should I get contacts?

[sofadriver]

I'm no spring chicken anymore. Been wearing glasses since I was 11 and that was a lonnnnng time ago. I was around when contacts first came out and heard some scary stories that put me off for decades. I just never embraced the idea of putting a piece of glass in my eye. Obviously, times have changed and these days I'm really becoming aware of my vision problems. Of course the manufacturers and optometrists will all want to sell me something. I figure I can get the real poop off an open forum like this. I suspect my riding skills will improve when I can actually see where the hell I'm going!

What are the real pros & cons of contacts?
Any problems you've had?
What's the REAL cost?
What's the difference when driving/riding?
Anyone wear contacts with bifocals built in?
My night vision sucks. Will contacts help?
What are the benefits of one brand vs another? Do you get more if you pay more?

Thank you for your help.

[sleeperbold]

I think you'll love contacts. You're right, they have come a long way. I wore glasses for many years and have even ridden my moto with them on. There is no comparison.

The biggest pro is having full peripheral vision. I can't begin to tell you how profound this feeling is the first time you put them in, and how much this helps in riding your bike and pretty much with everything. You can't even feel them on your eye, until its time to replace them.

The biggest con is that I have to wear goggles when going to the pool or swimming at the beach as bacteria can get behind the contact and irritate your eye. But when I had glasses, I was just blind in the water instead, so not really a big issue.

I've never had any problems in the 15 years I've had contacts. You should take them out every night and use good solution. They will not cause you any grief.

The contacts themselves are not really that expensive anymore. I strongly suggest Acuvue Oasys II lenses. They are very high quality and can easily be gotten from 1-800-CONTACTS. The annoyingly expensive part is the Saline Solution. It is necessary and, like Mach III razor blades, grossly marked up. But what can you do.

The difference while driving or riding is just amazing. You will be pleasantly shocked at how much more you can see. Plus, if you ever forget your sunglasses, you can just pop into a gas station for a temporary pair until you get back to your Ray-Bans.

There are no bifocal contacts from what I understand. They usually put one type of lens in one eye, and the other in the other eye. I hear you get used to it very quickly. Or you could just get your vision corrected for seeing far, and wear reading glasses when you have too.

My night vision got much better with contacts because there is far less glare.

Get Acuvue Oaysis II lenses. They are gas permeable so your eyes don't get tired and they stay evenly moist all day. DO NOT BUY CHEAP CONTACTS, THESE ARE YOUR EYES, COMPROMISE ELSEWHERE. I've tried a lot of brands, I've stuck with these for the last 5 years. Best ever.

Good Luck and just do it. Even if it's just for a trial pair. Sure the contact exam is an extra $50 or so on top of the normal eye exam, but whatever. You ride a Duc, think of it as a really cheap, yet highly effective mod for your bike to make it and you go way faster.

[sofadriver]

  Thank you. That is exactly the type info I was looking for.
I truly appreciate your time spent.

[triangleforge]

I'll echo what Sleeperbold said; I've been in and out of contact lenses since fifth grade. I'm probably half time now between glasses/contacts, but I really prefer contacts for outdoor activities like riding, driving or kayaking. If you haven't tried them before, the peripheral vision will freak you out a little at first - you're just not used to actually seeing things like doorframes as you walk through them, and it's a little unnerving at first. But the benefits of better peripheral vision alone are worth it for moto riding - but on top of that imagine never having to worry about your glasses fogging up under your visor and being able to lose a pair of cheap sunglasses (or even pretty good ones) without lapsing into major depression over the replacement cost of prescription ones.

I've used the Accuvue Oaysis (or however the hell they spell it) as well with good success; I'm currently using fancy ones that supposedly correct astigmatism, but I don't really sense enough benefit to justify the extra expense & PITA. My optometrist tried the trick of prescribing one lens for reading & close work and the other for distance, but it didn't work for me, so I just stash cheap reading glasses everywhere. Oh, and pick up a few pairs of safety glasses with reading correction while you're at it if you do anything in the shop -- reading glasses are a piss-poor substitute for protecting your eyes when doing close work; I got really, really lucky just once while doing some intricate work with a dremel and learned my lesson right quick.

