Yeah, I've always worn soft lenses and NEVER had one slip like that. But I had a teacher lost hers like that once. She was only one of two people I'd met that wore hard lenses. The other, one broke slightly on the edge and scratched their eyball. So I specifically didn't want to get hard lenses when I decided to try contacts because of those two.

Soft contacts can scratch your eye, too, if they tear, or if your eye is too dry. Mine had an unnoticeable tear in one, and I put it in my eye. Kept wondering why my eye was watering so much--took it out and discovered the tear. By then, my eye was scratched. Also wore them longer than I should have one day and ended up with a scratched eye, too. The older I get, the dryer my eyes are. I wonder if those Hydroclear ones are really better at staying hydrated?

I've worn soft daily contacts half my life. I call them my eyeballs...I don't really think about them, they become part of me. I rewet them occasionally because they can feel a little dry when I'm in a dry or windy environment (air conditioning, etc.) but I love them. And, as has been said, the only time they might move is if water gets in my eyes or I rub them or something but I blink a few times and they move back into place. Otherwise, like I said, I don't feel them. I'm near-sighted and slightly astigmatic (so slight as to be of no consequence according to my doctor). I once very briefly toyed with the idea of the LASIK and then I thought, what am I, nuts? Why should I risk surgery when I accomplish the same result with my contacts and I'm totally used to wearing them and the whole process of caring for them?

None of the women I work with wear contacts, they all wear glasses. The idea of sticking something in their eyes freaks them out. I was a teenager when I first got mine and it took me almost 2 hours to put them in, it was nerve-wracking, lol. But once I got used to the trick of rolling my eyes upward so that I don't see my finger coming, they go in easily 99% of the time. I have glasses, too, but those are my back-up. Since I take my contacts out nightly, I might wear my glasses then or in the morning before I put on my contacts or maybe a day on the weekend if I'm not going out. Any my preference has been to stick with the daily-wear. I figure, with the extended wear, they're in your eyes longer, problems might develop. In all the years I've had my dailies, I can count on one hand the times I forgot to take them out before bed. I might take a nap in them or something but then I just rewet them a little more frequently. But, basically, the whole process of insert, wearing, removal and storage is second nature to me. I would never choose to be solely dependent on glasses if I didn't have to be.

IME, yes. They really do feel comfortable for longer, hours-per-wearing wise. I was surprised that I noticed a difference.

Artsy - ask your optometrist about toric lenses. I have a bad astigmatism and can wear these. They're soft, but still weighted to stay in the proper rotation for your astigmatism. They are called "programmed replacement" rather than disposable. Really, they're great. I usually wear a pair about a month, taking them out at night and using an enzyme cleaner occasionally.

Oh, that's what I meant, Ilene. I don't bother with the goggles unless I'm swimming laps, but having my contacts on means I can see the clock - and the other swimmers. (I have pretty bad eyesight - 20/800 - but something as big as a swimmer I'd notice!)

Thanks, everyone. Your comments are very encouraging; it would be so great to be able to workout without my glasses and yet still be able to see (and I hadn't even thought about swimming--that would be awesome; I wouldn't have to bring my watch in a little plastic baggie anymore because I'd actually be able to see the time clock). I have my yearly appt with my eye doctor on Friday and I'm definitely going to ask her about contacts.

I'm not sure what the deal was with my friend's contacts. I think they were disposable (she had a whole box of them, if I recall correctly)--I'm not sure if that means they were hard or soft. I know her glasses are coke-bottle lenses and my eyesight isn't anywhere near that bad. We were on vacation and, I swear, at least once a day she was rolling her eye back in her head, pulling out her eyelid, and asking me if I could see her contact in there anywhere. Ick!

Hi Barbara!

The crew has given you lots of info already, but I'd like to suggest that you give the disposables a whirl. I have worn hard lenses, gas permeable lenses, gone for ten years without any contacts and just worn my glasses and then at an eyeglasses exam decided I would try out the "new" disposables. That was fifteen years ago, and I have had GREAT success with them!

The highlight of the whole experience my first year with my disposable lenses was going down a waterslide and being able to SEE WHERE I WAS GOING for the first time ever! That was AWESOME!!!!

The day that I got my first disposable lenses I just went in to get new glasses. The girl who was doing the eye exam asked if I would like to try contacts. I told her I HAD contacts before and was less than happy with them. When I told her my previous lenses were quite a few years before AND they were hard lenses and gas permeable ones, she said, "I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the disposable ones!" I said, "OK! I'll try 'em!" I sure am glad that I did! I could hardly feel them in my eyes! I was able to wear them for four hours the first day, and I wore them as I drove home! Amazing thing!

