Contact Lenses

[SoonerFan]

I've been wearing no line bifocals for over 20 years. I can't see anything up close but can see like a hawk at anything over 20 yards. I can never remember if that's near sighted or far sighted. Anyway, now it's time for new glasses and it just occurred to me that I ought to think about the possibility of switching to contact lenses. I've always shied away from them because of the bifocal thing and I was always very fussy about stuff around or in my eyes. I think I can get past the fussy part...just deal with it.

I guess my question is for you guys who have contacts; how do you like them? I know they're a hassle with cleaning and all but so are glasses. How are they out in the boat?...or wind?

Also, not interested at all in Lasik eye surgery. I know I would do that, no matter how much everybody loves it.

[billius]

If you can see distance, but not up close, you are far sighted. I was near sighted (until I had lens implant surgery) I wore contacts for about 35 years. They can fix you up with what is called mono vision. It works well. One eye is for near vision, one eye will be for far vision. It works! You should get used to them, pretty quickly. Some wear the soft lens, some wear the gas permeable lenses. I had the harder gas permeable lenses. Out in the boat, the wind did bother me, so I always wore sunglasses, or if it was early in the am or evening or dark, I wore clear lens shooting glasses. I understand if you wear the soft lenses, the wind isn't that much of a problem. I wasn't able to use the soft lenses, as they couldn't get the proper vision correction for me with them.

[bustasack]

i have worn contacts for over 15 years and once you get used to wearing them, I can't even tell i have them in my eyes. I use the daily wear ones and take them out each night. I know it seems like a hassle but once you get in the routine of taking them and out its no problem at all. I have never had a problem with them while fishing and riding down the lake. They will not blow out or anything like that. I think once you get over that first initial week or two, you will be happy you don't have to wear glasses anymore.

[Matt1212]

I love mine. Took about a month for me to be able to put them in quickly(be patient), but now I can stick about anything in my eye I like them for depth perception so much better than glasses. You also have clear peripheral vision. Get 'em

[MississippiBoy]

I have the soft lenses, been wearing them for probably 16-17 years. I do have some trouble with in the wind, but not bad. Like Billius, I just wear sunglasses or whatever to block the direct wind onto my eyes. I've never had trouble with putting them in or anything, it just takes a little practice and getting used to.
Remember that contacts aren't one size fits all....my eye doctor sent me home with samples of 3-4 different brands in the same prescription to make sure I got the ones that felt the best. After I'd tried them each for a day or two, I told him which ones I liked best and he sold me a supply of those.

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by billius &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">If you can see distance, but not up close, you are far sighted. I was near sighted (until I had lens implant surgery) </td></tr></table>

Tell me more.....my doctor recommended doing that over the LASIK surgery. He said one of the guys that works for him had LASIK, and now can't drive at night because when his eyes healed after surgery, the scar tissue that formed refracts the light from headlights and virtually blinds him. Are you 20-20 now, better, worse? Thanks...

[smalljawguy]

Make the change. I wore glasses for 20 years and changed last year. Can't believe I waited that long. I use the disposables that I wear for 2 weeks and change out. Very simple to use and took me about a week to get my eyes used to them. If you're not sure about it, ask your eye doc to give you some disposables to try and see how you like it. Not sure about how they react on the boat since I've only been out once in the past year and it was cold enough for my helmet. Like Bill said just wear sun glasses and you won't have any issues. No way would I go the lasik route. When it comes to my eyes I want 100% guarantee that my eyes will be fine. I'm not willing to gamble on the 1% that may have a problem.

