Contact Lenses

Tomorrow I am going for a consultation to see if I can get contact lenses. I am 17 and I hate wearing glasses in many social situations such as going out. I feel nerdy and I am always the only one with glasses in the group I habg with. So I want to get contacts. I want to know if any people have had good/bad experiences with wearing them.

I am okay with putting something in my eyes but I hope that everytime I blink I won't feel discomfort or even pain. I think I will be getting the daily ones.

Barbie_666

Im going next friday!:)
Im 17 too, and feel the same way as you do...
C'MON PEOPLE!!!! ADVICE!!!!!!!!!!

Cucullan

dont have contacts but best of luck if it was painful they would'nt be succesful.

lisa.c

ya best of luck think of it as astep forward.

tea

Started wearing contacts about a year ago (dailies). They were a little uncomfortable for the first two weeks and unbelievably difficult to put in and take out (spent about half an hour taking one out once).

Bit of time and practice later, and I haven't looked back. Still wear glasses for most things, but for sports and socialising the contacts can't be beat.

kano476

if your getting contacts you should reallly think about laser eye treatment. not sure bout prices but i saw it for 800 sterling for each eye in the paper. theres clinic near baggot street in dublin havent a clue what they charge though.

ive talked to people who have got it done and they all now have 20/20 vision and are delighted with it.

Okay, so I did a search on contact lenses and found many recent threads on the subject. Very useful. I think I will also be buying my lenses online after I get my prescription.

Tomorrow I am being charged €32 for a consultation and I get a free five day trial. Is this right?
I have had problems with the place before and seeing as I am only 17 I am sure they won't be too long to try and rip me off.

Laser surgery is pretty much out of the question because my eyes are still developing and is is too much money to be asking the father for. Maybe when I am in my late 20's or so I will.

Nala

€32 and a 5 day trial sounds about right.

Originally posted by David Lynch
Tomorrow I am going for a consultation to see if I can get contact lenses. I am 17 and I hate wearing glasses in many social situations such as going out. I feel nerdy and I am always the only one with glasses in the group I habg with. So I want to get contacts. I want to know if any people have had good/bad experiences with wearing them.

I am okay with putting something in my eyes but I hope that everytime I blink I won't feel discomfort or even pain. I think I will be getting the daily ones.

The most important advice I can give you is
DON'T WEAR THEM FOR LONGER THAN YOUR OPTICIAN ADVISES .

I was 16 when I got contacts (monthly disposables), and I got them for the exact same reasons as you. However, I was told to only wear them 6 days a week, for 8 hours at a time.However, I loved them so much that I gave into the temptation and just wore them all the time. I always thought "It's only a few extra hours, what harm can it do?". I also got all-in-one solutions for them (made by a company called AMO, formerly Allergan). The optician told me to rub my contacts with my finger every night to clean them. However, after a couple of months, it said on the bottle that the formula had been changed, andrunning was no longer neccessary. So I just put them in their holder to soak in the solution ovenight.

A year and a half later, I get some redness in my left eye. I remember my optician saying "If you get any redness, come in for a checkup because it could be something serious". Of course I reason, "Lots of people get redness from time to time, optician's probably just trying to make money out of me" and go to the chemist, who says it's conjunctivitis and gives me some eye drops.

A few weeks later I go to my optician for a long overdue eyesight test and checkup. She can't test my eyesight because my eyes are so swollen from wearing my contacts so much. She tells me it will take a week for them to go back to normal.
A week later, my optician examines my eyes. She asks me had I had anything wrong with my left eye. I told her "Oh, it was a bit red, the chemist said it was conjunctivitis". The optician said it wasn't, my eye had become infected from overwearing the contacts and that I was lucky I hadn't lost my sight. She said I had a scar across my eye. I've been for a checkup with a different optician since who also remarked that my eye was scarred. She also asked about how I was cleaning my contacts, and I told herit said on the bottle that the formula had been changed, andrunning was no longer neccessary, so I just put them in their holder to soak in the solution ovenight.She then said that was just a gimmick, and that I should've been cleaning them as she'd instructed.

