Pro and cons of contact lenses

[Zach O]

I'm in need of new glasses. I hate glasses. I have been thinking about contacts. Anyone have anything I should know about them? I'd like ones that last longer than a day. I also travel a lot, so how would a guy get new ones in case he runs out?

Thanks!

[eneranch]

I've been wearing contacts since the 80's; love them, wouldn't go back. Today's lenses last a long time depending on how well you clean & disinfect them & what kind of environment you wear them in.

When I travel I always take extra lenses with me; if you know what your prescription is, I imagine you can always try going to somewhere that sells lenses & get a through-away pair.

My suggestion would be to get a pair & see how you like them & how your body adapts to them before you buy a large quantity.

[ThunderSquirrel]

The transition to contacts can be rough depending on how your eyes react.

I wore them for 10 years, but just had PRK done.

If you have seasonal allergies or dry eyes, contacts can be miserable. But to me was still a better option then glasses.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I travel quite a bit myself. My lenses are supposed to be 30-day lenses but I take them out each night often won't wear them on the weekends (I had an issue 20 years ago where my eyes apparently weren't getting enough oxygen).

What I do is save my old lenses and throw those in my carry-on as emergency use lenses. That way, I have lenses I can use to go swimming or in case one is lost or torn.

[crashdown]

Been wearing them forever.
Can't stand glasses. I think I have better than average peripheral vision, so glasses make everything around me blurry.
I have been wearing disposable daily wear lenses for over a year now, and can't imagine ever going back to 30 day lenses.
I keep extra sets in hiking bag, range bag, glove compartment, etc. They are a bit more spendy, but nothing beats putting on a fresh set of lenses every day, and I guess I save a little by not using cleaning solutions.
Sleeping with them on is a bad idea. As Aloha said, your eyes need oxygen. Take out your contacts at night before reading or watching TV, and let your peepers breathe for a while.

[BPTactical]

What do you do for a living?
As much as I like contacts between working for CDOT in dusty, windy and nasty conditions plus machining/gunsmithing they are not a good match.
If you sit in an office, go for it.
If you work in dusty/ dirty conditions, fuggedaboutit.

[Gman]

^^^^ there is much wisdom in these words.

[68Charger]

As I got older (over 40), contacts would help with my distance vision (and better quality vision than any glasses could offer... but I found I couldn't see things up close..

now when I wear contacts, I have to put on reading glasses for up-close work
I'll also add that if you have dry eye issues, contacts will give you problems- much like the dusty conditions.

I wear disposables, but have also worn extended wear in the past... I like the disposables because I don't wear them every day... if I have a problem with 'em, take 'em out and throw them away... go back to glasses.

YMMV

[Punkface]

I forget to take my contacts out all the time. Especially when I drink. Taking them out after a few days or even the next day sucks balls.

I love having clear vision in my peripherals though. That and my glasses are always dirty so not having to clean them constantly is awesome.

I always keep a spare set of contacts handy. I've been debating getting lasik or something similar in the future as well.

[Cman]

I use Air Optix Breathable contacts and I'm lazy, I take them out about every 3 months. I work in a dirty environment - auto mechanic - and I have no problems with my eyes being dry or irritated. I like being able to wake up and see the clock or where I'm going with out tripping over cat toys. [LOL]

[Hoser]

Fine for general use and handgun/shotgun shooting. Suck for long range shooting.

[Tim K]

See, I disagree with that. Contacts are my preferred way to shoot LR. I hate prescription glasses when behind a scope. Especially for those matches where we're working hard and sweating.

Zach, you doc can write you a prescription for both long term lenses and disposables. The disposables are $1 - $2 a day. I like having a little stock of them for emergencies. I also had my doc write me a scrip for over corrected vision, or in my case 20/15. They're awesome for spotting targets at long range. You're young enough you can probably still see your dope and the scope with them in.

[Wulf202]

Get lasik

[The Rat]

I had PRK done and it was the best money I ever spent.

[Zach O]

What do you do for a living?
As much as I like contacts between working for CDOT in dusty, windy and nasty conditions plus machining/gunsmithing they are not a good match.
If you sit in an office, go for it.
If you work in dusty/ dirty conditions, fuggedaboutit.

Rotomilling, which is asphalt removal and heavy hauling. You working for CDOT I'm sure you are aware of the shitty conditions when its windy while milling.

[Zach O]

PRK and Lasik is out of the question for now. I need to pay off some bills first!!!

[BPTactical]

Rotomilling, which is asphalt removal and heavy hauling. You working for CDOT I'm sure you are aware of the shitty conditions when its windy while milling.

Yeah, nothing like having potato chips in the eyes. That seriously is what it felt like when I would get dust or chaff from mowing blowing back on you.
Let's not even talk about having a beer buzz and trying to take them out at 3 am after you get home from a smoke filled bar.

