Contact Lenses

Dancer

I have been wearing glasses for about 4 ½ years and it is likely that this could end up being a full time thing for me. I have astigmatism as well as being short sighted and I have noticed that it has been gradually worsening. My mum has been talking to me over the last few months about getting contact lenses especially if I feel that I need to start wearing my glasses more often. I need to get an eye test soon because I don't actually remember when I last had one. What advantages and disadvantages would you say there are of wearing contact lenses rather than glasses? Is it better to start with daily lenses or monthly lenses? Are contact lens checks painful?

Aoife

These are some really great questions @Dancer! I'm a fellow contact lens wearer and I remember feeling quite nervous when going to try them out for the first time. It didn't hurt at all during the checkups. I remember finding it hard to put them in my eyes for the first time and in my first appointment, you have to be able to do that on your own before they give them to you. I remember it took me ages trying to do it and my eyes kept watering, but they are there to help you and have lots of tips to help you get used to it. I think what makes it difficult is stopping your eyes from blinking because it's a natural reflex, but you soon get used to it

It's really easy to put them in now, it only took a few days to get used to and I find them so helpful to wear. I never really used to wear my glasses when I left the house so having contact lenses has been much better for me. I use the daily ones

I found some info on Boot's website which has some tips for people who a new to contact lenses - https://www.boots.com/opticians-advice/advice-contact-lenses/discover-contact-lenses

How are you feeling about getting contact lenses?

Stellaluna

@Dancer It might come down to a matter of personal preference, and whatever you find easiest and more comfortable to wear. Sometimes glasses can dig into the skin, and you may still be able to see the frames in the background. Contact lenses may be easier if you do physical activities or lots of sport but using lenses requires strict hygiene and can make people’s eyes feel dry so getting some eye drops may be helpful. Glasses may be cheaper long term with a one-off payment compared to buying repeated boxes of lenses. Not getting water onto your contact lenses and not swimming or sleeping with lenses in is important as this can lead to eye infections. When using contact lenses, thorough hand washing before putting them in and when talking them out is essential and they can only be cleaned with saline solution, not water.

It might be best to talk to an optician so they can properly guide you through the different options and types of lenses. You might get the chance to try out different brands, some daily lenses, or monthly ones and be shown how to put them in properly by the optician as well as monitor your eye health. It could also be an idea to start with daily lenses whilst you get used to them as they do not have to be stored or cleaned after use, you simply thrown them away. Then once you get more used to lenses you might want to move to monthly which could work out cheaper. It might feel strange putting in the lenses at first and they might feel slightly uncomfortable to start with until you become more familiar with them.
Here are some tips from Specsavers on using contact lenses https://www.specsavers.co.uk/contact-lenses/care/wearing-contact-lenses
Here is a link for putting lenses in https://www.visiondirect.co.uk/contact-lenses/how-to-put-in-contact-lenses

Ed_

The major disadvantage for me was that I could only get the contact in one of my eyes, I seemed to have some reflex that made me blink when I tried to touch my other eye, and gave up after about 3 hours in the opticians with them trying to help me. Was quite a funny memory now looking back on it

AislingDM

Love that you're asking this, good research (especially from actual contact lens wearers) is important because it allows you to make an informed decision @Dancer !

Pros:

- Can do cool eye makeup in a detailed way, without making mistakes as easily.
- Not having glasses colour clash with outfit colour
- wearing sunglasses/3d glasses
- Just having the choice to wear them or not

Cons:
- HYGIENE, I am super cautious about washing my hands thoroughly before ever touching my lenses, yet I've still ended up with lenses having dirt on them or lenses tearing or even the beginnings of conjunctivitis. You've got to be very careful.
- Cost, generally they're expensive and this is even more true when you have Astigmatism (I also have one).
- Making the choice between dailies and monthlies, are you someone who can take good care of lenses over a long period of time? or would you prefer the ease of taking lenses out and throwing them away immediately?
- Some people become dependent on contacts, people say that they can dislike how they look with their glasses on because they prefer the lenses. However, this does not have to be a problem and every person is different.
- Different activities are a bit annoying when you're wearing them, like swimming, showering, putting on sun cream etc...

Either way, I'm glad I have them !!! xxx