My optician got pretty mad at me for wearing them so much and not cleaning them properly and said they were the worst case she had ever seen, and showed me a picture of what my eye looked like. The picture was on a chart of different amounts of damage done to eyes because of overuse, and mine was the second worst. It was disgusting.

I hope my story will sho how important it is to follow your optician's advice.
A lot of people will tell you the reason why opticians advise regular checkups is to make money ("golf money" as one moron put it) but it really is important. Get your eyes looked at by an optician if something goes wrong. A chemist does not have the knowledge or equipment to diagnose correctly. A lot of people will think of me as a fool for the mistakes I made, and I'd agree with them, however a lot of people make the same mistakes, it's all too easy to. I know a girl who wears her contacts as much as I did, and I told her my experience. She was also not cleaning hers properly and I told her what my optician had told me. She just shrugged it off. Her optician has already warned her several times her eyes are becoming progressively more and more damaged, but she just ignores him.

Basically the bottom line is, do as your optician advises. They id a 5-year degree, they have some pretty advanced equipment, and they know what they're talking about.

Lady

I'm 16 and i tried them when I was 15 no luck though found them to hard to put in and out so gave up hate wearing glasses though.:rolleyes:

EKRIUQ

I've been wearing contact lenses for many years now and their great. The technolgy has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. When I first started wearing them the were yearly lenses and it really pissed me off having to clean them every night and to put them in acid once a week to get rid of the protein build up on them and I was always getting eye infections but nowadays since switching over to dailys no problems.:D

Okay their abit more expensive than monthy disposeables but no clening and when their only for one day their also very thin and comfortable. for 60 day worth cost €75 in specsavers but that could last me 3 months as I don't wear them every day.

There so much better than glasses sure you won't know your self

Reading Neev's post:

*Gulp*

Kêrmêttê

Right, I've been wearing contacts for about 12 years at this stage and I've tried out many different kinds.

When you begin to wear them for the first time, or after a huge gap from the last time, you should build up your wearing time gradually. 2 hours the first day, 3 hours the second day, 4 hours the third day etc etc. This is to allow your eye to become used to the lense. If you wear them too long too soon you will be irritated and red.

Remember what your optition tells you about cleaning them. Different types of lenses need different solutions. I have the old style 2 year lenses that you clean and wear again. These types of lenses need to be soaked with a protein removal tablet once a month because a persons tears contains a certain amount of mucus which builds up a gritty substance on the lense.
If you use the monthly, weekly or daily lenses its sufficiant to use the all in one sollutions only. BUT remember the "No Rub" thing on the box is lies... you need to rub the lenses with the solution gently to get rid of any dirt.

I also have the montly Johnson and Johnson Colours and although they are more flimsy than the 2 year lenses they are more comfy to wear and more convenient to look after. If i drop them too, they are easier to find because they are coloured blue.

* It's recommended that you NEVER go on an airplane wearing your lenses because they can dehydrate rather quickly and become uncomfortable.
* It's recommended that you give yourself a break from wearing the lenses at least 1 day a week.
* Also, it's recommended that you try not to wear the lenses for longer than 10-12 hours a day.
* Unless you have the special "wear all the time, even when you're asleep" lenses, please try not to go asleep with your lenses in. They will become dehydrated and when you wake up it will look like your room is full of smoke (they become sort of foggy - I have learned this thru drunken stupidity of falling asleep wearing said lenses)
* For the first few months make sure you have your glasses and a spare lens case with you all the time in case you need to remove the lenses because of discomfort.
* Also I find it's useful to buy those special little capsules of eyedrops to carry round in my bag or pocket just incase i feel the lenses drying out.
Just so you know... your eyes will start to feel a bit itchy and may even feel like you have a bit of sand in ur eyes when the lenses start to dehydrate.
* Sometimes the lense might slide upwards away from the coloured part of your eye. Dont worry about this, it can't disappear round the back of your eye and get lost. Just close your eye and move ur eyes around like mental and the lense should slide back into place eventually. It took me 20 mins once but it didnt hurt.

If everything is fine you should not even realise you have a lens in. They really are THAT comfy.