Even better, you'll get to try it out with only a minimal commitment -- optometrists have huge stocks of single, sample contact lenses that they'll send you home with to try out for a few days. That way you can make sure the prescription is right and get used to actually seeing things clearly before you send an order off to one of the online places (I think I've used Vision Direct & Coastal Contacts most recently; it's a pretty competitive business so shop around). They'll need the details of your prescription & the name & number for your optometrist for confirmation, and you'll probably need to do a re-check every year or two to renew the prescription -- I'll often stock up with six months or a year's worth of contacts right before my prescription runs out in order to put it off a bit, and most of the online places offer steep discounts for bigger orders.

[sofadriver]

Thanks so much, tf.
If you need reading glasses (I normally wear bi-focals) can you see up close at all with your contacts in? Can you wear reading glasses while you have your contacts in? I drive a truck making deliveries all day and need to see to get there, but need to see up close when I'm making the delivery (reading/writing receipts, etc., etc.)

[JBubble]

I am nearly legally blind and have been wearing contacts to correct it since I was 8. They are amazing and I highly recommend them. They do make bifocal and multifocal lenses (http://www.goodbyereaders.com/), my dad uses them and really likes them. I use a type of lens that lets in a ton of oxygen, which I believe is the Oasys.

Talk to your doctor about the type of lenses that are available, they'll have the best answers. Some people prefer to sleep in their lenses, which is a viable option with the newest products. Its amazing what they can correct nowadays.

Your insurance will affect how much they cost, I pay $45 a box and get two boxes a year.

[sofadriver]

That's not bad for a year.
OK, that settles it.
I'm gonna' do this!

[IZ]

 

Ive been wearing glasses since 4th grade. Picked up my first pair of contacts my jr year of high school (late 80s).  They were some of the first colored contacts. Because of that, they seemed a bit thicker than the ones today. I had allergies really bad and would rub them either back up into my eyeballs or completely out of my eye. Dont be alarmed if that happens to you.  They will work their way back down.  Anyway, since then..contacts have gotten better for me. The disposable ones are great!  Especially when the allergy season comes. I just get a new pair out when they start irritating my eyes.

Good luck with yours. Youll love them! Btw..Getting them in and out are fairly simple to do. I really don't know why people make a big deal out of it. 

[kopfjäger]

Look into the Hybrid lenses.

[sleeperbold]

You're welcome 

[sofadriver]

Thank you all !
I've got an appointment on Saturday. 

[sugarcrook]

Maybe I missed the explanation in an earlier post, but what about LASIK?  I had it a few years ago and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. 

[sofadriver]

Btw..Getting them in and out are fairly simple to do. I really don't know why people make a big deal out of it. 

Because I'm a big wuss, that's why.
My youngest grandkid beat me up just the other day.
She's 2.
I cried like a little girl! 

[RAT900]

I like my glasses...they make me look less like the mouth breather that I am

[dolci]

I had RK (pre-cursor to LASIK) in 1993 after wearing glasses since I was 14.  I was thrilled.  Then I needed reading glasses, which was fine.  Now, at night my distance vision is a little IZ_ so I explored contacts with my eye doc.

I've tried 2 different sets of bi-focal lenses and neither of them was exactly right for me.  She is ordering three other types for me because apparently I have "special eyes"  (love that commercial).  I am going to try another brand of the bi-focal lenses, some monovision lenses and then a distance-only lens which means I would still need reading glasses (which I'm fine with).

I wore lenses briefly in college and they have come a long way.  I initially thought there was only one type of lenses but there are dozens.  If your eyes are at all uncomfortable, itchy, whatever when the lenses are in, let your doc know - the lenses may not be the right ones for you.  I thought initially it was because I just hadn't worn lenses in 30 years, but was told you shouldn't even know they are there.

Good luck!