I am going to be getting contacts soon. I've worn them before, but I've been wearing glasses only for awhile now. I really want contacts that I don't have to replace for awhile, i.e. not the disposables. So, those of you that wear contacts:

What kind do you wear?
What regimen do you follow?
How much were your contacts?
Anything else at all about what to look for or avoid?

Thanks!

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 11:07 pm:

I wear disposables, though you can now get long term disposables, like 30 day wear. My dad is the only one I know who wears hard lenses, they are a bit more of a pain, and you have to think about what happens if you rip or lose one?? I'm not great about taking mine out at night (I know it's horrible!!), but you should. (You know that since you've worn them.( My doctor gave me a new script, I used to wear Acuvue 2, but these are less prone to drying out. I haven't filled it yet, but I'll let you know. If you have issues with dryness ask for a different brand. Mine cost about $18 a box, and each box has 6 lenses. so for me about $36 every 3 months.

By Cat on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 11:23 pm:

I've worn disposable contacts (change them twice a month) for a little over 3 years this time. I did wear one contact (only needed one) in High School. That was the kind you cleaned every day and it lasted until it tore, your rx changed or something else happened to it. Now I wear Acuvue Advance. I buy them at Sam's Club and they were $150 for a year's supply, which I make last about 13-14 months. Wearing contacts in Colorado is tricky because of the lack of humidity. Can cause some very dry eyes! You shouldn't have a problem where you are. I did ask about once a year contacts about a year ago, and the doc said they do still make them, but they're kind of costly (more than disposable) and they're usually only for people with certain rx's or astigmatisms. They do make special disposable contacts for astigmatisms now, though. I have very slight astigmatisms, so I can get away with regular contacts. I use a no-rub cleaning solution that works pretty well. There's also a system called Puralens (sp). It's a special case you put them in and it plugs them in and cleans them with a special cleaning liquid, light and agitation. It's supposed to get them cleaner. Don't buy your lenses from your doctor's office. Go to Sam's or Wal-Mart or something. They're much less expensive. Also, with Tricare, they will pay for glasses exams but not contact exams. My doctor only makes me pay the difference (it was $25). Your doc should give you a trial pair. Wear them for a week or so before you buy. If they're not comfortable, go back and get a different trail pair of another brand. There are plenty to choose from. Sam's will even let you try on a trial colored lens (no rx, just colored to see what it'd look like). My eyes are dark brown anyway, so no color for me (none would show!). Tricare will also pay for eye exams for your boys (not sure at what age they start--ask). They're covered once a year. Take advantage of that! Robin's worn glasses now for about 16 months (he's on his fourth pair, but that another story... ). I have a backup pair of glasses (got them at the BX/PX dirt cheap) but they're the wrong rx now. Good enough for as little as I use them.

I can't think of anything else right now. If you think of any other questions, let me know. I'm sure there are lots of other contact wearers here, also.

By Feonad on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 07:19 am:

If you don't take the lens out every night - sooner or later you can't wear then anymore.

Everyone I know has had this problem.

By Colette on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 07:20 am:

I wear acuvue 2 and have for a while. They are 2 week disposables and they are around $100-150 per year. I use renu for cleaning them and never have a problem with dry eyes.

By Livvy on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 07:27 am:

I have the kind that you take out every night and they last for a month and you throw them away. I get a box of 3 pair (3 months) for $50. I personally don't like them.

I used to wear the regular old contacts that I took out nightly and the one pair lasted me a year and my eyes seemed to have fewer problems with them. These 30 day contacts seem to bother my eyes much more. They dry out faster and irritate my eyes.

With any of my contacts I have that found the more "stuff" I used on them, the more uncomfortable they became. I only use "Sensitive Eyes" (I think it's Bausch and Lomb) rinse on mine. I take them out nightly and put them in the sensitive eyes solution and when I put them in in the morning, I rinse them once and pop them in my eyes. No cleaner, no other stuff!! I was also told NOT to use the contact eye drops made for when your contacts get dry. That stuff is addicting and very quickly you find that you have to have drops all the time and they create build-up on your lenses and you need new ones!! This happened to a friend of mine!

Good luck with whatever you try!!!

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 09:51 am:

I've worn them off and on for about 35 years. I'm in an *off* cycle right now because my Rx has changed and I'm too lazy to go back to the eye doctor. I've been wearing bifocal contacts, but I'm not happy because they can't get the *near vision* good.

But contacts in general - I've worn them all! Started with hard lenses, couldn't handle that, they hurt. Then I had the original soft lenses that you had to sterilize weekly to remove the protein buildup. I wore those for years. They were/are thicker/more sturdy than the disposable soft lenses, but a pain to keep clean.

