Contact Lenses

[Olly C]

Hi guys,

My eye sight is pretty bad these days and although I don't really see myself as a glasses person I'm forced to where glasses at work, at home to watch TV and if I go out to town and stuff. I used to hate having to wear glasses and still don't like it too much but as I said I need to these days, now at work I've just got a new manager, he doesn't where glasses so I assumed he can see perfectly fine without aid but it turns out he wheres contact lenses.

I've recently tried a contact lens trial and I found them ok (month trial of the ones you have to clean etc) but I found it too much hassle putting them in and taking them out in the morning or after work and the hassle of cleaning them etc so I didn't go through that route. What I wanted to try but haven't got round to it yet are the daily ones but the lady at Spec Savers said they have a shorter wear time like maybe 8 hours MAX now I work 9 hours at work and have an hour travel each way so I'd want something that last's longer per day and maybe I'd stick with the glasses at work someday's and save pairs for when I want to go out riding, either way once you've used a pair you have to throw them out so if I went out for a hour ride after work I'd have to throw the pair out that night, seems like a waste.

So I ask my manager what Contacts he wears, he said that he wears Daily Disposables since he wanted Laser Eye Surgery but his eyes weren't settled enough to have it yet BUT instead of taking the daily contacts out he just leaves them in, not for one day or two but for months! he said he'd been wearing his current pair for over 2 months sleeping in them and everything!?! They told him it wasn't possible but one day he left them in and again the next night and then just left them in for longer each time and he's been doing this for 2/3 years now..

Does anyone else do this? It sounds like the perfect solution to my problems if its possible for me to do it, I can wear lenses so hopefully dailys would be ok too. But basically his two week daily disposable contact lens trials last him over a year Sounds pretty sweet to me..

Olly.

[Janson]

Well, there are lenses made for sleeping in, so you can wear them non-stop.

I have been using monthly ones since July last year I think. It only takes about 2 minutes a day to clean, fit and remove, so it's not THAT big of a deal, is it?

The thing with contacts is that after a while, they harden from all the muck that has touched them, and all the crap that's been on your eye. You do tend to see clearer in a fresh pair than a month old one.

The max wearing time seems to me only be the time you can wear them without raping your eyes. I've got fairly dry eyes, but still wear mine 14-15 hours, every day. My eyes do tend to go a bit dry in the evening, and might be a bit red some times, but hey, I'm wearing mine for 5 hours over recommended time..

I think a problemw with sleeping in contacts is the urge to rub your eyes. I know that I LOVE rubbing my eyes in the morning, and if you did that with contacts in, bye bye contacts. They'll fall out if you're not lucky.

A few minutes of fiddling a day is definitely worth it for me. And considering that I spend more time fixing my bike than dealing with the contacts, I'd say it's not too bad at all!

[Tomm]

I wear contacts occasionally, but I find glasses much more comfortable. Have you tried finding a pair of glasses that you like? Contact lenses aren't too much hassle, but at the end of a day (probably 14 hours or so like Janson), they're just completely stuck to my eyes and sometimes my eyes feel a bit itchy when I'm using them. Now I generally just use them if I go riding or some other sport, and wear glasses the rest of the time.

Wearing contacts for longer than you're supposed to isn't a very good idea. The front of the eye has no blood supply, and relies on oxygen diffusing in from the outside. So you don't wanna be stopping the air getting to them for too long at a time. I'd be tempted to try the monthly ones where they stay in all the time, though. As long as they weren't itchy or anything.

[Janson]

Yeah, the trick is to either wash the face before taking them out, or forming a pool of lense fluid thingy in your hand and dipping the eye in, all to make them moisture up a bit and let go easier.

The washing of face before is very clever, because it cleans your hands too!

[deagledaddy]

Olly I have been wearing focus daily disposables for a fair while now, don't wear them that regualy at the moment as im not playing much sport/riding. However i have found that i can put them in when i wake up then leave em till bed time. Which is often like 15/16 hours i recon, it just takes a few weeks for the eyes to get used to them that all.

(as i was told 6/8 hours max when i started)

I have fallen alseep in the before and when i woke up my eyes were stuck togeather a bit like hayfwever when its bad, also the lenses were stuck to my eyes and I had to wet them to get them to come off, so no idea how your boss can keep them in for a month!

