From glasses to contacts: anyone made the change and been happy?

[Commbubba19]

Plenty of comments already but I'll chime in.

Wore glasses on and off since middle school. I'm farsighted so I was able to get away with not wearing them much when i was younger. As I got older though it got worse until I pretty much needed them all the time. About 5 years ago i finally got sick of wearing glasses and talked to my doctor about contacts. I have to admit that for the first 6 months it was a pain. Like others, i got the 30 day wearables. I kept them in for a month at a time. Adding drops as needed.

This was fine for about 4 years but then i started having problems. You see when your eye detects a foreign object, it sometimes rejects it especially if your eyes get dry. I developed GPC's on the inside of my eyelid. Basically blisters from my eye lid rubbing on the contact lens. My doctor prescribed steroid drops and suggested a daily disposable or weekly wear and to take them out every night.

So I compromised and still use 30 day lenses but I take them out each night. So far that's been fine and I no longer have issues. Even with the problems I had, I still prefer contacts over glasses.

 

[lowflyn]

Have worn acuvue 2's for around 15 years now. Horrible vision (-6.5) with astigmatism in both eyes.

Can't stand glasses. Honestly i leave them in for weeks at a time and have done that for years with no ill effects. I have pictures done every year and vision hasn't changed in 13 years. Will probably end up doing lasik at some point.

My main reason for leaving them in is I literally can't read the clock next to the bed without correction. I hate waking up blind.

Sent from my XT1045 using Tapatalk

 

[Nanner]

I had lasic in 2001 - zero regrets.

 

[DHG1078]

I wore glasses for a few years after turning 15. My parents took me to get my eyes checked before starting to drive, and I needed a light prescription. I had prescription sunglasses and regular glasses, and I disliked it. Hated having to carry two pairs everywhere. After a few years I tried contacts, and never looked back. Haven't owned a pair of glasses since. My prescription is still fairly light, worst eye is -2.0. I can still read, both print and stuff on computer screens, and use microscopes and such with no problem.

My dad has really bad vision. He recently started trying out contacts, but still prefers his glasses. He struggles to read and see anything up close with them, which is a problem at work for him when he has to use a microscope frequently.

My brother has similarly bad vision to my dad, but I haven't heard him complaining about seeing things up close or anything.

 

[Gary Macomber]

I wore contacts for years and always hated them, now I wear only my glasses and am scheduled for Lasik on the 30th.

 

[DHG1078]

I wore contacts for years and always hated them, now I wear only my glasses and am scheduled for Lasik on the 30th.

When did you wear contacts? Contacts used to be a smaller diameter and much harder/less flexible. The newer ones are much larger in diameter and softer/more pliable and breathable. Although when I say newer I'm still talking about 15 years ago or so.

 

[Gravik]

I wear monthly's. Havent had glasses since I was 15

 

[Almighty-One]

I do both

Contacts for any activities (exercising, motorcycle, ect...)

Glasses for light duty (work, gaming, around the house, going out)

that way I give my eyes time to rest, but when the time comes I dont have to worry about losing/breaking my glasses (though I have a nice and a lounging.work pair of glasses)

 

[CCS_56_EX]

Glasses 1994-1996
Contacts 1996-2016 (didn't even own a pair of glasses)
Lasik 2 months ago

I never minded contacts - it took maybe 1 minute in the morning to put them in, and 30 seconds at night taking them out. Other than that, having them in felt no different than without, with the exception being contacts you can sleep in. Those seemed to be thicker, and I could feel them when they were in.

Times contacts did cause problems:
Riding a bicycle/motorcycle with crosswinds made me have to squint so they wouldn't fly out
Scuba diving - especially in the school when you have to flood your mask all the time
High dust situations

Contacts are also great at preventing you from crying when chopping onions!

 

[sunburned]

Contacts are also great at preventing you from crying when chopping onions!

Hmm, I didn't know it was the contacts that helped with this. My wife is basically bawling when she cuts up onions (no contacts or glasses), I don't even flinch with contacts.


I got glasses in college when I realized I wouldn't be able to see the chalkboards in huge lecture halls. I had a lot of trouble reading the boards in HS in small rooms, but suffered through it. Finally switched to contacts when I started playing softball and couldn't see the ball at night, but hated playing with the glasses.

