Contact Lenses

[appollo1]

I went for an eye test last week and was asked if I had ever considered using contact lenses.

It has been something that I have thought about as it would save a lot of hassle when out on the bike and I could wear normal sunglasses so I told the optician that I was interested.

Got a call today to go in tomorrow as they have a trial set for me to see how I get on.

It is a free trial so thats good but I have never tried them in the past as I am not too sure about poking about in my eyes.

oh great members of the .org I am sure that many of you are wearers of contact lenses and I would like to know how you got on the first time you tried them - please.

[pegasus]

hated them first time i thought it was bizarre poking about my eye...now i wear them constantly and only wear glasses at home. they are brill for me.

stick with it cause it takes a few times to get used to them...not just the first time...ask the optician for a weeks trial supply..so you can get used to a routine of putting them in and taking them out..

the reason i said a weeks supply is cause they use daily disposables for trials.

hth:p

[simesb]

Superb when out and about, and would never wear glasses on the bike as the peripheral vision is better with the lenses.

first time I had lenses fitted I fainted - don't like folk playing with my eyes :D

[appollo1]

Superb when out and about, and would never wear glasses on the bike as the peripheral vision is better with the lenses.

first time I had lenses fitted I fainted - don't like folk playing with my eyes :D


thats the bit thats really worrying me - poking about in my eyes

[madnlooney]

ive worn them for about 12 years now and its 2nd nature now having them in. at first it was a little bit of a pain but stuck with it and now wear the day and night lenses. only need to clean them once a week and they last a month a pair

[ranathari]

It's amazing how quickly you adapt to them: I spent a good two hours trying to get the damn things in the first time I used them. Fast forward a month and I was popping them in and out in seconds with ease.

[sarah]

As everyone else as said it takes a bit of getting used to but it's worth it.

[hovis]

i had 30 pairs of disposible ones a while back and still have a few pairs left, it took me about 20 mins to get them in at first, now it takes about 5, i still have not got the hang of it

but i went to specsavers on thursday and picked up the free trial ones, i have a scar on my left eye, so the vision with contact lense is not quite as good as it is with glasses, plus it took abot 6 hours yesterday to get used to them

im still not convincid i like them, im going to try them on the bike today, probably

if you do a search on here there is a few threads on the subject

edit http://forums.sv650.org/search.php?searchid=2066494

[appollo1]

if you do a search on here there is a few threads on the subject

edit http://forums.sv650.org/search.php?searchid=2066494

never thought about searching on here - my apologies

the link doesn't work

thanks for your encouragement folks, i'm off in a minute to go and get my eyes poked :(

[muffles]

Yep worth it, go for them, takes a while to get used to it but only takes about 2-3 seconds per eye now.

[CoolGirl]

Been wearing contacts for nearly 30 years. They've come a long way since then and the modern disposables are fantastic. Work a treat on the bik,e and if anything are better than the naked eye as they protect your cornea from dust and debris.

You'll soon get used to putting them in and removing them - the optician will show you. If you decide to go ahead, get a copy of your prescription from the optician - they are obliged to give it to you - and shop around online for some good deals (usually much better than buying from your optician).

[speedplay]

Ive got an appointment on the 22nd to get some contacts.
I'm long sighted and dont wear my glasses enough causing headaches.
My prescription hadnt changed but was asked if I would consider contacts as I would be able to do my job easier and wouldnt have the hastle of glasses during sport or riding etc.

[Jabba]

Been wearing contacts for nearly 30 years.

Since you were 2, then? ;-)

I started with gas-permeable lenses back in 1992 - needed the gps due to the nature of my job at the time - and stuck with them until earlier this year. Got used to then really quickly in just a couple of days.

Switched to monthly disposables about 4 months ago and these are even better. Much less fuss (only one solution bottle) and there's something kinda nice about getting a new pair out the packet at the start of each month.

I have glasses when pottering about the house at the end of the day but otherwise wear the lenses. Couldn't imagine life without 'em :thumbsup:

The lenses and solutions cost me £15pm and I get three months supply from the opticians. The £15pm also includes check-ups and an annual eye test, so good value in my view. Friends who have the "daily disposables" seem to like them too.