[68Charger]

My concern with PRK/lasik is that I'll get night halos... my wife had lasik around 15 years ago, and she can't see well at night anymore- every light has a halo around it.

I'll just get an RPK instead! [Coffee]

[Great-Kazoo]

Get lasik

It's not for everyone. I was informed (2 opinions) IF i was to go through with the procedure, in my situation, i would lose depth perception. However everyone is different.

[XC700116]

I wore the 30 day contacts for about 10 or 15 years, was WAY better than glasses for me, especially at the time when I was shooting Archery competitively vs glasses. I had an eye infection right before a comp once and couldn't wear my contacts. Let's just say it didn't go well. I always felt I had better vision with the contacts, but there was times they sucked too. Hunting trips when we were camping out was one of the worst, because you couldn't properly wash your hands and then trying to take contacts out and put them in with a mirror the size of a credit card wasn't that easy.

One of the nice things about disposables, is the ability to have an extra pair without much extra cost. I regularly would wear my 30 days for around 40-45 days, so I always had a bit of extra cushion on the year's supply. Then I'd always save a couple pair that had been worn for a while for backups (carry on bag, glove compartment, locker/desk at work, etc). Overall I was happy with them but I was only wearing them until my vision stopped/slowed it's degradation and then I jumped on getting Lasik, best $2k I ever spent hands down. I don't know what I'd do if I had to go back to contacts now. I know sooner or later I'll have to get reading glasses though.

Luckily for me, I've had no problems with my night vision, nor any other truly adverse effects. They are slightly more sensitive to bright light, but good sunglasses fix that and I always kind of had that sensitivity. I had it done in spring of 09 so it's been 5 1/2 years now and I couldn't be happier.

[TheGrey]

I'm in the opposite camp. I can't wear contacts because I have been diagnosed with dry eye...and when I did try to wear them, I had problems focusing. I'm no thrilled with glasses- I somehow tend to get mine dirty every few minutes- but it sure beats not being able to see! :)

[Guylee]

I wore them for about 7 years and could never have them in longer than 8-9 hours before they started to irritate me. Near the end I could only wear them a few hours before they got unbearable, so I just went back to wearing glasses. I got PRK about a year ago, and if you can scrape the coin together, this is by far the best option. It's really life changing.

I don't understand how people can sleep in contacts. I slept in mine a few times and my life was hell the next day!

[TRnCO]

Been wearing contacts for 30+ years now. Not all contacts are created equally, as some have mentioned. Some allow more oxygen to the eye then others do, hence extended wear can be good or bad, depending on the contact. I finally switched to disposable a couple of years ago. I didn't dare sleep in the old ones, although I did ONCE and the next morning sucked. But these new contacts I have gone 2 days before taking them out without issue. Got spares on hand all the time, so having them with if I travel only makes since.
My eye doc told me I could do lasik or PRK, BUT I'd still have to wear lenses of some sort because there's no way that they'd be able to get me 20/20 vision. Something about my elongated eyeballs.

[Mtn.man]

Also been wearing for 30 years. There are different brands that are better for individuals than others. Air Optics work best for me.
Shoot LR with them, weld, put em in when hunting/fishing before daylight and don't take em out till 12 14 16 hours later.
PRK is not permanent. Have 3 associates that have had to have it redone after a few years, and they still need to wear readers for up close stuff.

[Irving]

I've slept in contacts for months at a time.

[Husker95]

I wore them forever back home in Huskerland, but had to switch to glasses when i moved to CO. Too dry out here and i just couldnt make them work. Was constantly wetting them down. Have been told i am not a good candidate for the surgeries.

[Zach O]

Thanks for the advise. Sounds like everyone has different experiences with them. I'll never know if if I don't try them I guess. Worst case is keeping glasses till I can afford PRK. Thanks guys.

[xtremesvc]

There's a difference between contacts, soft vs hard and I've been wearing hard contact lenses for over 30 years. Always having issues with them and switching to glasses is no fun. So today, I'm going in for prk and throwing away my contacts!

[xtremesvc]

I have one word to say, WOW! Took only 20 minutes and now I can see without glasses or contacts. I still have a bit of healing to do before I get my full vision back and have some pain, but should go away in about a week.

[TheBelly]

I had corrective lenses for almost 25 years.

glasses from age 9 until 17.

Contacts until 22.

Glasses again when I joined the Army.

PRK about a year ago.


I preferred glasses for general use, contacts for shooting.

i have to see an ophthalmologist every 6 months to make sure my eyes haven't exploded; my eyes were corrected from 20/4000 to 20/20. That's a LOTof cutting on my eyes!