When I got my first pair of glasses in fourth grade, they were fun for a while, but I soon learned that glasses were pretty annoying. When you get sweaty, they slide off your face. In the winter, the lenses fog up every time you come inside.
When I reached junior high, my dad welcomed me to the wonderful world of contact lenses and I've never turned back.
Here are some things every contact lens wearer should know:
- Always wash your hands before inserting or removing your lenses. Your hands are covered with germs, and touching your eye with germy fingers is a great way to get yourself a nasty cold or other illness.
- If you suffer from allergies, wearing contacts can make your symptoms worse since allergens can stick to the lenses. Wear glasses if your symptoms are really bad, and if you can't part from your contacts (I don't blame you), be sure to clean them thoroughly or replace disposable lenses more often.
- Keep eye drops in your purse or desk at all times, especially if you work at a computer. Not only are dry lenses uncomfortable and difficult to see out of, but they could potentially scratch your eye. Use those drops as often as you need. Look for drops containing antihistamines that may help if you have watery or itchy eyes caused by allergies.
- Only wear your lenses as long as they are directed to. Lenses meant to be worn for only two to four weeks should not be worn for two months. Dirt and protein deposits accumulate on the lenses and can cause irritation, eye infections, or damage your eyes.
- Most importantly, give your eyes a rest from contacts. I know it's difficult to break the habit if you wear them every waking moment everyday, but your eyes need a chance to breathe. Choose lenses that are highly breathable, such as Acuvue Oasys, and wear your glasses a few hours a day instead, so oxygen can reach your corneas.
Want to hear the other tips? Then read more
Fit's Tips: There are new mascaras out there for that are great for contact lens wearers. I'm a fan of Kiss Me, and my friend Bella just turned me onto Fiberwig Mascara. These mascaras coat each individual lash with little water-resistant tubes, so they won't run, flake, clump, or smudge (even if you cry or rub your eyes). The little tubes slide off your lashes with a combo of warm water and gentle pressure. I'm a huge fan.

Designers Guild
Balmain
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I HAVE to wear either contacts or glasses...I ahve contacts but my eyes are so dry I can barley wear them...
1It sucks
I actually was wearing my contacts for too long everyday for a long period of time and it really messed my eyes up. I knew I had a problem when my eyes were red all the time. I went to the doctor and she told me that the prolong wearing (in terms of hours per day) actually caused scratches on my eyes and I was basically on the verge of getting conjunctivitis (grosssssss) So I had to go on antibiotic drops for a little while, keep my eyes lubricated with some heavy duty drops and for the next 8 weeks I could only wear my glasses. I also had to see my eye doctor every week to check up on my eyes (luckily she didnt charge for those visits)
So now I only wear my contacts for about 8-10 hours a day and during the weekend I give my eyes a break by wearing my glasses.
2good to know
3i just got contacts!
i love them! pretty and green!!
I have disposable one that last for two weeks and I'll wear them like twice. So do I still have to throw them away after 2 weeks?
4Great tips. I will be sharing this with my little cousin who just got contacts! I've had them for almost 10 years and I know this stuff, but I can never recite things to others.
5I hate wearing glasses. Unlinke you Fit, I didn't get contacts until I was 17 but wore glasses since I was 11. BOO. Anyhow, I've got astigmatism, so I wear Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism because they are supposed to be breatheable. I've also learned my lesson and take them out every night. Mostly.
6I had glasses since I was in 3rd grade, and got contacts in the 9th...I'm 19 now, so I've been dealing with eye problems basically forever, and I'm blind as a bat without my glasses or contacts. Plus I have allergies so my eyes get dry/itchy really easy. I'm always really careful about not leaving them in too long.
7After my contact ordeal my doctor wanted me to try the O2 Optix because they let in twice as much oxygen. They HURT!!!! They felt really porous on my eyes and I could feel them all day. So for now Im sticking with my Acuvue lens.
8I can speak so candidly on this topic.
I have worn glasses since the 3rd grade and contacts since 8th grade. I've would regular, colored-pretty much everyday since I started wearing lenses over 12 yrs ago.
