Should I Wear Contact Lenses?

Most wearers of glasses will entertain this question at some point.  As someone who routinely left my glasses on public transport, contacts began to look distinctly economical, so I decided to switch to them.


Choosing the lens for you

I had not considered contacts before because I have astigmatism, something that was only comparatively recently made treatable with contacts.  I loved the idea of being able to abandon my glasses.  For those with more general prescriptions there is a massive choice of daily, weekly and monthly disposable options.

After being told that I could not get night and day lenses, (The most hassle-free as you only remove them once a month and can keep them in at night) because of the astigmatism, I opted for weekly re-useables which one puts in and takes out each day, storing them in saline solution overnight.

Putting them in 

The sensation is strange at first, but it is quite amazing how soon the eye forgets the lens is even there.  I opted for soft lenses as they are more comfortable than hard lenses and barely noticed as the optician slid them into my eyes with practiced ease.  At first and unsurprisingly, it feels like you have something in your eye, but I found my eyes adjusted remarkably quickly and the quality of vision was excellent.

Buoyed by this confidence, I opted to keep them in.  The optician had shown me how to remove them.  How hard could it be..?

Taking them out


Later that night, under the dim, hateful light of our bathroom’s energy-saving bulb, eyes raw from the persistent ineffectual fumbling of my suddenly giant, cumbersome fingers, I realised this was going to take some practice.

This was compounded by my girlfriend, (A long time contact lens wearer) who, after enjoying my plight for over an hour, removed her daily disposables with a single, deft brushing motion as if merely wiping her brow.  I forgave her eventually. 

With most kinds of lens, it isn’t advisable to leave them in overnight.  Should that happen, usually after a night out, you have to rehydrate them with solution.  They are remarkably durable and rehydrate when stored in their container.

The Benefits 

 

So whilst it must be said that they take some getting used to, particularly in their application and removal, you only feel like a troll attempting brain surgery for a few days.  It does get much easier.  This frees you up to enjoy the benefits.  You do forget you’re wearing them, and the vision is perfect.  You either dispose of them daily or clean them with a dunk in solution overnight.  No more smeary, steamed up, rain-fogged glasses to leave on buses.

Your eyes might well react to them a little at first.  In my first week wearing lenses I was turned away from a club by bouncers because my eyes were a bit red.  They were good natured enough when I explained I wasn’t off my face on drugs but just inept at putting in my lenses.  One of the bouncers understood.  He wore contacts himself and they were a lifesaver because he couldn’t wear glasses on the doors.  

Apparently, people hit bouncers who wear glasses.

So Goodbye to Glasses!

Once you have your prescription, the High Street chains are very keen to sign you into monthly contracts but some online retailers guarantee to provide the cheapest non-subscription contact lenses.  This really saves you money because I soon found that though I didn’t wear my lenses all the time, vast quantities kept arriving every month.  I cancelled my subscription and now just top up when I need to.

So now, I am a fully converted contact lens wearer, and I’ve quite literally, never looked back.


http://www.nickbain.co.uk/