oh the misery...I want my glasses back

[Guest Jo-88]

So I have terrible vision and pretty bad hearing too. I've been wearing glasses since I was a kid, Im basically blind as a bat but fortunately it is correctable to 20/20 with glasses (its just a bad astigmatism, and if I wear my glasses they even let me drive ). My glasses usually run me north of $600 and I get a new prescription generally every year. Well its that time again. The thing is, the frames I have now are very masculine but I also didn't want to spend $600 on a pair of more feminine glasses that I would only wear occasionally... so instead I decided to get contacts...mistake! (at this point anyway)

Im on day 3 of the contact lens torture device and I have to say these are the most horrible invention ever created. I can't see anything, everything is blurry and the glare is terrible, I even get a double image every once in awhile. On top of that they itch and burn something terrible and I can definitely feel the contact lens on my eye, my eyelid brushes up against it and It bothers the crap out of me. Also my eyes are tearing more than usual which amplifies the image distortion and gives me wicked eye boogers (what are those really called? I have no idea) so then I have to rub my eyes to get those out which makes them itch and burn more... its a vicious cycle

When I was a kid I punctured my right ear drum (the story involves one of those swing out hooks attached to finger nail clippers and a 6 year old with an ear ache... use your imagination), anyway it healed but my hearing has never been the same. When people talk to me sometimes it can be very very hard for me to understand what they are saying, my friends get frustrated because they have to repeat themselves often. I need to be within a few feet and facing them to hear and understand them. Facing them helps for two reasons obviously the sound is more direct but I also read lips to an extent. Now with my vision all screwy I've been walking around all day saying, "huh?, "what was that? ... its bad, I feel like I'm 90 y/o.

SO!! what has been other peoples' experience with contacts?? Have they made you so miserable that you want just want to sleep (but you can't sleep because your miserable)? Or have they been good, great, amazing?

P.S. The doc told me to give it two weeks before giving up, so heres hoping that it gets better!! ... otherwise Im buying some glasses.

[Guest jennifer_m]

did they give you torix lenses, or just standard contacts? using normal contacts with astigmatism will produce distortions, from what i was told recently by an optometrist. i have a very slight astigmatism myself, which doesn't warrant the use of a torix lens yet.

as for the focus issues, if your eyes are dry, the lens tend to either get bunched up when you blink, or they settle in the wrong spot. either way, you're always squinting and blinking, and trying to figure it out. try taking the lens out, lubeing it up with solution, and popping it back in. works for me for a few hours. or try increasing the ambient humidity.

also, there is one thing that people don't know when it comes to wearing glasses, and that thing is that your focal point isn't the same as a person with normal eyes, or a contact lens wearer. on a normal person, your eyes and the object you're staring at form a triangle. when you're wearing glasses, you're actually looking at the glasses, and the glasses form the triangle. it will take your eyes some time to adjust, and you might even have headaches. if you do, try alternating the contacts in slowly into your daily life.

the burning sensations you mention are a daily part of contact lens wear. any object that doesn't belong in your eye can cause those sensations. easiest way to deal with that is to take the lens out and rub it in solution, rinsing it, then putting it back in. also remember to empty the solution in your storage case every couple days. even if you can't see anything floating in there, chances are there still is something in there. if your eyelashes are getting caught in your eyes, put your finger in your eye, and push the lashes up (or down).

wow... wall of text, i hope its useful.

[Guest KarenLyn]

I have a scar on the inside of my right eyelid that keeps me from wearing contacts. The scar just grabs the edge and it bunches up. I'm stuck with glass or I could have lasix done and just wear cheaters for up close.

Have you asked your doctor if laser surgery would work? It never hurts to ask.

[JJ]

I have astigmatism and need bifocals now as well. Because I am also legally blind in one eye I was turned down for contacts for years. It's somewhat complicated by having hyper sensitive eyes from allergies and having scratched the cornea and inner lid on the legally blind eye several times over the years (I don't see it coming and blink when something hits me in the eye so end up scratching inside the eye rather than the outer lid. I see shapes and colors but it doesn't focus).

