Are contacts worth it?

[ZeroCool]

Not sure how uncomfortable contacts are - do you think they are worth it?

Also, they probably cost more in the long run than glasses. I know some companies will give you a free trial pair (Purevision does this), but in the longhaul I don't know what they'll cost.

So, ditching glasses for contacts - yes or no?

[sherbertlemons]

I've worn glasses ever since second grade and switched to contacts in eighth grade. I'll never go back to glasses.

I've personally never had problems with contacts being uncomfortable, unless they're old and I need to start a new pair. (I wear soft disposable lenses; they are the type you have to take out when you sleep.) I had a hard time getting used to them when I first started wearing them, but that's mostly because I am really sensitive to my eyes being touched. It took me forever to get to the point where putting on mascara wasn't a big deal.

Both my mom and sister have tried contacts and haven't had much luck with them. I think they both tend to have dry eyes and the contacts didn't help matters. My sister also has a similar problem with things near her eyes.

I find that contacts are slightly less expensive than glasses. My insurance treats them similar to glasses. They will either pay for a year's worth of contacts, or you can get new lenses for glasses. My insurance will pay for frames every other year. This year, I opted to let my insurance pay for glasses (needed a backup pair) and purchased my contacts out of pocket. I think I paid about 60 dollars for a year's supply.

The one big thing about contacts is that you do need a pair of glasses just in case. If you eyes get aggravated, it's a good idea to wear the glasses, as contacts can cause further damage. I managed to scratch a cornea in high school, and was stuck wearing glasses for more than a month.

The upside of contacts, though, is that I actually do see better with contacts than glasses. I think it's because the lense is actually on my eye rather than an inch away. It's a pretty noticable improvement when I switch back and forth.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

If you're interested, I might even tell the story of how wearinbg contacts made the first time I was pulled over an experience I'd really like to forget....

[Kevin]

I have contacts, but I never wear them.

I just prefer glasses.

[ZTAngel]

The only time I wear my glasses is right before bed after I've taken out my contacts. I love contacts. I see better with them and I find them to be more comfortable than my glasses.

[Educatingblue]

I guess it depends on the contacts. I used to use Optix 2 and they felt really scratchy and uncomfortable as it got closer to the time to trash them. I switched to Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear and although they are very pricey $34 a box w/o insurance they are definitely worth it!

Glasses just seem to get in the way, but as someone else mentioned, you want to have a back up pair just in case.

[Sister Havana]

Originally Posted by ZTAngel

The only time I wear my glasses is right before bed after I've taken out my contacts. I love contacts. I see better with them and I find them to be more comfortable than my glasses.

Same here. Plus contacts don't fog up when it's really humid outside!

I've worn glasses since kindergarten. I got contacts in seventh grade (a looooong time ago) and have worn them ever since.

[kddani]

Originally Posted by ZeroCool

I know some companies will give you a free trial pair (Purevision does this), but in the longhaul I don't know what they'll cost.

It's been awhile since you visited, Mr. Stealth Spammer

[aephi alum]

Contacts are 1000% worth it.

I started wearing glasses in second grade. My prescription is - let's just say, bad. Bad enough that I'm probably not a candidate for lasik.

I started asking my parents for contacts when I was 12. At the time, we had an ophthalmologist who was hyper-conservative. He absolutely refused to prescribe contacts for anyone under 16, because he insisted that no one under the age of 16 was capable of handling the clean-and-disinfect regimen. Never mind that I'm highly intelligent - I was only 12, and therefore dumb as a box of rocks, as far as he was concerned. By the time I was 15, my parents and I had a new ophthalmologist, and she was more than willing to prescribe contacts for me.

At the time, I was on the track team, and it's kind of hard to run and push up your glasses at the same time.

Do I spend more on contacts than I would on glasses? Yes, if for no other reason than that contact lens wearers do still need a pair of glasses on hand. But I'm more than willing to spend the extra money to be able to see more clearly and look like someone who doesn't need coke-bottle glasses.

[Buttonz]

I have both and because I'm lazy I wear my glasses most of the time. I love my contacts though and would never give them up.

I have been in glasses since K/1st grade. I tried contacts a few different occasions ....they are very uncomfortable and i rather wear glasses. I like to get lasix but i have nystagmus and my eyes cannot adjust correctly and so it may not be a good surgery for my eyes in the long run......UNFORTUNATELY!

[cuteASAbug]

I have both but tend to wear contacts most of the time. Aside from from what previous posters have already said, I love sunglasses and wear them all the time (I'm the girl who never takes sunglasses off indoors or on the subway) and with glasses, I'd either have to get a prescription pair of sunglasses, which costs a lot, or get transitions lenses which I personally can't stand.

[CutiePie2000]

I have contacts and while they're great, after living 15 years with them, I am thinking of going the Lazik Vision route.

[jwright25]

Another vote for Oasys. My vision is hideous in one eye - my doctors said I'd have to go through two rounds of Lasik in that eye to get it right. The other has keratitis due to sleeping in my contacts. So I'd recommend against that! Even when they say you can. My eye started growing over top of the contact, so when I finally took it out, some eye tissue came too. Not pleasant....

But I also agree with the above posters - I like my peripherals and I like my sunglasses! But it's also fun on cloudy days to wear glasses and see the reactions of people who don't know how bad my vision is.

[lauralaylin]

I was told when I got contacts that when I blink I don't fully shut my eyes. I've always wondered if that is why I have hated contacts. Maybe they dry out? I wore them in high school because I played sports, but since then I've used glasses almost exclusively. I did get contacts for my wedding, but one eye bugged me the entire day. I even threw out the contact I had and tried another, but it didn't help. I haven't worn them since. I just have many pairs of glasses and use them as an accessory now. But I also worked at a small optical shop, so now I get awesome discounts. It can be expensive.

[bluefish81]

I love my contacts and the ones I have now I can hardly even tell when they're in! I wear soft, disposables and have astygmatism, so they're toric. When I first got contacts almost 12 years ago, I got hard lenses, which are not as comfortable.
I also keep glasses on hand for when I don't feel like messing with the contacts, but now that it's sunny out I wear my contacts almost everyday. My insurance provides a flat amount every year to be used for either glasses or contacts. I lucked out that this past year when I wanted to get both, the eye doctor that I went to also gave a nice discount on the glasses option when I bought my year's worth of contacts.