[flippenstick]

I have been wearing contacts for 30 years and love them. The past 10 years have been bifocal contacts. I recently changed brands because it was getting to the point of having to wear readers, even with the bifocal contacts. The brand I wear now has corrected that issue. I wear a multifocal lense made by Ciba Vision, they are called AIR OPTIX. If you go the contact route check them out, they saved me from going back to glasses. Good Luck

[flippenstick]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by smalljawguy &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Make the change. I wore glasses for 20 years and changed last year. Can't believe I waited that long. I use the disposables that I wear for 2 weeks and change out. Very simple to use and took me about a week to get my eyes used to them. If you're not sure about it, ask your eye doc to give you some disposables to try and see how you like it. Not sure about how they react on the boat since I've only been out once in the past year and it was cold enough for my helmet. Like Bill said just wear sun glasses and you won't have any issues. No way would I go the lasik route. When it comes to my eyes I want 100% guarantee that my eyes will be fine. I'm not willing to gamble on the 1% that may have a problem. </td></tr></table>



That's exactly how I feel about my eyes and Lasik surgery, I'm not willing to take the gamble.

[billius]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by MississippiBoy &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">

Tell me more.....my doctor recommended doing that over the LASIK surgery. He said one of the guys that works for him had LASIK, and now can't drive at night because when his eyes healed after surgery, the scar tissue that formed refracts the light from headlights and virtually blinds him. Are you 20-20 now, better, worse? Thanks...</td></tr></table>

I've had a few friends who had the LASIK surgery, they have done fine. But my Dr. was like yours, he told me to not do it. His reasoning was that eventually, I would have to have lens implants due to the possibility of cataract formation, whether I had LASIK or not. (most everyone has cataracts eventually, some can live with them, some can't)
With the implants, I've not had any trouble at all with lights at night. I have 20/20 vision in one eye now, and 20/30 in the other. That's due to one lens being weaker for reading. But, I did eventually have to get glasses for reading and some correction for distance. I wear my glasses at night when driving and for reading. It just makes it easier to see street signs, etc.

[Hair Jig]

I've worn disposables (leave in 2 weeks) for several years and I love them. It's nice if you have to get up at night to be able to see without having to fumble for glasses. As for wind, etc I have no problems at all. The only thing that bothers me is extremely cold weather. It seems to dry out the lenses a little and I have to be careful if I rub my eyes that I don't dislodge them. I am wearing lenses for astigmatism. With them, we made a compromise. I can see like an eagle at a distance. The guys I play golf with are amazed at the way I can follow a golf ball and see it land 300 yards away. BUT ... I have to carry reading glasses with me if I'm planning on reading anything. Yes, it's a hassle, but I decided to deal with the slight inconvenience of reading glasses and gain the benefits of being able to see so well at distances. If you play golf or hunt, this is a huge advantage.

[MississippiBoy]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by billius &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">

I've had a few friends who had the LASIK surgery, they have done fine. But my Dr. was like yours, he told me to not do it. His reasoning was that eventually, I would have to have lens implants due to the possibility of cataract formation, whether I had LASIK or not. (most everyone has cataracts eventually, some can live with them, some can't)
With the implants, I've not had any trouble at all with lights at night. I have 20/20 vision in one eye now, and 20/30 in the other. That's due to one lens being weaker for reading. But, I did eventually have to get glasses for reading and some correction for distance. I wear my glasses at night when driving and for reading. It just makes it easier to see street signs, etc. </td></tr></table>

Good to know. Thanks.

[Derek B]

I've been wearing contacts for 14 years. I can't imagine having to wear my glasses everyday. I take mine out every night to avoid any bacteria causing an eye infection. I love them. They are so comfortable you don't even know they're in, and don't worry about cleaning. The solutions now are "no rub." I just put them in every morning. It really helps on cold days because your glasses fog up, and rainy days fishing because of the water. Also really hot days when the sweat is rolling down your face.

[Jeff Hahn]

I was in exactly your situation several years ago. I didn't want to buy the expensive polarized, bifocal sunglasses for fishing. So, I asked my optometrist about contacts. She asked how old I was...at the time I was 50. She asked if I have ever worn contacts before. I told her No. She said that at 50 life was too short to go through the process of adjusting to contacts. So she convinced me to stay with my glasses.