I've also checked out the laser surgery treatment too. And I have discovered that the best place to have it done is in a clinic in Terenure in Dublin. It costs approx €2,000 per eye. And it is really designed for people older then say, late 20's. This is because a persons eyesight will not settle down until their late 20's early 30's and theres no point doing laser treatment on a teenager because it will have to be done again in another few years.
I know it's possible to get it done much cheaper in the UK, BUT, 80% of patients need to return for some touch up laser treatment and it's just more convenient to hop on a bus or jump in your car instead of hauling yourself over to the UK again for a 20 minute consulation.

I didnt mean to ramble on so long... but I've learned all this info the hard way and I hope it helps anyone thinking about contacts or laser treatment.

seamus

Originally posted by David Lynch
Reading Neev's post:

*Gulp*

Her case is a bit of a nightmare story. The vast majority of people have no problems whatsoever. If your optician is good, he'll give you the best contacts for your eyes/vision/circumstances.
I've been wearing monthly disposable contacts for about 6 years. I was young when I first got them, and I was paying for them myself, so I didn't wear them all the time, both because the optician said my eyes needed time (a few months) to get used to wearing them for extended periods, and because I wanted them to last as long as possible - they say monthly disposables, but depending on how little you wear them, you can get 6-8 weeks out of them (as my optician said, I'm not just making that up ).
About 4 years ago I started wearing them long term. Now I wear them pretty much from when I wake, to when I go to bed, 7 days a week, and haven't noticed much of an issue with them. With new lenses, about 16 hours is the limit before they get sore and irritated (depending on what I'm doing), and older lenses last maybe 10 hours before I have to take them out.

There are just some golden rules about lenses:
1. Always clean them when you take them out, and put fresh solution in the case (if applicable).
2. Never ever clean your lenses or the case with water of any kind.
3. If your eyes start to itch, become sore or irritated, or start to fog over (interested thing the first time it happens), remove your lenses as soon as you can.
4. If your lens hurts you when you put it in, don't keep blinking in the hope that it'll fit, remove it, wash your bare eye out with solution, and clean the lens again. If this does not work after 3 goes, throw the lens away. It's ****ed.
5. Never ever attempt to put scratched, chipped or otherwise damaged lenses in your eye.

They're far less hassle than they appear to be.

simu

I've been wearing them about 6 years, never had any problems although I always wear them way longer than the recommended 8 hours a day. (Though, reading some of the horror stories above, maybe you shouldn't do that!)

The Song Thrush

I've been wearing contacts for over 2 years now, since I was 16.
Never had any problems, and don't regret getting them at all. They made me feel better in looks department and I wasn't being called a nerd or Harry Potter anymore.:rolleyes:
In the first week though it took me about 30 minutes to put them in, I almost broke down in tears it was so frustrating! But now it only takes 2-3 minutes. And if you're rushed in the morning before work/school you'll have to get up about 5-10 minutes earlier.
If you think you can take good care of them, then definitely get them!

lyonsy

i'm seriously thinking of getting them aswell, but i'd be getting them for socialising and thats kinda a catch-22 cos if putting them in and taking them out is so hard, and ya need to take them out before going to sleep, then it'll be hard as f uck to take them out when i come home after a lorrie load of drink on a sat nite...so getting them for socialising may not be a good idea...i dont wanna end up poking my eye out or summit, like

seamus

Originally posted by lyonsy
i'm seriously thinking of getting them aswell, but i'd be getting them for socialising and thats kinda a catch-22 cos if putting them in and taking them out is so hard, and ya need to take them out before going to sleep, then it'll be hard as f uck to take them out when i come home after a lorrie load of drink on a sat nite...so getting them for socialising may not be a good idea...i dont wanna end up poking my eye out or summit, like

Nah, it's not. I've managed to always take them out, even in some absolutely rotten states. Just make sure you're well happy with removing them. That's the easy bit anyway. You'll be lucky too. When I first wore contacts out, I hadn't had them long, and the smoke in pubs was killing me. You won't have to deal with that

Jip

I once had the hard lenses, most painful thing in my life, I'd say I only wore them about 3 times ever because they were so uncomfortable so that put me off lenses for a while. Went back again after a few years a few years ago and got sorted with daily disposable lenses. Best things ever, like everything they take a biy of getting used to but they are very comfortable. If they're only for occasional use such as going out at weekends or playing sport I recommend them. There's no cleaning or maintanence to worry about and you just throw them in the bin afterwards.

