Wear contacts? Don't forget these 5 things

Posted on Oct 18th 2007 6:28AM by Rigel Celeste

Wearing contacts used to be a really big deal -- remember the hard lenses that were supposed to last a year or more but would pop out at random and leave people searching the floor in the middle of a crowd or, worse yet, the bottom of a pool? Thankfully I never had to deal with hard contacts, but I have been wearing regular soft lenses since high school and after awhile it's hard not to feel like you know everything. But do you? Here's a list of 5 things every contact lens wearer should know:

Wash your hands!
Try not to wear your contacts during periods of seasonal allergies, or if you must then dispose of them more often.
Keep eye drops handy to help prevent dry eyes and potential eye injury from dry lenses
Don't keep/wear lenses for longer than they were intended
Give your eyes a rest from contacts whenever you can, if even just for a few hours a day.

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Tags: contact, contacts, eye, eyes, lens, lenses, vision

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

deeb 10-18-2007 @ 7:46AM

I think hard contacts have a bad rep. I have been wearing them for over 30 years now. They have gotten smaller and more comfortable. I've had one pair last as long as 7 years. I can never put them on inside out, they never fold, don't tear, and if they get a scratch, I can either buy a new pair for around $150 or get the scratch polished off. I see people putting in their soft contacts and say to myself, that's not for me.

nick 10-19-2007 @ 1:04PM

The never wear contacts longer then you're supposed to thing is actually a big deal, but still a lot of people ignore it. Keep that up and the minor consequence is not being able to wear contacts anymore.

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amrts 10-19-2007 @ 6:08AM

i have tried and tried to put soft contacts in. my eyes are not very oval, and i can't open them wide enough to put the contacts in. are there different techniques or different types of contacts that solve this problem? it is so frustrating. help.

Rebecca 10-19-2007 @ 7:08AM

Amrts,
I have small, almond shaped eyes and I get my contacts in by pulling my lower lid down with my thumb, while lifting my upper lid with my forefinger. With soft contact lenses, my eye doctor told me many years ago, you don't have to get it right on target. As long as it sticks to your eyeball, it will self-adjust. It works. I've been wearing them for 35 years!

bern 10-19-2007 @ 7:12AM

gas permeable hard lenses are great. I too have been wearing them for over 30 years. Actually, vision is more acute and crisp with gas perms than with soft lenses because they hug the eye better. They last years!

trud 10-19-2007 @ 7:48AM

I, too, have worn hard contacts for almost 40 years. My vision has really stayed about the same...possibly 4 changes in that time. I did invert a gas perm recently and put it on inside out. I never knew this was possible. It is rare. Luckily, the doctor's office was able to fix it. I would recommend them to anyone who is able to be fitted for them.

ellen 10-19-2007 @ 7:47AM

I just started wearing lenses that are good for 2 weeks. I get them in ok but still have trouble getting them out. Any hints?

P.B. 10-19-2007 @ 9:25AM

Same here hard lenses for 30 years would never want to put something in my eyes that folded or you could put in inside out, soft lenses make me squeamish !
Glasses are a hard piece of glass that goes over the eye and hard contacts are pieces of hard glass that go in the eye no painn or scratching either !!

Steven 10-19-2007 @ 8:12AM

Ellen,

Congratulations on becoming a contact lens wearer! You will go through a period of adjustment, but in time you will love them!

You say that you have trouble getting them out. Do you wear hard or sort lenses? If soft, simply wash your hands, open your eye wide (use one hand to hold the lids open if necessary, look straight ahead, and "pinch and pull" the lens with the other hand. The lenses are a lot more durable than people give them credit for.

Good luck -- you'll do fine!

Pat 10-19-2007 @ 8:20AM

I've been wearing hard lenses for 40 years. My current pair were purchased in 1977! They are in perfect condition. I cannot believe that Doctors are happy with the soft lenses that correct your eyes to 20/25. The vision is too "soft". I want very crisp vision. It's getting difficult to find a place to get hard lenses now. Shame...

Frank 10-19-2007 @ 8:25AM

I started with hard lenses way back in 1963. Since then they came a long way. I now wear Gas permeable lenses and think they are the way to go. I once had to use soft lenses in the interim waiting for my new Gas permeable and disliked them. They require much more care and the worst part was tyring to get them into my eye because of their size.

