Thinking of Ditching my Contacts

[Llaslo]

Okay, so the deal is, I turned 40 in December, and I ran out of contacts last week. I've been wearing my glasses since then. I'm seriously considering just ditching my contacts and wearing glasses from now on. I am kind of tired of jacking with saline, eye drops, etc, and lately my eyes are always itchy by the end of the day from contacts. I've been wearing them since high school, so it will be a definite change if I do that. What do y'all think about wearing glasses vs contacts?

I should also add that my eyesight is horrible. My contacts are -5.25 & -5.75 in my left and right eyes, respectively, so not wearing glasses is definitely not an option.

[Horny Toad]

I'd MUCH rather wear contacts. Have you considered LASIK? I had it done two years ago and I highly recommend it. I'm older than you and had worse eyesight. My eyesight is now 20/15

[Llaslo]

I've thought about LASIK, but i just hate to drop $5K on the procedure.

[ErebusBass]

If your eyes are itchy tell your eye doctor that. There are a bunch of different kinds of contacts, maybe there are some nicer ones out there that you haven't tried.

[Horny Toad]

Originally Posted by ErebusBass

If your eyes are itchy tell your eye doctor that. There are a bunch of different kinds of contacts, maybe there are some nicer ones out there that you haven't tried.

+1

Trying different brands is a good idea. I'm sure your eye doctor would be happy to order several samples for you to try out.

[Lonesomedave]

well, assuming you're not going the LASIK route...my vote definitely goes for glasses.

glasses offer several advantages over contacts, not the least of which is the ease of use.

BUT... they also offer protection for your eyes. having a good pair with safety lenses is just a layer of protection for your eyes.

when my daughter was 14, she wanted contacts, and i told her no, citing what i have just said about glasses protecting your eyes.

one day, when i got home from work, my wife said to her "go on, tell Daddy"

turns out, at phys ed that day, she was wearing her glasses, and got hit in the eye by a very hard thrown football.

they rushed her to the eye doctor who said something like--good thing you were wearing your glasses, they probably saved your eye.

she never brought up the subject of contacts again, although now that she's grown, she has ditched her glasses and wears contacts....oh, well, you can lead a horse to water and all that.

[Bassamatic]

It is obvious that you were wearing soft lenses. These are OK, but they do not give you GREAT vision that you could have with other methods of vision correction.

I wear hard lenses (still) and I won't go to soft because I have 20/15 vision and you can't get this with soft lenses or eyeglasses.

I have been wearing them for far too many years, and I am now considering LASIK. My wife had it done and tells me that she can see better than she ever could with contacts or glasses. Wearing glasses is also less healthful for your eyes, as you move you eyes less than normal - only within the window of the lenses.

There is a new system from Germany - the Allegretto Wave Laser. The BEST and highest precision LASIK machine yet invented. When my doctor's LASIK section gets one, I am in. Yes - it is expensive, but most reputable places can provide interest-free financing.

ALSO - When you do this - please consider doing what is called "monovision" where one eye is optimized for distance and the other for reading. You quickly get used to it and you will not need to carry around reading glasses when you are older. The ONLY downside is that at night, lights seem a little blurry, so I had some cheap glasses made for driving only, that correct the near eye to far, and everything is razor sharp. FYI - www.eyebuyglasses.com - great glasses at low low cost!!

BTW - I wear very light wraparound sunglasses for eye protection when I am walking or working outdoors.

[pacojas]

i quit wearing contacts after 25yrs and haven't missed them. (too much hassle)

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Llaslo

What do y'all think about wearing glasses vs contacts?

A good pair of frames/lenses can make you look distinguished.
Putting things on my eyeballs would bother the crap out of me.

[Tat2dHeart]

My eyes are that bad, too. This past year or so, I've almost switched entirely to glasses because I'm having trouble finding lenses that feel comfortable after an hour or two. Even with the newer materials, I'm constantly fighting the dry, scratchy, itchy feeling. I looked into LASIK (and similar corrective surgeries) and my eye doctor said that it wasn't a worthwhile investment for me due to both age and severe astigmatisms in both eyes. His estimate was that they could correct for either near or far (instead of one eye for each) and then I'd still have to wear glasses or contacts in order to get the full scope of vision.

The upside of glasses is that they can serve as a great accessory and with the upswing of online providers, once you have your prescription and your PD, you can get lots of glasses for inexpensive prices so you can switch your look up as you like. I'm particularly fond of www.zennioptical.com. My regular glasses after insurance at my local optician run about $400 including frames (and I have a really good vision insurance plan). I can get nearly the same glasses online for about $100 and sunglasses for about $150. As reference - I'm also wearing bifocals with that heavy duty prescription.