[AveryF]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by billius &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">....... They can fix you up with what is called mono vision. It works well. One eye is for near vision, one eye will be for far vision. It works! You should get used to them, pretty quickly..........</td></tr></table>

I've worn glasses for 20+ years and had to go with bifocals 10 years or so ago. Two years ago, I decided to try contacts and tried the "one eye for near vision and one eye for far vision" deal. It totally sucked! I wore them for nearly six months without much success in spite of trying a number of different brands and styles. I also found that it absolutely destroyed my depth perception, not to mention feeling like I had sand in my eyes the entire time.

My wife, on the other hand, has difficulty seeing things up close and has used a single contact for reading for years. It has worked extremely well for her and she loves it!

I guess what works well for some doesn't work so well for others.

[TomM]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by AveryF &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">

I decided to try contacts and tried the "one eye for near vision and one eye for far vision" deal. It totally sucked! I wore them for nearly six months without much success in spite of trying a number of different brands and styles. I also found that it absolutely destroyed my depth perception, not to mention feeling like I had sand in my eyes the entire time.
</td></tr></table>

I've worn glasses for 43 years now and bifocals for the last 15. I too tried the "mono vision" and didn't like it at all. The loss of depth perception was pretty bad but the thing that bothered me most was that everything, whether near or far, was always a little blurry because one eye or the other was always out of focus. It was more pronounced at night.

Tom

[Tom G.]

I went the other way. I started in glasses, and have tried contacts twice, both hard ones and soft ones. I always went back to glasses, ans I could not keep the contacts moist enough to prevent blurring. I tried everything - nothing helped, despite using artificial tears, and other suggestions from the optometrist. He told me that contacts aren't for everyone, as some folks don't produce enough natural tears to keep them properly lubed. I also like the ease of glasses.. I can grab 'em and put them on instead of poking myself in the eye putting contacts in at 4am.

[rtfishn]

I've been wearing extended wear contacts for over 30 years, the last 5 have been with the bifocal lens. Much better than the mono vision method for me. The only thing that bothers me in the boat is those cold days, my eyes water real bad.

[Young Gun]

Ive been wearing them for 5 years now. Im blind as a bat even though im only 20! But i have no problems wearing them there just a pain in the butt sometimes when u have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and put them in to go fishing. I do want to get laser surgery down the road though. The only tip i have for u is even though they make lenses that u can leave in for a week/month u still need to take them out. Your eyes will start bothering you if u dont

[Greg58]

Go for the contacts! I have been wearing them for about 15 years and am really concerned that someday I will have to go back to glasses and can't stand the idea. If I can learn to put them in any body can. Took about a week, I set my alarm an hour early to get them in, after a week of dedication it just happened, kind of like riding a bike. Don't know what I did different it just started working! Now it is a 15 second process of putting them in or taking them out. Cleaning is not an issue any more either, just drop them in the case and put the solution on them.
I have been wearing MULTI FOCAL contacts for about five years due to my arms getting shorter for reading. They work good however there is a compromise. They can set you up with being able to read great but you loose some distance or like me I have great distance but need a little help from cheep reading glasses for fine print or tying a knot. Seems to be harder to read in low light conditions. I am very happy with them but it does take an understanding eye dr. You can't just settle on the first pair, brands very and what some love you may hate. I tried a new brand that was supposed to breath better and see better etc, felt like I had sand in my eyes! Went back to the other brand and don't even know I am wearing them.
Remember that contacts are trial and error, glasses are a lot easier to get right the first time but if you and your eye dr are willing to give it an effort, you will love them. You get peripheral vision back, not all dirty and smudged like glasses, and you can wear whatever sunglasses you want!
Let me know if you need advice or help.
Greg

[Clif Kincaid]

I wear dailies from ciba vision and will never go back to glasses. Fresh new pair every day. I just keep a extra pair in boat,both cars and truck and lunch pail. No hassle with cleaning or care and can't even tell i have them in.