To answer your main question, I wear them as I exercise, and I sometimes wear my glasses. It depends what time of day it is! My exercise in the morning is usually at 6AM, so I wear my glasses then and put in my contacts after I shower. I wear my contacts from morning until night. Sometimes I relubricate them or take them out to clean them throughout the day. Some days my eyes feel dryer than other days. The rewetting drops work great for those days.

Contacts are best in the rain! You never have to try to see through raindrop-spotted lenses like you do with glasses!

Give them a try! I think you'll be happy with them.

Cheryl

My eyes don't create enough of their own tears, or some type of malarky like that. They first tried me on Proclear, then on Acuvue advanced with Hydroclear. The Acuvues worked 10 to 1 better. I can go much longer without rewetting.

I'm another one with astigmatism, but I DO wear contacts. Soft lens disposables (new pair every two to three weeks). Wouldn't live without 'em. I *have* glasses, for late at night when I take my contacts out and am just sitting in front of my computer, or on days when I've been an idiot and fallen asleep with them in (cause when I wake up, my eyes are super-irritated, I can barely get the contacts OUT, and there's no way I can wear the contacts that day). I wear SofLens 66 Torics; I'm about 20/35 in one eye and about 20/45 in the other eye, plus the astigmatism (although to what degree I don't know). My father also has astigmatism, and he's worn contacts for years.

My life changed so drastically when I got my contacts. I got glasses when I was 14, wanted contacts right away because I hated how glasses made me look - even the stylish thin frames - but my mom wanted me to wait a year before switching. She gave in after about four months when it became clear that I was flat-out not wearing those glasses, and I was going to out-stubborn her on that particular issue. I remember getting my contacts, putting them in at the doctor's, then walking outside and going "OMG! Individual leaves on trees! Individual blades of grass! Letters on street signs! I haven't seen those in years!"

In closing: Contacts good. Contacts very very good.

Just my 2p! I have worn contacts since I was 9. I had 3 monthly replaceable ones, soft contacts and had to put them in every day and take them out every night. My eyesight wasn't that bad and eventually I got so lazy that I stopped wearing them. That and I became allergic to the chlorinated cleaning solution that I used. For that reason I have to wear goggles in the pool whatever

Then when I was at Uni I started getting headaches from using the computer too much and straining my eyes. I went to get those ones you can leave in 24/7. I think that's what you mean by extended wear. I change them once a month and forget about them. My eyesight's not so bad that I'd remember to put them in every day.

As for exercising in them, when I first used to wear them for exercise I think they'd kinda steam up or dry out or something and they'd move around a bit, but I haven't noticed anything like that for a long long long long time. Actually that was probably with those ones that I took out every day.

The only time I've ever lost a contact lens whilst exercising (I'm a kickboxer and get hit in the face most training sessions!!!!) is doing very close work with my chin tucked under my instructor's and I think I scraped my eye over either his body armour or his chin or something and I lost my contact, but it technically did get pushed out!

Oh and another thing about wearing contacts. I now have almost no blink-reflex. I'm very good with people sticking things in my eye! When some optometrist had to put that orange dye in she was very impressed that I didn't even blink once when she's coming at me with this stick...

But yes, contacts good, glasses a PITA!!!

Oh yeah, and I was also told last time I went to the optician's that I have an astigmatism and that I might find my lenses a bit uncomfortable because of the shape of my eyeball. But he said I could get special weighted lenses that I could wear. I'm not sure if he meant extended wear or not, but they were deffo soft contacts.

2F-- I have no problem either with sticking my finger in my eye when I put my contact in... I see it coming and just keep my eye open, I know I won't hurt myself

They thought I had that when I was 11 and that is actually why they put me in the contacts so young. Thought maybe it'd slow the progression down. I am lucky in that they were wrong and I do not have the disease. My lenses are also gas perm. I guess I forgot that tidbit. I'm also in the "legally blind" without correction. I'm lucky if I can see a bit of a colored blur where the E is supposed to be.


I tried Toric lenses about 20 years ago. I found them more uncomfortable than my gas perm. ones. Probably cuz I was already used to the hard. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I wear disposable toric soft lenses after having had both hard lenses for 10+ years and then gas-permeable lenses for another 10+ years. I love the soft lenses more than anything. I have to have the toric due to my astigmatism. I wear glasses basically from the bathroom to the bed each night and back again in the morning!!!

Yes, hard and gas-permeable lenses do slow down the progression of kerataconus--that's why the doctor has you wear them (my Dad is a retired optometrist and I worked as an optician for 6 years). Soft lenses do not help with that situation.

I'm surprised that you only know one person who wears contacts. Pretty much everyone that I know at work wears them! There may be some people that have them that you may not even know about. I know that most people I know casually don't know that I am visually impaired because they never see me in glasses! You may want to ask around!

Oh, that is sooo me!