Dr. Elliott 10-19-2007 @ 8:53AM

As an eyedoc, I feel the second most important tip (after washing the hands) is to change the soaking solution daily. The case must be emptied, rinsed with warm water and air dryed. Many patients just "top off" the solution already in the case. This leads to a greater risk of infection - in fact, the studies done after the RENU recall indicated that topping off was a leading contributor to the problem.

Dr. Elliott 10-19-2007 @ 5:22PM

PS

Pat, with all due respect, nothing purchased in 1977, especially something you handle and wear everyday, is in perfect condition!!

Dianne 10-19-2007 @ 8:57AM

I have worn contacts since 1966...first hard, then gas perm, now soft. I wear one for distance and one for close. They work great! You can wear them for 3 weeks usually with no problems. I would never go back to glasses.

melissa 10-19-2007 @ 9:14AM

I have a severe astigmatism. I have always worn glasses because a doctor in the past told me that my eyes were to basd for contacts. Needless to say I had it with glasses. My new eye doctor said that I could posably get contacts, so he searched his books and found a prescription for soft contacts. Unfortunatly they cost me a small fortune. My only complaint about them is they move around in my eye and my vision gets very blury. My eye doc. says its because of my astigmatism. They dry out very easily also. Any suggestions?

drericknight 10-19-2007 @ 9:41AM

Hopefully the person below isn't wearing the true old "hard" contacts which are called PMMA. These lenses which were popular in the 1970's and 80's were replaced by Gas Permeable lenses which are somewhat like hard, but allow oxygen to permeate the lens. Also, the old hard lenses can cause fairly significant warpage of the cornea (the front of the eye). For the person that is wearing their lenses from 1977, you are going to put some doctors kids through college with the damage that you most likely have.

For the person (Melissa) who has severe astigmatism, your doctor was probably searching for a soft lens. Go with a gas permeable which will correct your vision much better than a soft can ever come close to. Also as stated above, gas perms are very, very inexpensive. Just look at contact lens advertising. What is the 1 lens that is always advertised? Soft disposable. Why? Because it is the most expensive. What have you NEVER seen advertised. Gas Perm. Why? Because they are typically the least expensive.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Eric Knight

sandy 10-19-2007 @ 9:43AM

I've been wearing contacts for over 20 years. My prescription is pretty strong (-9.50) and in the beginning, the soft lenses were pretty thick. I never had trouble getting them in or out, but these new soft lenses are like cellophane and harder to put in because they fold over when I try to put them on. Although they are more comfortable in general, I find that I cannot wear them as long as I wore the old ones.

Joyce 10-21-2007 @ 1:40PM

I have been wearing glasses for a very long time, they are bifocals. I had cataracts removed from both eyes but still wear glasses. I would like to try contact lenses - is this advisable?

kay 10-19-2007 @ 10:08AM

PLEASE HELP! i've worn soft contact lenses for over 8 years and never had any problems at all until about a year ago. when I wear contacts now, my eyes burn and turn bloodshot red and my eyeballs are actually in pain after only a few hours of wear my eyeballs stay in pain for days afterwards...I absolutely hate to wear glasses but can't see without them...i've been to 3 different doctors 2 said I only have dry eyes (he went out of business shortly afterward) the other doc prescribed Restasis which did absolutely nothing and the 3rd doc misdiagnosed me with blasaphoritis (mispelled) what can I do? I only wear contacts maybe 1 day per month now does anyone know an eye specialist in Atlanta Ga? PLEASE HELP!

michelle 10-19-2007 @ 10:07AM

i wore gas perm hard contacts in high school to slow down the deterioration in my eyesight. i did not enjoy hard contacts. even with a light blue tint...they are hard to find when dropped. then you need to try to pick them up without snapping them. i have experienced having them pop out if you rub your eye .to get them out at night all you have to do is pull the corner of your eye and they pop right out. convenient at night, but not so good when done accidentally. also, unlike soft contacts if you mess up putting in your contact, hard contacts slide down under your bottom lid or into the corner of your eye. you then have to work it back out toward the center of your eye. this is quite painful. i was grateful they slowed down the loss in my eyesight...but i gave up contacts after a few years. to me, they were not worth the discomfort.