I don't think I got glasses (again) until about 2 yrs ago. The only reason I did, wasn't for my eyes health but for fashion purposes-ya I know. ::rolls eyes::
Then last yr I had serious eye issues. I couldn't wear my contacts because of the pain and saw not only my ophthalmologist but then a specialist. I had corneal ulcers from over wearing my contacts. I pretty much wore them from the minute I woke up till bed, sometimes super late too. My eyes never got a break, and my lenses weren't the breathable kind.
I'm a -8.50 in both eyes (pretty blind in the lens/glasses world) so it wasn't like I was able to go without and still function around my apt on the weekends.
I had to go months with no contacts to help further the damage I had done and try to clear up all the irritation going on. I then had to get new breathable contacts and make a commitment to only wear them on occasion during the week and weekends if I were to go out.
I've always hated glasses for all the reasons Fit named above, and well they don't always "go" with an outfit and can just be annoying when you want to lay on the couch.
I've now learned the hard way, and done unrepairable damage to my eyes to realize that glasses are a must have if you want to keep your eye health on the up and up.
I hope others learn from my mistake.
9aimeeb- seriously my eyes were heading in the direction yours went.
Do people who wear contacts not own a pair of glasses? I've always had both
10I've worn glasses since 1988 and contacts since 1990...I have pretty much always been okay with wearing both, other than the first year I found out I needed them (slightly traumatic for a kid, I guess). I don't LOVE wearing glasses out in public that often, but I do it sometimes. As I've gotten older, it really isn't a big deal to me.
But I've always been very good with my contact lense wear...I have weekly disposable ones (Acuvue Advance w/ Hydroclear) and I DO throw them away on this schedule and use a fresh pair. I have terrible allergies as well, year-round ones, so I do find myself giving my eyes "a break" more often than I did when I was younger.
I think as you get older, you're not as "vain" and it becomes easier to wear glasses more often...at least that's how it was for me. Eye health is so important.
11I have contacts and glasses- I've needed glasses since second grade. I must say, I hate the glasses- I'm a -11.0, so the glasses are pretty thick. Contacts are amazing, but my eyes get itchy/dry after 8-10 hrs so I give my eyes a rest every night. I always wear my contacts to work/out/school though. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to have lasik or lense replacement! My eye doctor has recommended I wait until I'm at least 25 before undergoing this (one more year!). Has anyone had this, and how have the results turned out?
12JessNess-I just hates wearing them. They always just got in the way. I hated having to always push them up, rub my face, laying down (I can't lay on my back, it's awkward for me) they were just a huge pain in my a**.
I just find them to be such an annoyance and unfortunately I let it get the best of me.
13Yeah they are annoying. I guess since I started with glasses (12 yrs) then got contacts later (15 yrs old) that everyone else was like.
I dont like to wear my glasses out much but I have to if my eyes freak out from too much contact use or if im sick
14As an optician, I am so grateful you posted this. Now if everyone would head to it!
Here are some more tips:
* Get a pair of back of glasses. Even if you don't like glasses, you NEED a pair in case of an eye infection, allergies, or you run out of contacts. REMEMBER, if your drivers license says you need corrective lenses, you can get fined for not wearing your glasses or contacts.
* Keep your yearly appointments. Your eyes are LITERALLY the window to your soul. Believe it or not, an optometrist can detect (but not diagnose) many common health issues during an eye exam. Low blood sugar and high blood pressure can be detected during an exam. Your doctor can then suggest going to your family practitioner for a check up.
* Your contact lens prescription is just that: a prescription. Contacts are corrective medical devices inserted into your body (so to speak). Therefore only a eye doctor can prescribe contacts. If you prescription expires, you are not able to purchase more contacts with out seeing the doctor again. Even if your prescription has not changed since Clinton was in office, YOU MUST HAVE A CURRENT PRESCRIPTION TO PURCHASE CONTACTS. Also, do not wear your friends contacts. Really. Don't. Ew.