However last spring I found a Dr willing to try . Wow -what a difference! I often wear only one contact for expense reasons-it's kind of a waste of money in the blind eye but there is a slight difference in how my eyes look when I only wear one. My daughter swears she can't see it but since I was teased a lot before my eyes straightened instead of that one crossing sometimes when I was in my late teens I am sensitive about it. Anyway i had no discomfort or adjustment period beyond may be a day and a half. And no problems with the astigmatism either.

My daughter has more severe astigmatism then I do and had been told not to try contacts but did anyway years ago. They were miserable and frequently popped out as well. But this Dr swears there is a new kind out that will cause her no problems. Her first experience was so bad she hasn't tried again yet. Though seeing my comfort is planning to try soon

I guess what I'm saying is if these don't work out-and I can't imagine that they should make you that miserable!-then check around. Not every Dr works the same way or uses the same contacts. In even the last 5 years enormous changes have been made according to my Dr. Not all Drs keep up or are accepting of new things. Don't know if that is the case with your Dr but might be worth checking.

Because of the time I spend on the computer I do wear weak reading glasses when on here or doing fine work like art because my eyes can't rest one another and I get eye strain very quickly and severely. These contacts with weak readers when necessary works great for me.

In fact I have noticed that my eyes are actually less sensitive and more comfortable than they have ever been -even during the nearly 40 years I didn't need glasses at all.

I hope they can resolve this for you. Nothing is more unsettling and miserable for me than eye problems

Johnny

[Guest Jo-88]

Btw yea they are torix lenses, specifically they are the Acuvue Oasys brand which are silicon based contact lenses. The biggest issue seems to be the overactive tearing... I believe that whats making everything so blurry, and blinking isnt helping. Also I can in fact get laser eye correction but unfortunately that is very expensive...Im going to get it done at some point though, in the mean time I hope I can make these work.

[Guest Mia J]

I started wearing glasses when I was 16 and could never wear contacts because I just can't stand anything touching my eye. Like you I got tired of buying a guy pair and a more feminine pair. So at the young age of 59 I got brave and went to laser center and found I qualified for laser treatment. They only did one eye to correct my far vision and left the other as is for close vision. I really did not have a problem with it as I have lazy eye and had never really focused on distant things with both eyes.

I am not sure if you would qualify but this might be something to check out.

Mia

[Guest Janice Lynn]

Jodie,

As luck would have it, after my wife agreed that given the circumstances it made

sense for me to wear makeup she suggested that I get contact lenses to open up

my face and additionally help her to see me as something of a different person.

After all, I have worn glasses since I was 6 and for the 45+ years she has known

me, so I see her point.

One of the reasons I had never tried contacts is because I have astigmatism in

both eyes and for a long, long time contacts weren't an option. Thins have changed

recently, so I decided to give contacts a shot.

After a complete eye examination they explained that my left eye was something

that they could correct, but my right eye could only be corrected to a point somewhat

less than they could do with glasses. They told me upfront that I would need to use

"cheaters" for reading and closeup work like here at the computer. I said, "Let's give

it a try."

That was two weeks ago and at this point I have to say the results have been mixed.

From a narcissistic point of view they are a huge improvement, even better than getting

a pair of feminine glasses that my wife had agreed to if these did not work.

My biggest problem has been getting them in. In part this is because of technique, as

I manage to his my eyebrow or eyelash, which causes the lens to fold back onto my

finger. Then there was the problem of getting them out, which at one point caused me

to drive 35 miles to have them show me what I was doing wrong. They helped me a

bunch on that part but I still have a heck of a time getting them in. Same problem ...

the lends folding back onto my finger.

The next problem came when they had me come in to test my eyes and essentially

seal the deal. The eye test was very disappointing, which troubled them until they

realized that I had gotten confused in all the frustration in getting them in and had

put one of them in backwards. Duh!

