I got contacts! Or: Contacts vs. Glasses

someone tell the story about an amoeba eating momus's eyeballs

"So, lads, when I was still just a teeny tiny single-cell organism like you, I found myself a cozy ol' Scottish art provocateur to reside in..."

i had contacts but then 5 years ago i had to wear glasses for a day and my then-gf told me i looked hot w/glasses and i have not looked back if you will since that day

glasses>>>>>>>>>>>contacts

i wore glasses today because a) i got a trial pair of new contacts about a month ago and keep forgetting to buy the year supply and b) i was up to 5am and no way was i putting in contacts!

it feels incredibly weird to drive without glasses

as soon as i got the contacts in for the first time at the vision place i put my glasses back on my face

lol

ive been so lazy about contacts i ended up going back to glasses. contax are kind of a pain in the ass

I'm so happy for you, Roxy, but I really really really really got to HATE contacts and I hope they work better for you than I.

my exroomate can put them in with one hand in one second, it is amazing

both at once? I've not gotten that good
best thing about me and my contacts is both eyes are the same scrip and have been for almost a decade - they stabilized my eyesight + I don't have to pay attention to that L R crap

I have had good vision all my life, but this year *ahem* I found that print seemed a bit blurry to me. I was told that I could have lasic surgery but it would not be 100% effective with aging eyes. I could have contact for one eye to correct the tiny bit of distance problem I have or just wear a pair of reading glasses; which is what I opted for. I kind of like them and people tell me that I now have the sexy secretary or librarian look (and I am clinging onto those opinions for dear life!) Really though, I don't mind the glasses, except that I can't seem to adjust into them for any sort of distance; thus I find I have to put them on my head constantly whic is a pain, or I try to go down steps and find that my depth perception is off so I take them off or cling to the hand rail which is not my preference. Contacts seem like the ideal, but I go batshit if I have my bangs in my eyes or a tiny speck in my eye, so I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a big ole thang in my eye even with the lube goop they come with.

downside of glasses is that "mysterious stranger" red shades are now a no-go

huh?

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08243/glasses2490.jpg

i never wear glasses other than first thing in the morning and right before bed. contacts are pretty dope imo.

I've never really considered getting contacts, based on stories I've heard from friends they just seem too much of a hassle. Also, since I've worn glasses ever since I was 9, they've sort of grown to become a part of me. If I take my glasses off, my friends say I look weird.

so, how long is too long?!

i've had mine in almost 12 hours

I've heard that these days there special contacts that you can even sleep with.

"there are"

I never understood how people can get used to sticking foreign objects under their eyelids... glasses all the way.

best thing about me and my contacts is both eyes are the same scrip and have been for almost a decade - they stabilized my eyesight + I don't have to pay attention to that L R crap

Aye, me too, it's a whole lot less hassle.

I've been wearing contacts almost daily since I was a teenager (I'm now in my mid-30s). You get incredibly used to them, I can put them in without looking in a mirror, take them out while drunk. The amount I've spent on them, I'd have been way cheaper just getting my eyes lasered, but THAT makes me way more squeamish than poking about it my eyes.

I can't put contacts in.

I got v v frustrated learning but when the lady left me alone I was fine after a couple tries. Her method was stupid.

I might get lasik this year. My insurance covers it.

I can only agree with you, Nhex. I once considered getting some contacts, feeling it was in some way connected with me being more adult and responsible. I went to the opticians to have some indoctrination, I mean help with how to put them in, get them out - get used to having them in sort of thing.

By the end of which, a small but interested crowd of people were standing at a respectful distance from the desk where I had been 'getting used to having them in', my face was tear-stained and my eyes looked like I had been on a five-day whisky bender funeral tour of close relatives, interspersed with viewings of Bambi and Brief Encounter. My fingers were all but bloody with eye juice, my eyes themselves were a pair of small, gritty, sightless gonads, which nevertheless contained universes of pain and as I stumbled out of the opticians-so-called, sightlessly pawing the air in front of me, I vowed never again to do anything based on the premise of 'growing up'.

'Oh, it's easy.'
'Oh, you'll get used to it.'

Lies. All lies.

By the end of which, a small but interested crowd of people were standing at a respectful distance from the desk where I had been 'getting used to having them in', my face was tear-stained and my eyes looked like I had been on a five-day whisky bender funeral tour of close relatives, interspersed with viewings of Bambi and Brief Encounter. My fingers were all but bloody with eye juice, my eyes themselves were a pair of small, gritty, sightless gonads, which nevertheless contained universes of pain and as I stumbled out of the opticians-so-called, sightlessly pawing the air in front of me, I vowed never again to do anything based on the premise of 'growing up'.

this, aside from "bloody with eye juice" (???), is pretty much exactly how my experience was except i grew up and put the things in

I got v v frustrated learning but when the lady left me alone I was fine after a couple tries. Her method was stupid.

yeah, the only bad thing about contacts ever was that the lady at the optometrist's office told me the completely wrong way to take them out when i first got them. like any contacts wearer ever would have said, "no, you're doing it wrong."

this, aside from "bloody with eye juice" (???), is pretty much exactly how my experience was except i grew up and put the things in

Silver-tongued deceiver. Velvet-gloved recusant. Contacts sock-puppet worming insinuations at the behest of your authoritarian paymasters.

