Contact lens vs Glasses?

[spartaman64]

2 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Buy better ones that have rounded edges (B+L puts lots of effort into that with PureVision 2 or Ultra lenses) instead of sharp edges. Also make sure you have them in correctly (cup shape, not saucer shape!). Lastly, you might have incorrect diameter (DIA) or base curvature (BC) of the lens. I've noticed that as diameter is larger, I need smaller base curvatures, otherwise lenses aren't comfortable. Not all lenses even have an option, some only come in one dimension.

 

Poor Dk/t might also contribute to "itching" feeling if this feeling happens gradually over time.Rule of thumb, stick with lenses that have Dk/t over 100. Human eye needs Dk/t of around 80 iirc to have an unrestricted supply of oxygen for daily use.

idk i just took the ones the costco eye doctor gave to me

[BirdyTheMighty]

glasses contacts looks irritating 

[RejZoR]

@spartaman64

Do you have a box of contact lenses? So I can see what kind they are. They have parameters printed on it that you can use to buy others yourself. In my country I don't need prescription, but I think in some US states you're required to show prescription before they'll send them to you.

 

PWR is lens power, DIA is diameter and BC is Base Curvature. PWR must strictly be the same as measured by ophthalmologist, where DIA and BC can vary. That's where you can experiment and it's worth "pissing away" some money to find what suits you best. Once you find them, you can stick with those.

 

@BirdyTheMighty

People think contact lenses are incredibly irritating, because you put them in your eyes, but the material is incredibly thin and soft, if they are the exact right dimensions, they'll be like a second layer of cornea.

[zassou]

im near sighted -250/-300, ive been wearing glasses since middle school. few years ago i tried some contacts for a motocycle trip and it was great. i feel complete fresh, like back to pre-school days where i dont have to wear glass and everything is crystal clear. i dont feel disconfort at all after the first few minutes and one time i do forgot to take them off while im sleeping. later i learnt that theres an easier way to take them off, while eyelid open, pulling the edge of your eye and blink, the contact falls off.

 

somehow the contacts fix my astigmatism where my glasses still cant. if they werent cost so damn much i will keep wearing them.

[Otto_iii]

I've worn both for about 20 years

Contact lenses are VASTLY VASTLY superior in regards to both potential eyesight (with good doctor i had nearly 20/10), but more importantly peripheral vision and ability to use your entire range of eye movement.  The amount you can see out the side of your eye (peripheral), or moving your eyes around is massive.  Might not sound like a big deal but when crossing the street or just looking around its massive.  You cannot look properly to the left or right with glasses, its essentially blinders.  If you commute (drive or bike) in a busy area or play sports definitely get some contacts, even if you wear glasses 60% the time (at home etc) out of convenience.

That said, ive been wearing glasses for the last 2 years due to either a bad contact perscription in some form, or either the strength was wrong, i kept getting double vision after a few hours after putting them in, personally i think the contact type itself was drying itself out on my eyes and just a bad brand, but this has only happened to me once, sadly recently though and haven't had $ to go back.  I like the convenience and to some degree style of glasses but it honestly feels unsafe driving in them due to the lack of peripheral vision and ability to use full range of eye movement.  

Get contacts professionally perscribed, take them out early in the day and wear cheap glasses you can get on amazon or if you have cash just get cheap glasses (you can buy 25$ pairs easy online, just match perscription off strongest eye, aka lower number, if -1.75 in one eye and -1.5 in other choose -1.5) when you plop your butt down at home and aren't commuting/doing real life thing 

Potential cheap glasses: https://www.amazon.com/Nearsighted-Eyestrain-Blocking-Computer-Strength/dp/B01MYMKQ7I/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=Myopia+cyrux+-1.5&qid=1566453678&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0 
(note, these work for me because my pupil spacing lines up, 53-54mm, if yours didnt then don't buy these or similar generic glasses for "Myopia"/near sightedness)

[Origami Cactus]

Team Glasses:

Spoiler

@Dan Castellaneta @TetraSky @Cora_Lie @Bananasplit_00 @VegetableStu @captain_to_fire @yolosnail @flibberdipper @Levent @Pascal... @peger @Ergroilnin @OlympicAssEater @Arika S @RasmusDC @Princess Luna @Dissitesuxba11s @DarkShame2 @Crunchy Dragon @valdyrgramr @Mr.Humble @Velcade @Technicolor @bimmerman @BuckGup @Rain7 @BirdyTheMighty @spartaman64 That's a lot of names

Team Contacts:

Spoiler

@TVwazhere @RejZoR @TomvanWijnen @zassou @Otto_iii @kaiju_wars

 

First of all, thank you all for taking the time out of your day and answering to my stupid question! That is way more discussion that i was expecting, and i am truly grateful for it. All your stories and perspectives truly gave me something to think about!