[dawn07]

Go for it Apollo! Been wearing lenses for 30yrs now [all different types], now have the 'daily disposables' which are fab [no fiddly cleaning, just chuck them in the bin].
I absoloutely HATE anyone near my eyes, so if I can do it, anyone can:thumbsup:

[appollo1]

Go for it Apollo! Been wearing lenses for 30yrs now [all different types], now have the 'daily disposables' which are fab [no fiddly cleaning, just chuck them in the bin].
I absoloutely HATE anyone near my eyes, so if I can do it, anyone can:thumbsup:


Thanks for the encouragement Dawn and everyone else. :thumleft::thumleft:

Well I went to the optician today and tried the contact lenses out. I did have a nightmare trying to put them in and in the end the optician did it for me. I wandered around St Andrews for about an hour with them in and it wasn't too bad. Although I am not sure the prescription was correct as some things that I can read perfectly with my specs on was quite difficult to read with the contact lenses.

It took me a while to get the lenses out but I did manage in the end. They wanted me to try puting them in again but I just couldn't do it. My eyes were too sore from trying so I have another appointment on Tuesday to try again.

I did notice that the go faster stripes at the side of my head where my specs have been needs a bit of a cover up!!

[dawn07]

Hang on in there Apollo! It gets easier! Promise!:D

[hovis]

Although I am not sure the prescription was correct as some things that I can read perfectly with my specs on was quite difficult to read with the contact lenses.



i felt like that, so i went to specsavers and tried a differant make

i have worn them all day on the bike and they were graet, i kept trying to take my glasses off b4 my lid lol

the only bad theing is the pc screen is a bit blury

[appollo1]

i felt like that, so i went to specsavers and tried a differant make

i have worn them all day on the bike and they were graet, i kept trying to take my glasses off b4 my lid lol

the only bad theing is the pc screen is a bit blury

it was specsavers i was at!!

I found it difficult to read a menu when I went for something to eat. It just didn't look right.

I will keep trying aand hopefully get on better on Tuesday.

[Bluefish]

what about having laser correction?.

[appollo1]

what about having laser correction?.


i know a couple of people that have had it and still wear specs :confused:

not for me - it's a big step just trying contact lenses as poking about in my eyes makes me feel sick

[hovis]

it was specsavers i was at!!

I found it difficult to read a menu when I went for something to eat. It just didn't look right.

I will keep trying aand hopefully get on better on Tuesday.


mine are exactly the same

how much are they?

[appollo1]

i believe if i can finally put them in myself and go for them they will be £15 a month for the monthly ones. I have to have those as my eyes are rugby ball shaped seemingly!! :confused:

[Grinch]

I where everyday 30's. You put them in... wear for 30 days even through the night, then replace, its great, been wearing them years now. I couldn't live without them now as my eye sight is really bad.

[-Ralph-]

i believe if i can finally put them in myself and go for them they will be £15 a month for the monthly ones. I have to have those as my eyes are rugby ball shaped seemingly!! :confused:

You have an Astigmatism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astigmatism_(eye)) and you need toric lenses. Ask about the £18 a month lenses which are also toric but are more breathable. I've had the £15 a month ones for a few years, and I'm trialling the £18 ones at the moment and I still struggle a bit 'cos I have Blepharitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blepharitis) but they are a lot better. Bikers are more prone to these kind of infections because your eyes and face are exposed to the same dusty oily crap that makes the your visor and your bike dirty.

Try washing your hands and touching your eye with your finger a few times. If you get used to that and realise that it's actually no big deal, you'll have no bother with putting your lenses in.

I'm sure they'll feel awful at first, but stick with it for a few weeks and you'll hate wearing your glasses 'cos the freedom of not having something on your face, but being able to see.

The other thing I'm considering at the moment is that if I'm paying £220 odd a year, plus another £100 quid every other year for glasses, in 5 or 6 years a laser operation has paid for itself. I don't have a couple of grand spare just now, but when I do I'm going to enquire about it.