My son's vision isn't so bad, and I can get his glasses online for about $40-70 depending on the frames he chooses.

[Stewie26]

I like my new contacts. They are the new 30 day disposable type. No hassles here.

[St Drogo]

To the people saying they have '20/15' vision, what does that mean? I thought the saying was 20/20 vision, as in twenty points out of twenty, meaning perfect vision.

Do you mean your eyesight is three quarters to perfect, or that your left eye is perfect but your right notsomuch? Or is 20/20 a medical term and am i totally missing the point here

[slobake]

I had lasik 10 years ago. My eyesight wasn't too bad so I only needed to do it in one eye. I still have to wear glasses to read but I love not wearing them all the time. The first thing I did afterwards was to out and buy some "Cheap Sunglasses."

[DiabolusInMusic]

Well I have no problem wearing glasses but contacts do provide a level on convenience. I used contacts regularly for the last decade I was wearing glasses.

I got LASIK a few years ago, I paid almost $3200, and I got the most expensive surgery as I had really bad astigmatism and a high chance of regression so they needed to use the 1mm laser (2mm is traditional). Nowhere near $5000, and I got about 1/2 back on my taxes, granted I am Canadian so your experience may differ. But EVERYTHING is cheaper in the states so I doubt LASIK costs more. I was in my early 20's when I did so the cost of future glass and contacts would add up to more in the long run. I will eventually need reading glasses when I get to my 40's like all adults.

The surgery is a super uncomfortable, effed up experience but you can sit up and see right after it is done. It only takes a few minutes and a some recovery time but it is totally worth it. The most bizarre thing is getting up to go the bathroom at night for the first while, I reached for my glasses for months.

I realize it wasn't listed in your options but you should really consider it, they have now been doing it long enough that it is considered medically safe. As Tat said though, it might not be worth it due to your age but my parents were both in their 40's when they had it done. I was the last in my family to get it done, my family had all gone years prior to me.

[iamlowsound]

I wear contacts all the time, but I take a few days off from them a month. I would love to get LASIK, but it out is my price range and eyes is the only thing that isn't very good on my benefits through work.

I get my contacts and glasses for next to nothin, because of a family connection. My last pair of glasses cost me $37, that is with a frame that retails for $200.

lowsound

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by St Drogo

To the people saying they have '20/15' vision, what does that mean? I thought the saying was 20/20 vision, as in twenty points out of twenty, meaning perfect vision.

Do you mean your eyesight is three quarters to perfect, or that your left eye is perfect but your right notsomuch? Or is 20/20 a medical term and am i totally missing the point here

20/20 means that what you see at 20 feet is what a normal person sees at 20 feet. 20/15 would mean that what a normal person sees at 15 feet, you see at 20.

lowsound

[Big B.]

Personally I hate wearing glasses and happily wear contacts instead. If your work involves a lot of movement or sweating contacts are far less annoying to deal with. I wear the disposable monthly lenses as well and haven't had any trouble. I put them in once a month, put a couple drops in the morning and evening, and after a month I toss them and put in a new set. After years of contacts I have no trouble putting things in my eyes so the inconvenience is FAR less than what I deal with when I wear glasses.

All tha being said I have good friends who swear by the LASIK surgery and if I can swing it I plan to go that way at some point.

[Ziltoid]

Originally Posted by ErebusBass

If your eyes are itchy tell your eye doctor that. There are a bunch of different kinds of contacts, maybe there are some nicer ones out there that you haven't tried.

What I was about to write.

Personally I swear by Airoptix (for Astigmatism in my case). Those contacts really do breath. -3.25 and -3.5.

[Llaslo]

Well, I admit I haven't gone in for a LASIK estimate myself; however, my friend did, and we have the exact same contacts (the numbers are all identical). He has an astigmatism in one eye, I have one in both, but neither of us wear toric lenses. His cost was about $4800. Now that said, he loves that he did it. I just really don't want to drop that kind of cash on the procedure. As for my job, I'm a software developer, so I just sit in front of a computer. I think my plan for now is to renew my contacts, but really just reserve those for working out or for doing rigorous activities.

[elgecko]

You don't supposed to put stuff in your eyes...that's why we have eyelids.

Then again, I've been wearing glasses since I was 5 years old. I somewhat acclimated to them. I did a short stint with contacts in the early 80s but they weren't for me.