Contacts

[BoredBloke]

I've managed to leave my glasses at home. While I can function without them, driving is not going to be an option. Rather than buying a new pair for the week I was toying with trying out contacts - Being a bit of a puff in this department, I'm not keen on dropping something onto my eye. Stupid question alert then - what's it like getting them in and out?

[dang65]

There's a reflex blink which makes it difficult to put them in at first, but you get over that very quickly. Same with taking them out. I just grab them now. Surprising how squishy the eyes are and how they return instantly to shape, like squeezing a jelly or something.

That hasn't helped has it?

[BoredBloke]

No that's not helped much!

Do they iritate the eye? Like I said, I can fuction without my glasses, which is how I managed to forget them. But I like the idea of not having glasses - just not keen on putting them in and taking them out!

[Spacecadet]

I tried contacts few years ago (approx 1995-1997)
As a life long spectacles wearer I never got used to them and ended up going back to glasses full time.

[TimberWolf]

I've never been able to see great with contacts, but I do use them on the odd occasion when I don't want to wear glasses or go without any correction. Rarely do I bother putting both lenses in though, one lens (usually in the dominant eye) works okay for me. I keep a contact or two in the car and in my sports bag. I use daily disposables but these can be awkward to put in as they are thin, and I've yet to identify consistently and conclusively whether they've flipped inside out or not, except by putting them in and trying them. I rarely wear contacts for more than a few hours a time.

They are not that hard to put in though a mirror essential, for me. You have to get them on the tip of a dryish index finger and let them be sucked on to the eye when contact is made. Try doing that with a wet finger though and they will have an affinity to stay on the end of the finger and will flip inside out if attempts are made to coaxed it off. Takes me about 30 seconds to get one in, though sometimes it can be a fiddle. Taking them out is easy, just a light tangential swipe. And what a relief that often is!

[lukemg]

Everyone thinks this at first and they can take a bit of geting used to as your eyes get used to them. Entirely depends on how much you want to wear them i.e. I will get laid more and can do sport and that means a lot to me - you will be fine : Errrr, I might quite like to put them in sometimes - you might not get used to them...
After a short time, popping them in and out is routine, even when smashed (bar the very occasional time I have left them in).
Disposables are great, old days off having to clean/neutralise was a right PITA.
HTH

[BlasterBates]

My sister used to wear contact lenses, it was just painful looking at her with her red watery eyes.

no thx

[GillsMan]

I wear glasses mostly, but if I'm going out, or wearing sunglasses or playing football (or at least attempting to) I wear contacts, Toric Dailies.

Absolutely hated them at first, putting them in and taking them out was a PITA. Much more comfortable now, though. Can get them in and out quite quickly, though I'm not at the stage where I can do either without a mirror tbh.

It's a steep learning curve, and the reflex blink is hard to deal with at first, but once you overcome it, it's much better!

[thunderlizard]

I've had them for a few years. I've always used the disposable ones, which (a) being floppy gel things are supposedly more comfortable than the glass sort, and (b) don't need you to set up a chemistry lab in your bathroom.

My optician (Specsavers) wouldn't let me start using them until I'd proved I could get them in and out unassisted. Most people manage this on their first appointment, but I "failed" (that blink reflex thing) on my first appointment, and had to come back for a second. A friend of mine had to come back every day for a week before she finally "passed", but we both use them like second nature now. At first, I used to allow 20 minutes in front of a specially purchased tabletop mirror for getting them in/out, in a battle of nerve between finger and eyelids. Now it takes seconds, but I still need the mirror.

For the first few weeks, after I'd had them in for upwards of 4 hours or so it started feeling a bit odd (slightly scratchy/sticky, but not painful at all), but then I got used to them and could have them in all day without noticing.

But it does feel brilliant when you start using them - like your eyes have been miraculously restored! Well worth it.

[dang65]

My sister used to wear contact lenses, it was just painful looking at her with her red watery eyes.

no thx

Yeah, you do learn to exercise very thorough hygiene after your first bout of conjunctivitis!