 

But now it is time to make a decision. If you have something to add, then do it now.

 

I decided to go with Normal Glasses + Prescription sunglasses.

 

Why glasses:

One big reason, sexy Cost. I was looking for the solution for the next 2-3 years, and 1 year of contacts already eats through all my budget, the quality lenses really are expensive. And as the Team Contacts said themselves, don't use the cheap stuff.

Also i am already accustomed with glasses, and i like the fact that they provide protection.

 

Why not transitions:

Sorry @captain_to_fire, @Cora_Lie and @Mr.Humble, but i decided not to go for transitions.

It is just kinda annoying when you go from outside to inside, and i agree with @BuckGup, they are kinda too nerdy looking, especially if they are half transitioned. Also they don't get dark enough for my summers. 

This is just how transitions look most of the time :

Spoiler

 

So i decided to go with some good looking normal glasses, and maybe polarized sunglasses, aviators most likely.

 

[Bananasplit_00]

4 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

Team Glasses:

  Hide contents

@Dan Castellaneta @TetraSky @Cora_Lie @Bananasplit_00 @VegetableStu @captain_to_fire @yolosnail @flibberdipper @Levent @Pascal... @peger @Ergroilnin @OlympicAssEater @Arika S @RasmusDC @Princess Luna @Dissitesuxba11s @DarkShame2 @Crunchy Dragon @valdyrgramr @Mr.Humble @Velcade @Technicolor @bimmerman @BuckGup @Rain7 @BirdyTheMighty @spartaman64 That's a lot of names

Team Contacts:

  Hide contents

@TVwazhere @RejZoR @TomvanWijnen @zassou @Otto_iii @kaiju_wars

 

First of all, thank you all for taking the time out of your day and answering to my stupid question! That is way more discussion that i was expecting, and i am truly grateful for it. All your stories and perspectives truly gave me something to think about!

 

But now it is time to make a decision. If you have something to add, then do it now.

 

I decided to go with Normal Glasses + Prescription sunglasses.

 

Why glasses:

One big reason, Cost. I was looking for the solution for the next 2-3 years, and 1 year of contacts already eats through all my budget, the quality lenses really are expensive. And as the Team Contacts said themselves, don't use the cheap stuff.

Also i am already accustomed with glasses, and i like the fact that they provide protection.

 

Why not transitions:

Sorry @captain_to_fire, @Cora_Lie and @Mr.Humble, but i decided not to go for transitions.

It is just kinda annoying when you go from outside to inside, and i agree with @BuckGup, they are kinda too nerdy looking, especially if they are half transitioned. Also they don't get dark enough for my summers. 

This is just how transitions look most of the time :

  Hide contents

 

So i decided to go with some good looking normal glasses, and maybe polarized sunglasses, aviators most likely.

 

you made the sexy choice and thats all that matters

[Otto_iii]

if ya don't wanna go contacts all is good, just get some proper wrap around sun-glasses for outside use, i beg ya

[Origami Cactus]

8 minutes ago, Otto_iii said:

if ya don't wanna go contacts all is good, just get some proper wrap around sun-glasses for outside use, i beg ya

? What is a proper wrap around sun-glasses?

I was thinking aviators.

[Otto_iii]

those are okay, i would say more like sports-glasses.  The aviators you posted are super nice looking but i mean more like wrap-around stuff that actually covers majority of peripheral. My biggest reason for saying to get contacts is related to out-side activities, whether driving, viewing or sports, ability to use more of your peripheral vision. 

If you can find anything that doesn't look so silly it hurts your soul that has wrap-around architecture go for that, if not aviators.  The Aviators  like you posted atleast do half the jobs and look cool, but often for out-door use honestly function>form

 

(^crappy generic example of what i mean)

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Origami Cactus said:

 

I decided to go with Normal Glasses + Prescription sunglasses.

 

1 hour ago, Origami Cactus said:

Why not transitions:

Sorry @captain_to_fire, @Cora_Lie and @Mr.Humble, but i decided not to go for transitions.

It is just kinda annoying when you go from outside to inside, and i agree with @BuckGup, they are kinda too nerdy looking, especially if they are half transitioned. Also they don't get dark enough for my summers. 

This is just how transitions look most of the time

 

So i decided to go with some good looking normal glasses, and maybe polarized sunglasses, aviators most likely.

 

 

Why sorry for not choosing transitions? I don't have them and don't like them ^o^ I use polarized and am VERY happy with them.

There was a glitch somewhat in there

 

I'm happy you made the choice that will work for you ^o^ As I've said already, that really is the only thing that counts: That they work for YOU!