And finally, I've worn the soft lenses that you wear for a month and then throw away, and most recently the one you wear for 2 weeks and throw away. *IF* I get contacts again, I think I'm going to go with the daily throw-aways, simply because my eyes are easily irritated and tend to be dry, and I could never go the full 2 weeks between changing pairs. I could go maybe 10 days before I noticed a difference in the clarity and they would bother my eyes due to build-up.

Don't remember what all the brands are that I've used.

By Katherine on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 07:23 pm:

Karen,
This may be a really dumb question, but I have always wanted to ask. Do you have to put bifocal contacts in a certain way for them to work?

I don't wear or need them, it is just something that has crossed my mind before and now I have the opportunity to ask someone who knows.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 07:54 pm:

My dd wants them this month for her 11th birthday. This is for a child that still gets skittish when she puts her earrings in her ears!
Wish us luck! LOL

By Cat on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 08:10 pm:

Annie, Robin wants contacts. He was 11 in October. Yeah, right! lol We told him when he can keep his room clean on a regular basis we'd think about it. Some 11yo's are ready. HE is NOT!

By Cat on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 08:14 pm:

And Amy, I've forgotten to take my contacts out at night twice in the past 3 1/2 years I've been wearing them. I woke up the next morning each time wondering why things were all fuzzy and where the cat had knocked my contact case to! lol My eye doc said forgetting once in a while isn't a big deal, but the main reason to take them out at night is to give your eyes a break and so they can breath. Your eyes need oxygen. Some contacts let more through than others (like the Acuvue Advance supposedly lets more through than Acuvue 2).

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 08:35 pm:

Katherine, the old, hard lens bifocals were weighted at the bottom, and if I remember correctly, you could see the line in them.

Soft lens bifocals actually have different *rings* of vision, and that's why they can't get the prescriptions as accurate as say, a pair of bifocal glasses. So, in answer to your question, No, you don't have to put them in any differently.

I was pretty excited by them at first, now I just want to have eye surgery! LOL

By Conni on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 09:39 am:

Annie and Cat~ my oldest ds wants them as well. LOL! I was going to get him some over Christmas break *but* I looked at his glasses everyday for a few days and they were FILTHY. I told him if by his 13 bday in June he can consistantly keep his eye glasses cleaned and his BATHROOM cleaned then I will consider getting him some. lol

Our eye dr. (who happens to be our neighbor ) said he does NOT recommend them for boys until they are 7th/8th/9th grade (depending on each child of course). I dont know if my ds will be mature enough for them this summer, but I know they sure would be nice for him in Football next Fall. hmmmm...

Amy let us know how it goes! I wore them yrs ago and just didnt like how they made my eyes feel. I had colored ones and they looked cool but were uncomfy.

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 11:25 am:

For those who are delaying or hesitating getting contacts for kids, I agree entirely. The risk of permanent damage from careless handling is too great to give in for "cosmetic" reasons. Maybe your respective doctors can point you to photos of eyes damaged from careless handling/use of contacts, to share with your kids to get the point across.

By Cat on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 12:00 pm:

Conni, Robin actually keeps his glasses VERY clean. He's almost anal about it! lol It's other things he can't keep up with. That and he threatens to break his glasses when he looses it (not too often anymore, but about once a month), so I can only imagine what he'd do with contacts in those situations. I got contacts at about 16. He's only 5 years from that.

By Tink on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 01:29 pm:

Just another perspective on the children that want contacts. I completely understand that there are plenty of kids that are not in anyway responsible enough for the care of contacts but my sister started wearing them when she was eight! She is an "old soul" and very responsible but her prescription was so strong that it was hurting her nose to wear her glasses all the time. When she was sixteen, she changed eye doctors and her new doctor told her that wearing contacts so young probably saved her sight. Her eyes progressively got worse all through puberty but the pressure from her contacts kept them from changing anymore than they did. If she hadn't worn them, she would be legally blind now. If your child's eyesight is really bad and you think they are responsible enough, it may be something you bring up with their doctor.

By Conni on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 02:30 pm:

Cat, that is awesome about Robin being so good about cleaning his glasses! ^5 to him!!

By Cat on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 02:59 pm:

Conni, we bought him a cleaning kit at Wal-Mart. It has a spray cleaner and cloth. He loves it! He even cleans the screen of his Nintendo DS with it! lol Would that work for Brandon?

By Amy~moderator on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 12:56 am:

Thanks everyone! Are the every 2 weeks contacts "better" for your eyes than the every month contacts? Are they more expensive? I'm really looking for a good brand name that someone swears by...

When you purchase disposables, do you buy enough for 3 mos, 6 mos, a year???

Thanks to everyone so far...

By Karen~admin on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 10:13 pm:

Spammed 07-24-06