* Do not stretch out the life of your lenses. As soon as they are opened and removed from the preservative solution, they begin to deteriorate. Protein buildup is one of the main complaints I hear everyday. Nine times out of ten these people aren't taking care of their lenses. If your doctor says to wear for two week and throw them away, do it. No questions asked.
* Talk to your eye doctor about your lifestyle so that the appropriate lens can be prescribed to you. An optician (a person you dispenses contacts and glasses) can only fill a prescription for the prescribed brand.
I know I've mentioned contact lens wear already, but let me harp on it. Many of you who read this board are health conscious people. It only makes sense to keep your eyes healthy also. Patients constantly complain about the price of lenses and the replacement schedule. How is maintaining your eye health wasteful spending? Many people shell out money to gyms (pay someone to allow you to sweat?), yet don't want to invest in their vision. If cost is an issue, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. Many contact lens companies offer rebates. Speak to your optician about rebates and special offers.
15I always get a yearly eye exam because it always coincides with my need for more lens.
Its time to update the glass prescription though
16Dinogirl - everyone in my family has had it except for me! hehe. Some of my cousins and friends had it as young as 19. It's no so much the age itself that matters, it's your eyes. Most people's eyes get progressively worse every year, then the deterioriation slows down and finally stops. When your prescription has been the same for a while, IE there is no danger of it changing again, then you can have lasik. Makes sense: you wouldn't want to do it and then find out two years later you need glasses again because your eyes kept getting worse. So waiting till you're 25 is a safe bet.
Everyone I know who has done it has perfect eyesight now, and has for years. Lasik was invented in the country where I'm from, so we were able to benefit! haha. I believe two of my uncles were actually able to do it with Dr. Barraquer, the man who invented the surgery. It goes without saying that you need to go to a reputable doctor - like any surgery it has risks.
17I've been wearing contacts since I was about 11, and i'm 23 now. Last year I had a problem were I irritated my eyes so much that I started getting a white spot on my eye. It was what was irritating me, basically a little scar or scab. I had to just wear glasses for ages! Yes, I try harder to take them out when I get home now.... and wear glasses more. Don't want to make it so that i can not wear them ever!
18I couldn't wear contacts so I splurged and had LASIK done! Yay ... one of the best things I've done for myself!!
19I first got glasses in the 6th grade. Then, come high school, I finally got contacts, and practically worshipped them. I would wear them ALL day EVERY day, and was also one of those that tried to prolong the life of my contacts by wearing them longer than recommended. In late high school, I developed a problem with my eyes where the surface cells of my one eye was damaged due to wearing the regular wear contacts (not disposables). So I switched to the 1-2 week contacts after needing to use special drops for a while. I fell back into my regular contacts habit after that, and it wasn't until just recently that I've started wearing glasses more often. I had gone to an eye doctor, after not going for several years, only to discover I had the beginning stages of keratitis. I was put on heavy duty eye drops, an eye cleanser called Igiene, and given very thin contacts with a very high water content (I can't remember the name of them right now). What scared me the most was I had these spots on my cornea (which eventually went away), but the worst was I had blood vessels starting to grown into my cornea. They're not supposed to do that! But they were because my eye wasn't getting enough oxygen. And apparently, in 3rd world countries, the blood vessels can grow into the cornea so bad that it can cause blindness!
As for people saying they hate glasses, I always did. Until I finally got a pair that I truly, truly love. Yes, they are still a pain at times, but all in all I'm happier to know my eyes will stay more healthy if I wear my glasses more than my contacts!
20And don't sleep in your lenses! That was my biggest vice, but on a deployment in the Army I would wear them for a month at a time without taking them off (stupid, I know), and ended up with a scratched cornea which hurt like crazy, and to make matters worse, it was about a week before I had to take the GRE and had a heck of a time trying to concentrate and read the test.
I used to routinely sleep in them because I had such a hard time putting them in early in the morning, and even the ones that you're supposed to sleep in for a month at a go aren't recommended by a lot of opthamologists because there's just too much of a chance sand, bacteria, etc. will get in there. Now I just force myself every night to remove them, no matter what. Its worth the hassle.