I have been fortunate in that I haven't suffered any pain or anything close to it

except for things being a bit scratchy until they are in for a minute or two. And though

I can keep them in almost for as long as I like, I too have experienced those "eye

boogers" you mentioned if I should take a nap and then get up and head for the

computer or such. I have no explanation and their comments about them have been

that they will diminish and that I should use eye drops to keep my eyes moist before

and after a nap. It has helped.

I have experienced some problems with glare, but that was easily explained as a

difference in that my glasses were tinted a bit and my contacts are not. The obvious

answer is to get sunglasses. I haven't done that yet but I am sure I will as the weather

gets better here in the Northwest and I am outside more.

Final thoughts: A few times during the past two weeks I have had a hissy fit about

one thing or another about the contacts, which usually ended with me vowing to send

them back to the hell they came from, but I keep deciding to give it one more day or

one more week in order to improve my technique and allow my eye to adjust.

Just one thought besides encouraging you to give it another couple of weeks .....

if your eyelids are hitting your contacts, might they not have a thinner lens that will

not be so vulnerable? Astigmatism is a tricky thing to correct and some companies

are better than others ....I'd check that out.

Hang in there, Jodie!

As ever, Jan

[VickySGV]

My dispensing optician steered me over to a frame collection called the "Classic" collection that look good on men or women. They were also the CHEAPEST ones in the place!! I have an astigmatism cone that cannot be lasered, so the glasses are what do it, unless I am too vain. Then I am just blind in one eye and can't see anything out of the other.

[Guest Janice Lynn]

My dispensing optician steered me over to a frame collection called the "Classic" collection that look good on men or women. They were also the CHEAPEST ones in the place!! I have an astigmatism cone that cannot be lasered, so the glasses are what do it, unless I am too vain. Then I am just blind in one eye and can't see anything out of the other.

If I could read your post I would probably have something to

say about it!

[VickySGV]

If I could read your post I would probably have something to

say about it!

Over in you browser tools is one called ZOOM, how do you think I get anything done around here otherwise!!

[Guest Jo-88]

^^ LOL ... btw the discomfort is getting more manageable but everything is still really blurry... at least it all seems to be getting better.

[Guest jennifer_m]

maybe they're not positioned right, or they're inside-out... torix lenses can be finnicky like that from what i've heard...

[Guest Jo-88]

maybe they're not positioned right, or they're inside-out... torix lenses can be finnicky like that from what i've heard...

I double checked to make sure they arent inside out, but it is possible that I might have them switched (right lens in left eye and vice versa)... Im afraid to check though, because its such a pain to get them in and out of my eye.

[Guest Janice Lynn]

^^ LOL ... btw the discomfort is getting more manageable but everything is still really blurry... at least it all seems to be getting better.

Hang in there, Jodie! I can't count the number of times I have told my wife

that having contacts was a good idea gone bad, but I keep giving it one

more day. Grrrrrr.....

Then again, on a lighter note, I am intrigued by my phantom eyeglasses

that keep slipping down my nose in such a way that I push them back up

my nose ... or so it feels until I remember I am wearing my contacts. A

curious but not surprising thing, actually.

What I am looking forward to is actually being able to wear ordinary

sunglasses instead of those dorky clip-ons. If I am wearing contacts I

am free to buy any number of pairs that suit my girl mood of the moment.

Cheers,

Jan

[Guest jennifer_m]

Then again, on a lighter note, I am intrigued by my phantom eyeglasses

that keep slipping down my nose in such a way that I push them back up

my nose ... or so it feels until I remember I am wearing my contacts. A

curious but not surprising thing, actually.

i get that a lot too... i didn't wear contacts for a few years after a few bouts of eye infections and cornea scratches. now that i'm wearing them again, when i go to rub my face, i always motion as if i have to reach inbetween my glasses and my face. then i realize nothing is there.