One thing, what opticians are you using, I wouldn't recommend those get you in and out again express places.

W00T!

I went today and got tested. It took me less than 30 sconds to get them in and out and that was on my second go. I love them! I can now see everything and they are so comfortable and clear. Its like seeing when I was younger. I love my contact lenses.

The Sweeper

That's really cool to hear.

If you have vision that can be corrected with contact lenses, then they really are far superior to specs. The return of your peripheral vision is amazing - I'm not surprised you feel the way you do.

Now, if only you could just stop pushing that invisible pair of glasses up your nose...

seamus

Originally posted by Minesajackdaniels
If you have vision that can be corrected with contact lenses, then they really are far superior to specs. The return of your peripheral vision is amazing - I'm not surprised you feel the way you do.

I take it for granted now. Wearing glasses just feels so restrictive and makes you feel blind - particularly when driving a motorbike.

Now, if only you could just stop pushing that invisible pair of glasses up your nose...

Takes about 6 months. Although I still do it from time to time.

Imposter

I got lenses a few months ago and use them now usually only for sport. I ended up getting dailies as my eyes were over-sensitive and the solutions caused my eyes to go very red.

Initially I tried wearing them to the pub and stuff but the smoke really got to me and I had to take them out. Another thing I find is that in front of a computer my eyes dry out really quickly and therefore I cannot wear them when using a computer. In saying that I don't wear my glasses in front of the computer either. Has anyone else had this problem?

jor el

Mine tend to dry out in work, I blame a combination of being in from of a monitor all day and the damn air conditioning.
Also, one word of warning, if you go out drinking and you're wareing the lenses, don't forget to take them out before going to bed. You may not be able to open your eyes in the morning otherwise. Not that I'd do anything like that :dunno:

Oh, its so amazing. I got home and started dancing through my kitchen while singing 'I CAN SEE!!!', the smile hasn't left my face. To top it off I got my exam results posted today and got the points that I was hoping for.

I keep pointing my index finger towards the top of my nose. But no glasses! My mind keeps saying to myslef 'Hey, shouldn't you be wearing your glasses?', its a shock sometimes!

One thing, I feel like one of my eye's eyesight is out of focus a smidgen because of the new lenses, is this normal, is it just my eyes getting used to the contacts?

I love contacts.

munkeehaven

Tomorrow I am going for a consultation to see if I can get contact lenses. I am 17 and I hate wearing glasses in many social situations such as going out. I feel nerdy and I am always the only one with glasses in the group I habg with. So I want to get contacts. I want to know if any people have had good/bad experiences with wearing them.

tis a pity that you feel so bad about glasses but seriously dont you think that sa bit like something out of ''clueless'' saying that you feel like a nerd??!! man some of the nerdiest people dont wear glasses.as for me i dont think ill ever wear contacts..just couldnt be bothered as im not great with things like sticking em in and out etc. the way i see it you just got to be comfortable with yourself whether you wear glasses or not and at the end of the day you are just the same person minus the glasses

Well its not lie I'm scared to leave the house or anything, but I would feel better about my own self image if I didn't have to wear glasses. I like wearing glasses sometimes. I have these cool pseudo-intellectual type glasses which I really like wearing in some situations but I still feel nerdy and I think that some people see the glasses first.

Im also 17 and, pretty much like everyone else, am very self conscious and people my age sometimes only get to know the real person that you are inside, if they like how a person looks on the outside. It might seem shallow but it s very true for teenagers. Also how a person looks on the outside shapes and changes who they are inside and I think that if I continued wearing glasses I would continue to feel self concious, They have done enough damage already so why put up with them when their is a better alternative available.

munkeehaven

you must hang around with some fairly shallow people!! whenever i get new glasses ive always been complimented,,, and it has never hindered my ability to get a guy......to be honest its probably easier for a guy to have glasses cos all my friends are always like oo it makes him look sooo intellectual!!......i have glasses that are purple-lined----its suits my personality--i dont care what people think---and if people(girls) start noticing you just cos you got rid of your glasses then you should wonder what kind of person they are.....

munkeehaven

and i know what you mean about teenagers being so shallow im 18!!!!