PS: Contact lenses spin in your eye, toric ones need to be the right way up and are weighted such that they always come to rest with the bottom at the bottom, your prescription won't be right unless they are the right way up. So don't worry if you can't see straight away when you put them in, they just need to turn. If they get dry and your vision goes blurry in one eye, it's just the contact lense stuck upside down 'cos it's dry. If you are having dry eye problems look in the contact lenses section in the supermarket and buy a wee bottle of "refresh contacts" eye drops (wee green bottle which I'm sure you've seen me using on ride-outs - everyone wonders what the hell I'm doing)

[Jabba]

i have worn them all day on the bike and they were graet, i kept trying to take my glasses off b4 my lid lol

the only bad theing is the pc screen is a bit blury

Sounds like you are the same as me, i.e. the correction that you need is part-way between two correction factors.

I'm short-sighted and the optician gave me a choice between:
1. really good (20:20) long vision with slightly blurry reading close to
2. not quite perfect long vision but better reading

I went for the former, bought a bigger screen for my PC and read holding book/map/whatever at arms length. Small price to pay for the benefits of wearing contact lenses IMHO, but others might not feel the same.

It's no different with glasses, except that I lift my glasses when reading.

[Tara]

i wear daily disposable like everyone has said takes some getting used to i use my glasses for work as work on a computer all day and my eyes have changed shpae at the moment being pregnant so cant always get them in properly but other than that i have had no problems. got mine from Tesco

[-Ralph-]

i have worn them all day on the bike and they were graet, i kept trying to take my glasses off b4 my lid lol

I'm the opposite, usually have contacts in on the bike, when I do wear glasses I keep trying to take the lid off before the glasses.

[rick0361]

Its not really that bad deling with them in your eye. I have worn a single contact lens in my right eye since i had a retinal detachment repaired int he left one and they put me a lens in for good measure. It is no problem and I have to wear a gas permeable - semi-rigid one which most people don;t like.

The other half has just started wearing sft ones and she is so squeamish about eyes that you would not believe and she has no problems either.

Give it a whirl - you will be surprised how much brighter the world is!

[northwind]

Obviously poking things in your eyes is insane and horrible, but it's also worth it... I love mine, don't use them much as I basically can't be bothered but for cycling, riding, any sort of sports in fact, they're fantastic. It's almost like being a normal person. Only thing is, I sometimes find that they dry up on the bike, but the flipside is never having to worry about steamed up glasses etc. So in bad weather it's fantastic.

[Quedos]

lets us know how you get on - i'm thinking of changing fed up knocking off my specs playing badminton

[northwind]

lets us know how you get on - i'm thinking of changing fed up knocking off my specs playing badminton

You're doing it wrong.

[Sally]

Thanks for the encouragement Dawn and everyone else. :thumleft::thumleft:

Well I went to the optician today and tried the contact lenses out. I did have a nightmare trying to put them in and in the end the optician did it for me. I wandered around St Andrews for about an hour with them in and it wasn't too bad. Although I am not sure the prescription was correct as some things that I can read perfectly with my specs on was quite difficult to read with the contact lenses.

The prescription of the lenses, did they give you the same as you're glasses?
The lenses prescription should be emmm ~ .25-.5 less than you're glasses, as they are nearer you're eye.

It took me a while to get the lenses out but I did manage in the end. They wanted me to try puting them in again but I just couldn't do it. My eyes were too sore from trying so I have another appointment on Tuesday to try again.

You get used to them. I got a free trial of lenses which stay in for a month, require no cleaning and just throw out after a month, pop a new set in. Theyre amazing, I can't remember the last time I have wore my glasses. :)
But disposables are the best, new fresh pair of lenses every day. :)

I did notice that the go faster stripes at the side of my head where my specs have been needs a bit of a cover up!!.

[hovis]

on my 3rd pair of the free trial ones

as i have an apointment today, they are great at distance, but not so good close up, the computer screen looks blury. the right eye is fine, but the left eye is a bit of a mess, im putting it down to the scar i have on my eyeball,

[Kinvig]

contact lenses are the devil's work.