I was fine with the same type of contacts for like 8-10 years, and all of a sudden they bother the shit out of my eyes. I had biomedic 2 week lenses and would usually wear them for a month or so, but always removed them at night to soak. A few months ago, all of a sudden I can't wear them for more than 3-4 days without blurry vision and feeling like there was sand in my eye. Just switched to dailies and they work much better, but they are damn expensive.

When I finally schedule a consultation, I'll go in and have Lasik done. So many good doctors in the DC area. My sister just had it done and it changed her life.

 

[Kevins89notch]

Contacts since like 93. I've always had monthly ones. Just take them out daily, toss them in the fluid, and throw them back in the next morning. Doesn't get much easier.

 

[roy_1031]

I use to wear glass for a few years then switched to contacts and wore those for about 8 years before I got laser eye surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it and pay even more. I wish I would've done it sooner.

I don't wear glasses or anything

Two good friends had laser eye surgery, their only regret....they waited

 

[george.arnold]

I wear daily contacts 99% of the time. Wore glasses for a year or so in HS after the DMV told me I couldn't drive without them. Started on monthly contacts around my freshman year of college and they were great. Not much maintenance for me as I could leave them in while I was sleeping and I could stretch them out longer than a month by giving them a few good nights of cleaning per month. I switched to dailies last year and wouldn't go back to monthlies now. Throw them away before you go to bed, put your glasses on, and then throw some new ones in when you get up in the morning. I think my eyes appreciate the better rejuvenation they get at night without the monthly contacts in.

 

[MFE]

I made the switch from glasses to contacts 20 years ago. I couldn't stand the thought of putting contacts in my eyes, but I didn't want to go snow-skiing with glasses, so I got fitted for contacts to wear only when I went skiing. And I ****ing HATED putting them in. But, once I got used to putting them in and taking them out, I realized it was just plain easier to see at all times with contacts than with glasses, and I never went back. And I could wear my choice of sunglasses without needing a prescription.

I wear extended-wear contacts but I take them out every night. Now, the only time I wear prescription glasses is some evenings when my eyes get really dry or tired and I need a break from contacts, or weekend mornings when I don't feel like putting them in.

All that said, my 'scrip is pretty mild, -1.75 in both eyes with an astigmatism in one of them.

 

[ViciousJay]

get the day and nights, you only have to remove them once a week. I love mine

 

[Gary Macomber]

When did you wear contacts? Contacts used to be a smaller diameter and much harder/less flexible. The newer ones are much larger in diameter and softer/more pliable and breathable. Although when I say newer I'm still talking about 15 years ago or so.

Missed this first time around, I wore contacts from around 2000 up until about a year ago, I still have some from the last time I ordered them but I would wear them maybe twice and then they would sit there.

I had my eye surgery on Saturday, I had to do PRK because my cornea is to thin for LASIK. Lasik they make a flap, PRK they scrub the top layer away making the recovery time longer.

Day of Surgery was pretty simple, procedure took maybe 5 minutes from prep to leaving the OR. Instructed to go home and sleep, I read online a bunch of places give Valium or other medications, I got nothing except the required meds for recovery but all was well anyway. My right eye was clear while my left eye was blurry.

Day 2 woke up at 3am feeling like I had sand in my eye, finally got back to sleep around 5am for a couple hours and the entire time awake I had that sandy feeling, it sucks. I slept as much as I could throughout the day which is a recurring theme here.

Day 3 was even worse, the sandy feeling was gone but both my eyes burned like crazy when closed and when I tried to open them the light sensitivity was even worse than the burning even with the sunglasses on, so I slept most of the day.

Day 4, today everything feels much better, woke up with my eyes feeling fine but I couldn't see much of anything. It feels like I have a thick blanket of fog over my eyes or like I am trying to look under water without goggles. It has cleared up some throughout the day, enough to read and type this but there is still some to go. The bad sight is attributed to my cornea almost being fully built back up, I napped as much as I could but I was also able to watch a little bit of TV.

So far from what I have seen, those few minutes where my sight would be clear, it has been worth it.

 

[Gary Macomber]

What a difference a day makes, today my right eye feels near perfect and my left eye is showing a vast improvement. Friday I get the contact bandages out and will see where my vision stands. I was able to get a full nights sleep, woke up with no pain and being able to see fairly clear. If eye surgery scares you, I would say do it anyway so far, we shall see how it progresses but the 2 days of discomfort are worth even seeing how I do today.