My fingers 'all but bloody with eye juice' - as in not quite, but near as dammit, although I admit it looks a little runic like that.

"bloody with eye juice" is the weird part, not "all but"

Hmmm. Now you put it like that. I think I meant something like the 'vile jelly', but so sore and red were my eyes from all the rummaging around that I felt SURE that there must be blood in it.

Mum's still got the same pair she had when she was 18. Not just the same prescription, the same pair. If I could do that, (my eyes haven't changed for about 10 years anyway) ie not buy the one-a-day 'costs-for-life' ones, then I'd maybe consider it, if it weren't for the fact that I'd fall asleep with them in and wake up with one suspicious bump on my forehead, and another down my cheek!

tru story:

my dad had the same pair of old skool "hard" contacts for like 27 years. he is a protestant minister and used them as a sermon illustration one day and two days later one of them broke, forcing him to get with the times and get soft cotacts.

he's (jokingly) convinced that members of his congregation prayed for him to get new contacts after that sermon.

I'm stuck with contacts at the moment cos I lost my glasses last week in a Christmas Party mishap. I don't mind them now I have the daily ones, I tried monthly ones 10 years ago and they stung my eyes really badly, something to do with my tears being a slightly unusual pH according to the optician. The daily ones are fine though for some reason. Although I'd rather just wear glasses most of the time. I mainly just have them for going to punk gigs so I don't have to worry about getting my glasses knocked off by crowdsurfers (which has happened a few times before)

'Oh, it's easy.'
'Oh, you'll get used to it.'

Lies. All lies

Ha. If I ever need vision correction -- and I think that day is looming -- these shall be my watchwords.

I can't even bear to watch Mrs Fiendish put hers in or take them out. The idea of touching my own eyes makes me tense up and want to vomit.

But you DO get used to it! I've been doing it almost daily for nearly 20 years, and I've never once hurt myself while doing it.

(one for the "out of context" thread there)

Aargh, brr, no <flails wildly> fuck that noise. Not a chance.

Yeah after a while your eyelids lose the reflex to shut when you try and put the lense in and it gets much easier.

<flails so hard he falls over>

contact lenses >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> glasses

but then glasses don't rly suit me

i feel ten times more confident and able when out and about in contact lenses, tho, plus they're great for sport

I'd wear contacts if I could - I always seem to sit on my glasses, or break them when I fall over drunk and that makes me angry. I'm ALWAYS pushing them up my nose. I often lose them angry angry. And when it rains and when I am on my bike and I can't see through them and when I walk into a hot place after being in a cold place and they get steamed up and and and.

But my eyelids disagree.

I wore contacts for years without incident. I wore them too often and wound up with something called corneal vascularization in which blood vessels grow where they aren't supposed to. Stopped wearing them so much and it cleared up.

Three years later out of the blue I developed something called Uvitis that they think is related to my contacts. Basically I just developed an intolerance to them which is sad because I feel much more confident in contacts. I've been in glasses only for about three months now and am getting used to it but still miss the lenses.

RIP ENBB's contact lens wearing days. *sniff*

glasses, cause it's a whole nother accessory! i just got some new ones at this place (beware the embedded music file)

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=193275110

they're from around 1910, steel oval wireframes

I'm with grimly on this, the whole idea of sticking something in my eye makes me feel like throwing up/passing out. But being a short-sighted glasses wearer has advantages - without the glasses I can see very tiny details, which is useful for electronics work. It's almost like having a super power.

i had contacts but then 5 years ago i had to wear glasses for a day and my then-gf told me i looked hot w/glasses and i have not looked back if you will since that day

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Friday, December 19, 2008 8:41 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^ sounds like a keeper

then-gf

Glasses all the way, been wearing them since age 7 and I feel naked without them. Besides I am too much of a filthmonger and I'm sure amoebas would eat my eyeballs.
I generally think people look better wearing glasses.

there are some straight-up wimps on this thread

glasses are nice and i just spent $$$ to get new ones but you can see way better with contacts

you can see way better with contacts

yup. my dad's an eye doc and that's what he always tells me too

it's pretty obvious if you think about it ... no space between the eye and the lens + no peripheral vision issues = you can see better

I can see better, and I look better w/ contacts.

(I look less like JarvisC with them)

My vision is so bad that when I wore glasses they made my eyes look really small and weird. If my vision wasn't as bad as that I would've probably continued to wear glasses, but now I much prefer contacts.

http://byaki.net/uploads/posts/2008-12/1228513077_byaki3-0.jpg

so i no longer have glasses at all, see sefap thread for info probably, but anyway i have to wear contacts 24/7 now so i have to put them in at all times cause im blind as a bat

DESPITE WHAT I JUST SAID i woke up late today and drove to work without contacts which was V V DANGEROUS

still haven't put them in actually, everything looks like a monet

Can put them in in less than a minute now.