Nala

Originally posted by seamus
About 4 years ago I started wearing them long term. Now I wear them pretty much from when I wake, to when I go to bed, 7 days a week, and haven't noticed much of an issue with them. With new lenses, about 16 hours is the limit before they get sore and irritated (depending on what I'm doing), and older lenses last maybe 10 hours before I have to take them out.

You really should cut down the hours you're wearing them, you're doing the same thing I did and now my eyes are irreversibly damaged. Have you been for a full eye exam lately? Maybe you should consider it just to be on the safe side.

Great advice in the rest of the post though.

Another thing David Lynch-don't shower or swim while wearing your contacts. Water contains bacteria that will stick to your contacts.

Also if you're wearing them on the beach, wear sunglasses or preferably just wear your normal glasses- you DON'T want to get sand or salty water on your contacts!

seamus

Originally posted by neev
You really should cut down the hours you're wearing them, you're doing the same thing I did and now my eyes are irreversibly damaged. Have you been for a full eye exam lately? Maybe you should consider it just to be on the safe side.

Great advice in the rest of the post though.

Another thing David Lynch-don't shower or swim while wearing your contacts. Water contains bacteria that will stick to your contacts.

Also if you're wearing them on the beach, wear sunglasses or preferably just wear your normal glasses- you DON'T want to get sand or salty water on your contacts!

Yeah, I probably won't learn anything until I do some damage. I swim with them in too

As for the shallowness factor, it's mostly within people's heads. People might not think they're nerdy or unattractive, but it's a cultural thing that nerds wear glasses, and when the girl goes to kiss the nerdy guy, she removes his big, thick-rimmed glasses, and voila! - he's a complete hunk.
Contacts serve the same purpose as breast implants. They're not strictly necessary, and don't change a person inside, but give them an extra confidence, restore something that they imagine is missing.
And regardless of what people say, they do change someone's perceptions of you, particularly on first impression. People who first met wearing glasses comment that I seem more approachable and open without them, and people first met me wearing contacts comment that I seem more intelligent and less intimidating with glasses on.

People are funny.

Nala

Yeah.

Glasses, braces, dark hair, Internet mad and doing a Science degree-
I'm your stereotypical nerd!!!!!


And proud of it.

seamus

Braces, dark hair, eh? Pics?

(Down seamus, contain youself)

Flashling

Yeah, I gots me my glasses too,I already have braces and I'm freakishly tall for my age (All the other kids are midgets, it's weird!), so I don't wear them and stumble around in a state of fuzzy bliss... It's like being drunk* all the time!
*Not that I would know. Hem.
Can you get contacts when you're 14?

Nala

Originally posted by Flashling
Yeah, I gots me my glasses too,I already have braces and I'm freakishly tall for my age (All the other kids are midgets, it's weird!), so I don't wear them and stumble around in a state of fuzzy bliss... It's like being drunk* all the time!
*Not that I would know. Hem.
Can you get contacts when you're 14?

I was the exact same, all the other girls in my year (bar about 3) were barely past 5 foot. I'm 5'9",which isn't freakishly tall........right?????
I like my braces.

The Song Thrush

Originally posted by jor el
Mine tend to dry out in work, I blame a combination of being in from of a monitor all day and the damn air conditioning.
Also, one word of warning, if you go out drinking and you're wareing the lenses, don't forget to take them out before going to bed. You may not be able to open your eyes in the morning otherwise. Not that I'd do anything like that :dunno:

Well I've fallen asleep a few times with the lenses on and when I woke up each time the lenses were still intact, no damage done. :dunno:

Cake Fiend

Originally posted by neev
I like my braces.