 

So kudos to you

[Guest]

Regarding the sunglasses, yes, you'll need some good coverage, but after that it will really depend of the form of your face and how wide it is.

 

Go at your shop, try out several models, look how they sit on your face, how much coverage they offer to you and decide based on that.

 

What will look ridiculous on you won't on someone else, and the way you will feel with them on also counts a LOT.

If they look good on you but you don't feel good while wearing them, then... don't buy them.

You won't be wearing them if you don't feel comfortable or it will be a hassle to do it everyday for 2 years.

In fact you won't be able to wear them for 2 years (experience, yada yada)

 

And I now (I tried them in a past life) that the sunglasses as shown I just can't wear them even iof they offer good coverage...

 

P.S. : Post a picture of your glasses once you get them It's always fun to see what people are choosing

Edited August 22, 2019 by Guest

[RejZoR]

@Origami Cactus

Realistically, if you keep good hygiene* while using and handling lenses, you can stretch quality monthly lenses (AirOptix, Miru, PureVision2/Ultra, basically any with treated lens surface) into 2 month lenses. By your own risk as no manufacturer recommends this! Meaning you could turn 2 boxes (6 lenses) into whole year supply. Which, for good lenses would be around 40€ total for a year. Good lens solution with good comfort and excellent disinfection is for example RevitaLens Complete (Abbott Medical) which is 10€ per 360ml bottle. I don't know how many I use, but one bottle lasts me for quite a while, maybe even up to 3 months. Lets say 4 bottles a year, 40€. So, 80€ for a year supply of lenses and solution. I'd say totally worth it coz lenses are just so awesome and practical the price becomes irrelevant because they make life so much better.

 

*Always washing hands thoroughly with non-moisturizing soap and wiping them in lint free towel (I use micro fiber towels) before inserting or removing lenses. Replacing lens case with every bottle of solution you open fresh coz you always get one with the bottle anyway. Being a bit careful not to get water or other contaminants into your eyes during the day probably also helps, this especially applies if you're swimming in pool where water tends to be full of germs and chemicals. Removing lenses every evening and leaving them in solution for at least 6 hours. Everyone is raving about rubbing them and using bunch of solution to rinse, but after wearing lenses for like 10 years now and never having any kind of eye infection or problems, I'm sticking with keeping hands clean when handling lenses and just soaking them in solution, having as little contact with lenses as possible.

[spartaman64]

if i really need sunglasses i use a clip on sunglasses

[Origami Cactus]

16 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

 

if i really need sunglasses i use a clip on sunglasses

That is also a good idea! 

[RAS_3885]

Another big vote here for contacts. 

 

Wore glasses for 18 years and now contacts for 12. Don't plan on going back. Once you get over the initial learning curve putting them in and taking them out is super easy. Good hygiene practice and regular eye exams avoid any complications, as do well fitting lenses that work with your eyes. Mine have slight blue light filtering after getting eye soreness from all day in front of a computer. Totally solved that issue.

 

I love not having to worry about glasses that get scratched, smudged, or damaged. Any cheap sunglasses work, and sports become a non-issue when wearing contacts. I can lay on the couch and not bend worry about bent frames.

[flibberdipper]

5 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

It is just kinda annoying when you go from outside to inside, and i agree with @BuckGup, they are kinda too nerdy looking, especially if they are half transitioned. Also they don't get dark enough for my summers.

I said the first thing when I first got Transitions but now the only way you can take them from me is over my cold dead body.

[Zodiark1593]

Tried contacts for a few months. Never again. You gotta be borderline masochists to opt for those accursed things.

[Zodiark1593]

On 8/19/2019 at 6:46 PM, Techicolors said:

i think a downside to glasses is that when you go outside from a conditioned building they fog up. annoying but same time pretty funny when your friends happen too 

Biggest pain in the rear for the glasses though is rain. Oftentimes for store trips when its raining, I just leave the glasses in the car. My vision is a bit like if too much post AA is applied in a game (mild blur), so the only thing I'm really missing is being able to see fine detail at a distance. I could probably do just as well without corrective lenses if need be. The pc gaming hobby would certainly be much cheaper as I can use lower resolutions and maybe skip the AA (because my eyes already do that).

[Origami Cactus]

Just now, Zodiark1593 said:

Biggest pain in the rear for the glasses though is rain. Oftentimes for store trips when its raining, I just leave the glasses in the car. My vision is a bit like if too much post AA is applied in a game (mild blur), so the only thing I'm really missing is being able to see fine detail at a distance. I could probably do just as well without corrective lenses if need be. The pc gaming hobby would certainly be much cheaper as I can use lower resolutions and maybe skip the AA (because my eyes already do that).