Any way get contacts, they are worth it. If your getting disposables you can always stop ordering them if you decide they aren't for you etc.

[Alexx]

So I ask my manager what Contacts he wears, he said that he wears Daily Disposables since he wanted Laser Eye Surgery but his eyes weren't settled enough to have it yet BUT instead of taking the daily contacts out he just leaves them in, not for one day or two but for months! he said he'd been wearing his current pair for over 2 months sleeping in them and everything!?! They told him it wasn't possible but one day he left them in and again the next night and then just left them in for longer each time and he's been doing this for 2/3 years now..

Does anyone else do this? It sounds like the perfect solution to my problems if its possible for me to do it, I can wear lenses so hopefully dailys would be ok too. But basically his two week daily disposable contact lens trials last him over a year Sounds pretty sweet to me..

Yeah I've been doing it for 3+ years now. Only take my lenses out like... about once every 20-30 days.

But unlike your boss I actually wear some propper ones...

They're called 'night & day', and they cost around £30 / month (maybe a bit more or less, I just pay direct debit so never pay much attention). They're designed just to be left in your eyes for upto 30 days straight, something to do with the material they are made out of, allows like 99% oxeygen to permiate through, and they stay 'wet' when you sleep so you dont wake up with your eye lids glued together haha

Anyway, the advantage isn't so much the fact you can leave them in and just forget about them (though thats great) it's more the fact they are amazingly comfortable. Compared to daily disposables they're amazing. I used to get sore eyes late at night or in smokey clubs, or when working on computer for long hours etc, but with these ones I never even notice i have them.

Personally I think your boss is either NUTS or bullshitting... because there is NO WAY your eyes could stand upto daily lenses for 48+ hours I remember once I ran out of lenses and tried to wear some of them for like 3 days running (not nights!) and one of the lenses actually just ripped into two when i blinked

Get yourself down to a Dolland & Aitchison, they perscribe them

Edit: http://www.nightandday.com/

[poopipe]

I've got monthly disposables - had to at the time cos you couldnt get daily toric ones at the time.

anyway, they're sweet - you can see much better than with glasses and they don't fly off your face cos you're sweaty and get all shagged up.

getting em in and out is a bit of a pain to start with but after a few days its easy.

the only thing thats bad about them is that my eyes get knackered sitting in front of computers all day at work - i can only manage about 4-5 hours tops before they start to annoy me.

[JT!]

I my contact lenses, monthly ones. They're soooo much better than galsses.

My physics teacher has the ones where you stick them in, and a month later you take them out. You sleep in them and everything. It's a good idea, less hasstle, and it's safer (less touching of them and the eye). Seem like the ones your after.

[Danny]

I've worn monthly disposables for around 3 years now. I always take em out on a night. I've never really had any problems with them sometimes they get a bit funny if you've been wearing them like 16 hours though. Only £12 a month too from specsavers

My sister had the same ones for years but she suffered from them drying her eyes out after a few hours. But now shes got some of these new ones with a higher water content that your supposed to be able to wear much longer and shes fine now. They cost a bit more though.

[Tom_C]

My life has definately improved from wearing contact lenses, I started using the monthly ones where your supposed to wear them for 12 hours and take them out daily. Amazingly I have managed to dedicate the time to remove and clean them everyday despite being drunk, absolutley knackered or in a compromising situation with a lady at late hours of the night. I've decided to leave Specavers and go to Boots Opticians and try out the monthly ones that are continuously worn for 30 days as I feel it will be much less hassle to organise taking out the container all the time (I'm rarely at home alot of the time).

I've only had sore eyes after either having a nap with them in, wearing them for long periods of time (18 hours plus) or not cleaning them if I'm at a house party or something and its the morning after. Some people are terrible with their hygiene: Friends I know that find them on the floor, my uncle cleans his in his mouth! which is frankly f**king lazy and disturbing. Still not sure on wearing them swimming, my girlfriend said it was fine but I'm sure Specsavers would go nuts if I were to suggest it.

Contact lenses rule if you have genuinely shite eyesite

Tom