*spooge*

I started wearing contacts when I was 16 IIRC, and I've never looked back. I could never go back to glasses, I hated the things. I currently wear the 'all-day-all-night' specsavers lenses which I put in at the beginning of the month and don't take out till the end of the month. They rock hard. When I was wearing the standard monthly type lenses, I used to fall asleep with them in occasionally (then have to *peel* them off my eyes...) so I'm glad not to have to worry about that anymore. It's also helpful if you get lucky on a night out - I'm sure watching someone peel out contacts before getting in the sack is not really the most romantic thing ever.

But there's a lot of responsibility attached to contact lenses - which is why most opticians won't supply them to children under 16. You only have one pair of eyes so take care of them. If an optician tells you to do something, funnily enough, it's probably for your eye health. They tend to know about these things, being opticians and all. Be careful with your lenses.

DEmeant0r

I was thinking of getting laser surgery within a few years, but at what age does the eyes stop growing? I'm 17 atm, so at what age would be recommended to do the surgery? Thought of getting contacts also, might get by the end of this year.

seamus

Originally posted by Demeant0r
I was thinking of getting laser surgery within a few years, but at what age does the eyes stop growing? I'm 17 atm, so at what age would be recommended to do the surgery? Thought of getting contacts also, might get by the end of this year.

Some opticians will let you do it at 18/20, but most recommend waiting until you're 25.
Your eyes continue to deteriorate. Getting it when you're younger could end up pointless if you need glasses again by the time you're 30.

DEmeant0r

I guess, seems awfully expensive though. Might wear contacts until I'm like 24/25 and then get the surgery, by then hopefully the technology would have improved as well.

seamus

Originally posted by Demeant0r
I guess, seems awfully expensive though. Might wear contacts until I'm like 24/25 and then get the surgery, by then hopefully the technology would have improved as well.

It's over 30 years old, there's not a whole lot to worry about

dark_knight_ire

I once wore contacts but got laser ops done on my eyes best money i ever spent six years later still 22/20 vison lol can just about see the made in china print on the eye chart.

Originally posted by munkeehaven
you must hang around with some fairly shallow people!!

No, my friends accept me for who I am and love me anyway, but all I am saying is that people's images affects other people's perception of them.
I hated that when I went out I had to not wear my glasses to look better, I look better without thm, but I couln't see. Contacts let me see when I am out and I don't have to wear glasses.

DEmeant0r

Originally posted by seamus
It's over 30 years old, there's not a whole lot to worry about

Well the failure rate is still quite high, 'tis a risk. I'm contemplating getting contacts but I was also planning to get surgery initially in 2/3 years time. I don't know what to do now. :dunno:

Nala

Originally poste by neev
I like my braces.

Originally posted by Sico
*spooge*

Huh????!!!?????!!!!???

seamus

Originally posted by neev
Huh????!!!?????!!!!???

Translated: Braces == dead sexy.

Nala

Well fanks!!

Kêrmêttê

Originally posted by seamus
Some opticians will let you do it at 18/20, but most recommend waiting until you're 25.
Your eyes continue to deteriorate. Getting it when you're younger could end up pointless if you need glasses again by the time you're 30.

If you desperately want laser surgery any optition will refer you to the surgeon but you might have to twist the surgeon's arm rather hard to make him do the procedure if your under 25. Therefore, you'd have to pay a rather large consultation fee (over €100) for being told your too young.

Most surgeons won't even consider treating you with laser surgery until your late 20's early 30's. That's because new research has found that the use of computer screens prolongs the degeneration of short-sightedness and a lot of the younger population have turned into mouse potatoes.

I'm now 30 yrs of age and my eyesight has changed 4 times since I was 25. By rights it should have settled down long ago but my over use of my computer has been blamed. I work 8 hours a day on a pc and then come home to play on the pc for another 4 hours. Honestly, that really can't be good for anyone's eyesight.

I enquired about laser surgery only 1 month ago from a few different opthalmic sources (cos i didn't believe my own optition). I'm sick of the the frikkin glasses and bashing into furniture on my way to the loo in the middle of the night coz I can't sleep with my contact lenses in.

I just ordered 3 months supply of daily disposable bausch and lomb contact lenses from visionexpress. How long do they take to arrive?