EVIL, EVIL, EVIL

I hated them, I started off on hard contact lenses then went onto gas permeable. I didn't notice any difference. I'm not a morning person & having to touch my eyeball with a contact lens and cold lens solution each morning just made me the most grumpiest person I've ever been.

Then there's the issues:

1. What if I get dust behind the lens?
2. What if I get an eyelash behind the lens?
3. What if I get a fly trapped behind the lens?
4. What if the lens slips to the corner of my eye?
5. What if someone punches me in the face?


1. Is painful and makes your eye water until the dust goes away - 15-20 mins later!!!
2. Is like a razor blade on the eyeball, absolute agony.
3. Absolutely horrible, yo get bits of leg/wing in your tears.
4. PAIN, PAIN, PAIN
5. Never happened, thankfully!

I don't know why anyone would want to subject themselves to that every day. Admittedly, most people are able to use the soft lenses & appaently that's a much nicer experience.

I tried them for about 3 years - so it's not like I just gave up after a week.....they were horrific. Admittedly that was 16 years ago so don't let my experience put you off!

Almost forgot - every time I blinked, moved my head quickly or refocussed, I could feel the lens moving. Horrid, horrid, horrid.

[PsychoCannon]

You get used to them and they are a god send!, especially in the summer when you want to wear Sun Glasses and don't want to faff about with multiple pairs of glasses :)

[muffles]

contact lenses are the devil's work.

EVIL, EVIL, EVIL

I hated them, I started off on hard contact lenses then went onto gas permeable. I didn't notice any difference. I'm not a morning person & having to touch my eyeball with a contact lens and cold lens solution each morning just made me the most grumpiest person I've ever been.

Then there's the issues:

1. What if I get dust behind the lens?
2. What if I get an eyelash behind the lens?
3. What if I get a fly trapped behind the lens?
4. What if the lens slips to the corner of my eye?
5. What if someone punches me in the face?


1. Is painful and makes your eye water until the dust goes away - 15-20 mins later!!!
2. Is like a razor blade on the eyeball, absolute agony.
3. Absolutely horrible, yo get bits of leg/wing in your tears.
4. PAIN, PAIN, PAIN
5. Never happened, thankfully!

I don't know why anyone would want to subject themselves to that every day. Admittedly, most people are able to use the soft lenses & appaently that's a much nicer experience.

I tried them for about 3 years - so it's not like I just gave up after a week.....they were horrific. Admittedly that was 16 years ago so don't let my experience put you off!

Almost forgot - every time I blinked, moved my head quickly or refocussed, I could feel the lens moving. Horrid, horrid, horrid.

Lol my soft ones are nothing like that mate, I can tell it was 16 years ago ;)

For me:
1 & 2 - makes you blink a bit more, often this clears it though. You can feel it.
3 - how on earth you get something that big behind your lens I have no idea lol! Never happened in 10 years for me.
4 - take it out and put it back in. Or sometimes it auto corrects itself. Also pretty rare IME.
5 - don't know that it would make any difference? You thinking they will move or something?

P.s. for me it's nice to put them in, in the morning. I do it about 30 minutes after waking up tho (after I have finished getting ready, when I use my glasses). It's quite refreshing!

[maviczap]

what about having laser correction?.

A colleague at work had his eyes lasered, his eyesight was REALLY bad, his prescription lenes were milk bottle bottom thickness.

After he had them done, his vision was back to 20/20. He's never looked back since :smt044

I'm lucky my eyesight is ok, but I'd have my eyes lasered in preference to contact lenes.

[PsychoCannon]

Eveyone I know whos been lasered loves it! and I want it too, but I've heard it can damage night sight (sometimes permenantly) which I need a lot for my hobbies, and my eyes are stil getting worse every year and won't settle :( *sniffle*

Oh to be perfect again :)...well...my eyes at least =p
They haven't found a cure for the rest of it yet ;)

[gerbrox]

+1 for laser treatment, never looked back.

