Question about contacts

austxgrl

I decided to try to switch to contacts after having glasses for about 6 years.  I love my opthomologist and she is trying out several different types/brands of contacts to see what works best for me.  I'm going on week 3 of the contacts and am still having a hard time putting them in and with the comfort while they are in.  I am using drops as much as possible and for the most part they are fine but there are moments when they are extremely uncomfortable.  Did anyone have issues with putting them in and comfort at first but eventually got used to them?  If so, how long before you really got used to them?  Any tips/pointers that I might not know?  Thanks! 

amycathy

I have had mine for about 15 years and hated taking them in and out, but about 2 years ago I converted over to the type that stay in for 30-days straight and that has made a tremendous difference.

I also make sure to keep eye-drops on hand and wear sunglasses when outdoors.

Sorry I can't be more helpful then that.

 

Amy

flymansWife

amycathy:

I have had mine for about 15 years and hated taking them in and out, but about 2 years ago I converted over to the type that stay in for 30-days straight and that has made a tremendous difference.

ditto. its the in & out that seems to particularly bother my eyes so switching to ones i was allowed to sleep in was helpful for me.

i'm trying to remember exactly cause i started wearing them 10 years ago... but i think i tried 3 brands before trying accuvues which were the only ones that were comfortable for me

angelaggie

I wore them for well over 10 years and really only had problems when wearing them for a long day, or when my allergies were bad.  I loved the disposable ones, and my brother has the 30 day ones and he likes them a lot. 

Eye drops are a must.  You'll get use to them though, it just takes a while.

Leigha12

I'm going to advise against the kind you can sleep in.  Knowing what I know now, I'm glad I didn't wear mine too routinely over night, but the more you wear them, the more your eye changes shape and your prescription shifts. I had lasik 2 years ago and it took over a month in glasses for my eye shape to go back to normal and my vision improved in that time even before the lasik. 

I had 2 week disposables (I wore them during the day for 2 weeks and then threw them out). Most of the time they didn't last 2 weeks because my eyes were so dry, they got uncomfortable. If you have dry eyes naturally, allergies, or sleep with your eyes partially open (turns out this is my problem), contacts may never be completely comfortable.  Before I moved to Austin, I had no problems (so for about 6 years), but the allergens in Austin combined with my apparently slightly cracked open eyes made contacts miserable for me.  Have your doctor check on the other issues that could be exacerbating the discomfort issue.

As for taking them in and out, they will always be soft and a pain when new.

AustinBride06

I've heard the 30 day ones are great.

I really think it's a matter of finding the brand you like (now I'm laughing at that 1-800-contacts commercial... "Look! Look with your special eyes!" "My BRAND!" hahaha).  I tried the one that my Dr. recommended and didn't like it.  Then he said I could do a study for Acuvue Oasys and I really liked those but they were expensive I think.  So I went back to the ones I had before I started going to this Dr... I think they're called extremeH20 or something like that.  Really comfortable, though I have astigmatism now and that took some getting used to at first.

Nessia

You should probably try a different type since everyone's eyes are different. DH like the Acuvue Air-optics but I didn't. I prefer the Acuvue Oasis.

gofurr25

I had problems with soft contacts and now wear rigid gas permeable (hard) lenses. I love them. They are a lot easier to put in and take out IMO.

gwynnetx

i've worn contacts for 25 years, so i don't really remember how they felt when i first got them.  but i don't remember having big problems.  it took a while to get used to getting them in and out with some flare, and i've always had the daily wear ones.  if i sleep in them overnight, it's like they're glued to my eyes, and i have to use drops to uncement them.  other than that, no problems really.

do you have hard or soft contacts? 

OrangeFelt

Good question!  Are they hard or soft?

For me - I've been wearing soft contacts since I was like in the 8th grade.. they weren't ever annoying UNTIL I switched brands last year.  It turned out that the material it was made out of was WAY too sensitive to water (Focus Night & Days) - so if my hands were wet, or, if I was swimming and water got in my goggles, it would degrade my contacts and bug the bejeebus out of me. 

I ended up asking my Dr about it, and he switched me over to one that isn't so sensitive (Biofinity), and its smooth sailing once again.  I did have to let my eyes heal a bit first before it got comfy again.  The ones I was on to begin with were Air Optix, and those were pretty good as well.

AustinAggie

It took trying a couple of brands to find the right ones for me.  One brand BURNED big time whenever I put them in, another brand irritated my eyes all day long.  It wasn't the cleaning solution, which was my first thought, it was the materials used in the actual contact that wasn't working for my body.  I now wear the 30-day, soft kind but I CANNOT wear them to sleep in.  My eyes are terribly dry when I wake up and like pp said, they are basically cemented to my eyes.  So, I switch contacts every 60 days, since I don't sleep in them.  Even though I've been wearing contacts for years, there are still days here and there where I have trouble getting them in.  Once they are in, I can't feel them at all.  Others might have a different opinion, but I think if you can feel them in, then you should try a different brand. If it's a matter of dry eyes when they are in, get some good drops.  Good luck.  It does take time to adjust.

shanwalk2

DH has the 30 day ones as well, but does not wear them at night - due to an increased risk of infection (and his sensitive eyes). 

He too still has days where he can't wear them because they bother him so much.  When his allergies are at the worst, he has to wear glasses.  Also, the first thing he does when he gets home is take out his contacts.

I'm with others... see if there is a different brand that's a better fit!

SaraLouiseBride08

First of all, it's much harder for adults to adjust for contacts than children. I guess we're just stubborn SO, make sure to give it some time. Each pair of contacts you try - make sure you are following your doctors instructions and really giving them an honest shot. They do take some adjustment. I'm not trying to say you're not doing this, but our experience was, most adults who "gave up" or insisted they just couldn't wear contacts, we felt just hadn't really tried. In other words, it's not you; it can be hard to adjust, and it may take some patience.

If you have dry eyes, I'd also not recomend sleeping in them. Granted, when I worked for an optometrist, it was 6 years ago and the technology of sleepign in contacts was still relatively new. I know a lot has changed since then. However, lots of patients' eyes just couldn't handle that and many didn't sleep in contacts, even those that were made to be slept in.

And feel free to ask your doctor for more trial pairs! They get those things for free by the boatload. If you don't like a pair and want to try another, ask your doctor if she doesn't offer it up. If you think you really liked a pair and they might be the ones, ask for another trial pair of those when the original pair is done - then you can be sure!

Oh, and don't get suckered into buying a whole years worth right away. Just buy a box or two (the minimum) when you do decide. That way if 2 months down the road you decide you hate them, you aren't stuck with a ton of unusable contacts. They (optomotrists, this may not be true of opthamologists) make the bulk of their money selling contacts, and doctors will pressure you!