Do contacts ever stop feeling dry? How long does it take for eyes to "get used to them"?

i have worn glasses for 26 years and never once did i think about getting contacts

My vision is worse than -5.00, and wearing contacts was like chucking away a Zimmer frame. If you're wavering, do it now. You'll get used to sticking your fingers in your eye in a couple of days. I've been wearing contacts for nearly twenty years, and never once have I thought of going back,

totally used to the contacts now. and i've slept in them overnight: nothing happens!!!!!

y'all we need to start a fund for roxy to have glasses!

It would be nice to have glasses to read with and stuff when I'm getting ready for bed. And when I'm in a rush, to drive in. Alas.

i like gals with glasses

so buy me some

i can send you my old ones

uh

thanks but no thanks dude

old glasses are kinda gross, sorry

apology accepted

roxy have you checked out those online sites - omg i LOVE LOVE my glasses from them. i will webmail you pix of my ones if you interested.

wait what sites

www.zennioptical.com

www.goggles4u.com

you can spend as little as $8 on pair - including lenses and frames

lol @ goggles 4 u!! thanks rubes

These Eye(glasse)s

ok i had no idea what pappawheel looked like until that thread

roxy i just emailed you

Ok, so how do you know if one of your contacts is on backwards? I guess you just have to take it out and use the "burrito method" (this is actually what they called it at the eye doc place when I was getting contacts. More of a "chalupa method" IMO).

the edges will curve downwards. it won't look quite right. it's sort of tricky. look at it one way then flip it inside out and look at it that way

put it on your finger: if it's a perfect looking circle, you're good to go. if the edges look a little fishy or curvy then you've got an inside out contact

http://www.obrigcontactlenses.com/images/insideoutlens.gif

and yeah you pretty much gotta take it out and look at it. if it's super uncomfortable you should take it out anyway

I tried contacts once about 10-15 years back... I never had a problem putting them in/poking myself in the eye, I got used to that pretty easily ... but my big problem was stabilising the image correction.

I have severe astigmatism in one eye (and possibly a bit in the other, I forget) and I think the misshape causes problems for me. Every time I'd blink with contacts in, they'd get moved by my eyelids, sort of sliding about on my eye then settling back. And every time that happened, my vision would blur up.

I actually couldn't *see* properly in contacts. How to shot that not happening? I donno :( Also, I feel nekkid without glasses on anyway.

I also had that inside out worry frequently rox!

Yeah, I know how to check, Que. I meant can you tell something's wrong without taking them out.

I think if they feel weird/itchy/sharp, they're possibly not in right, thats what I recall it feeling like.

sorry i was being totally gabbneb about contact lenses

sent from your Blackberry

i don't want to know what "being totally gabbneb about contact lenses" means, b/c i fear that i am the exact same way o_O

OK never mind i just read mr. que's post ... i am not like that.

In the middle of the night, night before last, I took my left contact out of my eye, placed it inside Victor Hugo's Les Miserables (before Cosette goes to the convent) and squashed it within. I have no memory of this, but I know that I did it.

used to wear them, but my astigmatism got worse and i started having the same issue as Trayce. i don't really miss them much, though.

If mine are inside out they hurt like BLAZES. There's no mistaking it.

Mine are just annoying if they're wrong side out.

i think it's time to admit to self and world that i need to wear some sort of corrective lenses all the time :/
like my eyesight has deteriorated or simply reached that tipping point where blurred vision is functionally impairing my life
it sucks!
i think my problem with my glasses, and i've had glasses for several years but usually wear them on my bike or watching movies or at shows really but time spent with them on has increased in past year, my problem is that i can't get over that there being something between my eyes and the world, or at least something visible.

i am just slightly afraid of contact lenses! and the bother of them.
really, i want lasering! but am not $$ enough right now :/

I couldn't function without contacts because I'm vain. However, they come off the second I get home from work, and I never sleep with them on no matter how much I've had to drink.

vanity is def an issue, I admit to that

Never had problems with contacts. I wear them at most nine hours a day (work) and on weekends I wear my glasses on my errands before popping in at night. Basically, any situation that requires me at my prettiest.

couldn't wear them at work - not if i'm staring at a computer.

the issue is when one is on holiday (or if it's sunny), and you want to wear them at the beach or to wear shades, but you also want to wear them at night when you go out

Oh, especially when I'm at the pool. I need to wear sunglasses, hence the need for lenses.

see, this is why I wld get lasered in the eyes
but I have friends who wear their contacts all day and into the night! I'm pretty sure

When I wear mine I put them in as soon as I wake up and take them out just before bed. I've never had a problem with them at all. I think different people just tolerate them differently.

when i first wore contacts in my early 20s i thought they were a huge pain in the ass & fell back into wearing glasses pretty quickly. but i kinda think most glasses designs now are boring & unstylish for dudes at least, i switched to contacts recently & its 1000x easier than i remember it being

and yeah you pretty much gotta take it out and look at it.

And how can you look at it if you don't have it in?

I only need glasses for reading, but boy, do I need them: print turns blurry without - but I can't see anything in the middle distance with them on, so I keep taking them on and off....... half specs, or would that be nearly as pretentious as a monocle?