glasses to contacts

guil

Hi I got glasses in tesco naas a few weeks ago after an eye test, i can see pretty good with them but the optician asked did i want a trial of contacts and said they probably wouldn't be as good as the glasses but it was an option

She got monthlies and brought me in to try putting them in and taking them out and checked my eyes with them in, my vision seems to be much better with them cos i could read all of the chart very clearly, should i get the glasses replaced or is that normal?

Also i put in the contacts about 4 in the morning and for the first hour or so lights seem a bit blurry, i have astigmatism so could it be down to that, after about 10 hours or so my vision isn't as good. Would that just be cos my eyes aren't used to them yet

Solair

It depends on a lot of things.

First of all, the vision with contacts can be better than glasses for some people. There are a whole variety of reasons for this, but the main one is that it actually corrects your vision on the surface of your eye, so it's a much more natural sense of vision than wearing glasses.

As for the vision becoming blurry after a few hours. That can be down to a whole load of factors and it is very much connected to how your eyes interact with the particular lens you're using.

In general, the more expensive, more modern silicone hydrogel lenses are really well tolerated and very comfortable to wear. Older lower tech materials (often used in cheaper lenses) are not comfortable for long-term wear and may become dry or not allow enough oxygen to get to the surface of your eye and it will start to feel tired / uncomfortable.

It can also just be down to the brand of lens and how it works with your anatomy. You should try quite a few different lenses from different brands and see which one works for you. Most opticians will let you try out lots of different options before you settle on one. It's all very subjective and it's hard to say that one lens is 'better' than another as they can work differently for different people depending on their eye shape / fit of the lens etc etc.

However, if you're getting vision anomalies like blurring or halos you should really go back to the optician, as that's not really something you'd expect with most lenses. It's possible the fit is wrong or the brand is just not working with your eye. There's a lot of trial and error involved in finding the best lens for you.

All I would say though is with contact lenses, you really do get what you pay for. The high-end varieties are generally using patented, ultra-high tech materials. If you plan on wearing them regularly or for long periods of time, it's well worth investing in decent lenses.

You can also get lenses for astigmatism and they work very well. They're just a bit pricier.

You can also buy re-wetting drops which are basically just saline drops that help lubricate your eye if it's dry. Just make sure that you check to ensure that the drops are suitable for use with contact lenses as there are other drops that are actually medicated / designed for general use and are not a good idea to use with lenses in.

The most hygienic variety come in little individual viles that you throw away when you've used them. These can be handy if you're out and about.

guil

Thanks for all the info. Any idea what type of lenses tesco supply? I presume there's just one type of daily and monthly available. It will cost €46 for 3 months supply of the monthly lenses. Is that a good price?

Solair

I don't know what specifically Tesco offers, but most opticians have a range of brands.

I use J&J AccuView TrueEye myself. They're quite pricy, but they're amazingly good.

guil

What's quite pricey?

Stheno

I get contacts in Tesco, they are Focus Dailies, optician recommends not wearing contacts for more than ten hours at a time.

Rodin

Toric lenses are always going to be more troublesome

Solair

guil wrote: »

What's quite pricey?

Eh, three months would set you back at least €130 (and that's buying them online).

You can get similar results however with semi-disposable lenses like AccuView Oasys, which is considerably cheaper but not a daily disposable. You typically wear them for a week, using a lens case + all-in-one solution each night.

They're also a VERY comfortable lens. You'd hardly know you were wearing lenses at all & they're available in toric versions for astigmatism too.

I prefer daily disposables because I do a lot of traveling and play sport (so occasionally I might lose a lens etc) but, for normal wear, the weekly / two weekly disposables are great. The solutions are pretty straight forward to use, you just take the lenses out, give them a slight clean with solution, put them into a case and fill with solution and leave over night to disinfect. They're ready to wear the next day.

guil

Don't want to spend that much on them so ill see how I get on with these ones for another few weeks. I've to go back to the optician on Wednesday aswell so I'll see what she says. Thanks again

amtc

I switched from Oasys 2 weeks to dailies and found the 2 week ones much better, as they had a handling tint and are a tiny bit thicker. Went through more dailies..

Always found lenses better than glasses, as you turn your eye not your head. Also gets rid of the pain of opening a dishwasher/boiling a kettle/walking in rain and getting fogged. Also easier to drive as side vision better.

No need for either since laser now!