[Kinvig]

+1 for laser treatment, never looked back.

Were you able to before though??

[maviczap]

[QUOTE=PsychoCannon;2000814]I've heard it can damage night sight (sometimes permenantly)/QUOTE]

My colleague had no problems with his night vision, he drives at night and works in some very dark places. Another one is contemplating having his eyes lasered as he is having lots of problems with his eyes wearing contacts, even the night and day ones.

My colleague researched which clinics had a good reputation and plumped for one a bit further away than one in his town

[Sir Trev]

You get used to them and they are a god send!, especially in the summer when you want to wear Sun Glasses and don't want to faff about with multiple pairs of glasses :)

I went for reactions lenses in my glasses for this reason, but they don't darken much behind a crash helmet visor and don't darken at all in the car.

Had a consultation for contacts earlier this year but was recommended not to bother. My prescription is quite weak and to correct my far sight I may have needed glasses for reading!! Sod that. Light weight Flexon frames menas I hardly notice them under the lid and I only need them when riding/driving so I'll stick with glasses for now.

[Sally]

Blah

1. What if I get dust behind the lens?
2. What if I get an eyelash behind the lens?
3. What if I get a fly trapped behind the lens?
4. What if the lens slips to the corner of my eye?
5. What if someone punches me in the face?


1. Is painful and makes your eye water until the dust goes away - 15-20 mins later!!!
2. Is like a razor blade on the eyeball, absolute agony. Just blink it out, had eye lashes in my eye before, uncomfortable, pick it out or blick it out, same as you do without lenses.
3. Absolutely horrible, yo get bits of leg/wing in your tears. Behind the lense? Never happened.
4. PAIN, PAIN, PAIN (Happens with hard/glass lenses, never happened in 6 years of wearing soft lenses.)
5. Never happened, thankfully! Used to fight with lenses in for ~ 2years, never had a problem.

Blah

.

[-Ralph-]

I will keep trying aand hopefully get on better on Tuesday.

So how did you get on?

[appollo1]

well here is an update on my experience today.

I went back to the optician and it took about 20 mins to get the first lens in and another 40 mins to get the other one in. By that time my eyes looked like I had been crying for hours and were all bloodshot. I had the optician check them as I am still not convinced that the prescription is correct.

I managed to take them back out with not too much difficulty which not only impressed me but the girls in the shop. I have been given the trial pair home for a week to keep practising and have to build up the time I wear them starting at a couple of hours til about 10 or 12 hours.

I am going back next tuesday to see how I am getting on with them but my main concern is that if the prescription isn't correct then when I go back to work in a couple of weeks I am worried that I wont be able to use the computer and see the paperwork properly.

I will be practising puting them in and taking them back out for the next week so fingers crossed.

[appollo1]

I nust be getting better

it only took me 20mins to get the lenses in today.

[-Ralph-]

I nust be getting better

it only took me 20mins to get the lenses in today.

It still takes me 5 mins, torics are a pain in the ****. There is a little straight mark in the lense where they have cut a wee bit out, hold the lense up to the window and you'll see it. This is how they make the bottom heavier, by removing a bit of material from the top, so this mark needs to go at the top. You'll get on a bit better if you put the lense on your finger and hold it up to the light, then turn the lense so the little mark is already at the top when it goes in your eye. That way you have focus 'cos the lense doesn't need to turn, and your "rugby ball" eye is not at odds with the shape of the lense, will make the lense feel thinner and more comfortable to put in.

Another wee trick - if you feel you have an eyelash or something under the lense, it is possible but most likely to be a wee air bubble and the lense will feel comfortable or possibly like it has an edge which is not flat. Close your eye and pinch your eyelid from the two edges so the eyelid lifts off the eye, the same action you use to remove the lense. It will also lift the lense and let the air out.

Are they quite comfortable once in? How long can you keep them in for? Are they getting dry?

[appollo1]

They are ok when they are in but as i have said i dont think the prescription is correct as my vision doesn't seem right.