21People who have really weak prescriptions don't understand how annoying glasses are for those of us that have really bad prescriptions. Mine's -9 (so aimeeb can commiserate), and i have NO peripheral vision, and my glasses end up being really thick and heavy because the glass is so thick. If I'm going up stairs with my glasses on, I can't tell who's coming down. It's harder for me in general to see faces with my glasses on, so people alwyas think I'm ignoring them.
I too had contact lens problems. Protein was building up on my contact lenses because the prescription is high. I switched to dailies and love them. They're a little more expensive but totally worth it.
22great information. I want the lasik but Im too much of a punk to do that....yet. I hate the hassel of contacts but hate wearing my glasses. ARGH!!!!
23I've wore glasses since I was in third grade...a nd contacts since ninth grade. I'm 24. Lordy.... Today's the first day I wore glasses to school in over two weeks and my eyes feel exhausted.
I've noticed that if I wear contacts, I'm more awake, but if I wear glasses, I'm more tired. What's the deal with that?
And yeah, time for me to schedule for my yearly eye exam... haven't had one in a long time. Eek! Money issues, ya know.
24I just went to sephora (right next door) and tried on the Fiberwig mascra and its great! Its really hard for me to send $22 on mascra so for those of you who dont mind you should get it. It doesnt clump or anything!
25starofsorrow- In terms of correcting your vision contacts are better because the lens is close to your eye (well on your eye). However with glasses the lens is further away so you still get some eye strain from trying to correct your vision. That probably why your eyes felt tired
26I have really bad eyesight too (-6.5) and one of my eyes has an astigmatism, so I need a special contact for it. I've been wearing contacts since I was in 7th grade (my parents both knew how much having Coke bottle lenses suck) and I will definitely add a couple of things:
1) Make sure your contacts are durable enough for your lifestyle. When I originally got mine, they were too soft and I used to constantly be tearing them. One even tore in half while it was in my eye! My optometrist switched me to a more durable lens and I had no problems
2) Never EVER sleep in your contacts. I did this once when I was on a weekend getaway with my husband and I forgot my solution and case. I wore my lenses for something like 52 hours straight and I ended up getting a corneal ulcer. I had to wear glasses for a couple months until the cornea healed.
3) If you are handling hot peppers, chili peppers, etc., ALWAYS wash your hands VERY well with hot water and soap to get all the residue off your hands before you even think about touching your contacts. They can hold onto the capsaicin and the next time you put them in, it will burn like there's no tomorrow.
Even though contacts are kind of a pain sometimes, I still prefer them over glasses. I, too, have looked into LASIK and I think I may have it done someday. My boss had it done and he now has 20/20 vision with no side effects. Sounds like it might be pretty ok to me.
27Sadly, I've been told I am not a good candidate for lasik. Maybe I'll ask in a few more years when there's been more advances... =(
28a couple of days ago i went to my eye doctor and found out that i have astigmatism in my left eye. my prescription is SO strong. i'm about be 22 and have been wearing contacts since 10th grade... not all too long but I used to go a day or two without taking my contacts out. i def stopped doing that b/c i had infections and needed special drops to fix the prob.
as long as you take care of your eyes and wear glasses at night//morning i think it's fine. i haven't had an eye prob since back then.
29One thing that isn't mentioned here are RGP contact lenses. They're not as popular, but my astigmatism (on top of my -10 power; I've been wearing glasses since kindergarten) is so bad that a soft lens will not conform properly to the shape of my eye. I see much better with my RGP lenses than I do in my glasses, though there are a lot more restrictions on wearing RGPs than soft lenses. They last much longer and give you greater visual acuity, but they're not as comfortable and you have to be really careful about which eye drops you buy; not all of them can be used with RGP lenses. You still have to take all the safety precautions mentioned above while handling them, though, and you should never sleep in them!
30good to know since Ill be getting my first contacts soon...
31can we share the same contact lenses with our friends
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