues through the rest of middle school and most of high school.

Age 17: Got an eye infection. Started wearing reasonably sized glasses with metal frames that gave me itchy skin on the side of my nose (allergies to the metal)

College: Wore glasses with thin metal frames that gave me dents on the side of my nose from the nose pads. Contacts for special occasions, since I could get about 4 hours of wear in before my eyes turned red.

Age 23: With financial indepence and my own vision insurance I could spend the money on more stylish frames. Wore rimless titanium glasses and felt reasonably attractive while wearing those. The glasses still gave me nose dents and I stuck to contacts for social occasions.

Age 27: Hit the holy grail of glasses, that I'm still wearing today. Plastic cateye frames that don't irritate my skin or have nose pads to dent my skin. They don't bend out of shape the way metal frames do and I'm happy to wear them everyday.

Age 30: Added flattering prescription sunglasses to the repertoire (thanks to YLF help). I don't know how I lived without these before. It's so nice not to deal with dry eyes from contacts plus sunglasses.

Wearing glasses was a huge hit to my self esteem when I was a tween/teen. Now as an adult, I feel perfectly attractive and stylish in my glasses and feel my face looks bare without them. I only wear my contacts to very formal occasions (weddings) since the glasses clash with my clothes.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Hm, probably because I currently own seven pair of sunnies and wear them all? Eek, that'd be pricey.
Anyway, I do think I should wear my specs more. After all, I told my husband I was "investing" in an expensive pair so I WOULD wear them more.

nancylee

Veteran

I wear my contacts about 90% of the time. They're just more comfortable to me than glasses, which tend to make my face hot and sweaty. I work out or do yoga every day so I really like the ease of contacts. I remember trying to go running when I first started wearing glasses...it was ridiculous! They bounced up and and and fogged up and slid off my nose, so I quickly switched to contacts and never looked back. I wear dailies and they couldn't be easier.

I started wearing glasses when I was 28, so that's about 20 years now. My eyesight hasn't changed much in all those years, but now that I'm older I have to wear readers over my contacts (like Suz). It's choice between that and whipping my glasses on and off to be able to read or see distance. I suppose bifocals are in the near future...sigh.

Yesterday I posted a bunch of specs photos, and with your help I think I'm going to go ahead and order a new pair of Kate Spades. All the fashionable specs wearers on YLF have spurred me to wear glasses more often....I just need to get a cool pair!

Jonesy

Veteran

You are sweet to say that, Kari. My glasses are below. It's funny: I deliberately chose them because they are nerdy, retro, etc.

I should add that since my eyes have grown older, I now wear monovision contacts (one that corrects for distance, one for close up). I tried wearing reading glasses over my contacts and I experienced extreme nausea, plus I'm just not keen on that whole peer over my reading glasses look just yet (I'm 44--maybe in another 10 I won't care!). I love the monovision contacts; I adapted right away.

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