I actually like glasses in the rain, keeps rain from going into my eyes. Just get some oleophobic coating for them.

[Zodiark1593]

1 minute ago, Origami Cactus said:

I actually like glasses in the rain, keeps rain from going into my eyes. Just get some oleophobic coating for them.

My glasses are ten years old by this point (so whatever coatings applied have long worn away), so I wonder if some Rain-X would do just as well?

[Origami Cactus]

23 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

My glasses are ten years old by this point (so whatever coatings applied have long worn away), so I wonder if some Rain-X would do just as well?

I am in no way an expert on glasses, but you could try. I've heard that rain-x wears away quickly though.

[Otto_iii]

Rain-X will do OK-ish at first but will cause glare and is hard to completely wash off, id recommend a hat, a hoodie or umbrella over Rain-X.  

Speaking of washing glasses and glare, does anybody else use a wet no-wipe method to clean their glasses? 
I hate dirty glasses, cannot tolerate glare, and i found so long as the rim of the glasses aren't too thick i can dish-soup (softly applied with fingers) then rinse the water off without leaving any water on the lenses.  You have to angle the glasses right (in my case done with glasses upside-down, tilted one way or another 10-20 degrees) but using luke-warm water at the right flow-rate the surface tension of the water draws all of it off, so no need to wipe lenses and i can just wipe a few drips from the rim, perfectly clean as good as new. 

this by far has been the best method ive come up with maintaining clearity and glare reduction.  Alcohol wipes and microfibre be damned, those improve a worse situation but both leave traces of grease over time. 

Try it out if you haven't, its a lil tricky to figure it out at first but now i have family members asking me to wash their glasses for them when i visit because of how well it works. 

[TomvanWijnen]

9 hours ago, RejZoR said:

@Origami Cactus

Realistically, if you keep good hygiene* while using and handling lenses, you can stretch quality monthly lenses (AirOptix, Miru, PureVision2/Ultra, basically any with treated lens surface) into 2 month lenses. By your own risk as no manufacturer recommends this! Meaning you could turn 2 boxes (6 lenses) into whole year supply. Which, for good lenses would be around 40€ total for a year. Good lens solution with good comfort and excellent disinfection is for example RevitaLens Complete (Abbott Medical) which is 10€ per 360ml bottle. I don't know how many I use, but one bottle lasts me for quite a while, maybe even up to 3 months. Lets say 4 bottles a year, 40€. So, 80€ for a year supply of lenses and solution. I'd say totally worth it coz lenses are just so awesome and practical the price becomes irrelevant because they make life so much better.

 

*Always washing hands thoroughly with non-moisturizing soap and wiping them in lint free towel (I use micro fiber towels) before inserting or removing lenses. Replacing lens case with every bottle of solution you open fresh coz you always get one with the bottle anyway. Being a bit careful not to get water or other contaminants into your eyes during the day probably also helps, this especially applies if you're swimming in pool where water tends to be full of germs and chemicals. Removing lenses every evening and leaving them in solution for at least 6 hours. Everyone is raving about rubbing them and using bunch of solution to rinse, but after wearing lenses for like 10 years now and never having any kind of eye infection or problems, I'm sticking with keeping hands clean when handling lenses and just soaking them in solution, having as little contact with lenses as possible.

Interesting. I do pretty much all that you say, and my lenses are even much more expensive (approx. €50 for 6 for my left eye and approx. €80 for 6 for my right eye) but it's still always so refreshing to put in new ones after a months... so much so that I consider(ed) changing 1 month into 4 weeks or even 3(.5) weeks... any other tips? Are my lenses just bad? Do my eyes suck?

[RejZoR]

@TomvanWijnen

I was stating costs for regular spherical ones. If you have for Astigmatism or Multifocal, they will be more expensive as they have per user parameters and are pretty much made on order.

 

Acuvue lenses were known to pretty much disintegrate with usage, often way before it was replacement time. Hard to say if they improved their materials in current times. Same can and does apply to other brands where lens can degrade over time. It's just a matter of how much. Comfort is also dictated by cleaning solution. Peroxide ones seem to do the best job since they are the most aggressive and oxygen bubbles seem to rub them during disinfection process which makes them cleaner without any physical rubbing from the user. It's too bad Alcon screwed up their AOSept solution by adding Hydraglide lubricant to it, which causes foggy vision pretty much instantly. B+L's EasySept seems to be one of rare pure peroxide solutions left, but it's super hard to find which is annoying. And with peroxide solutions, you use them up faster coz the lens case is a lot bigger and you need to pour more of it in.

 

Which lenses and solution are you using?