contact lenses ?

Ok so I wear glasses, bifocals. I've Needed them for years , I finally got them last summer ( I was trying hard to pretend :eek:) .

So now I am going to try bifocal contacts. Just the thought of salt water spray and suntan lotion on my glasses for a week ...ugh! I'm always wiping smudges off as it is.

Any one have any experience with them? Am I crazy?

I've worn bifocal contacts for about 15 years now. I love them and they work well, but now I do have to use reading glasses for computer work and fine detailed work. I can read on my iPad fine with just the contacts, however.

I have worn contacts since 1977. I bought them with my very first "real job" pay cheque. I graduated to what are known as progressive (bi-focal) contacts about 10 years ago and I have never had any problems. You should know that many people do not find the visual acuity as clear as it could be so they opt for distance contacts and use "readers" as required. My understanding is that more people use this method than progressive contacts. If you have never worn contacts you may find that this is the way to go.

I would recommend that you ask for a few trial pairs of different brands before making a major financial commitment to progressives. When I first tried progressives there was only one brand however now several companies make them -some more than one type - you may find one type more comfortable than others or if you are like many people you may not achieve the visual acuity that you desire and may prefer using a distance contact with a pair of reading glasses.

Hope this helps!!! And no it is not crazy!

I started wearing contact lenses in 1963--yes, I am that old!

For ~20 years, I have worn mono-vision contacts. I have a reading lens in my right eye and a distance lens in my left eye. For me, there was no adjustment period at all. I have a little difficulty with what I call middle vision. For example, if someone at work calls me over and asks me to look at something on their computer while I stand behind them or when I am reading wall plaques at a museum, I find that to be a minor problem.

I have been wearing contacts since I was 16, a very long time ago!

My bi-focal contacts are nothing more than wearing a weaker prescription in one eye, and my normal prescription in the other.

It took a little bit of trial and error but my eye doctor and I finally hit upon just the right prescription for my "bi-focal lenses" and now I wear them all the time.

On the down side, since getting older, I must wear reading glasses on top of my lenses if I want to read small print. Otherwise, the work great!

Good Luck!!

J

I started with hard lenses in 1974, progressed to the long distance in one eye and close up in another eye around 1990, and true bifocal lenses about 1995 or so. It is completely different to use the two prescription lenses versus true bifocal lenses. You must learn to find the spots in the lenses for long versus close-up vision. Probably took me about a week to get it down perfectly. But, they are wonderful!

I wore bi-focal lenses for awhile and loved them. Unfortunately my reading prescription was changing much faster than my distance. I was working retail and had to read product labels on a regular basis. I found that I couldn't keep up with the prescription change. So, I stopped wearing them. Your eye doctor should be able to come up with a solution that works for you.

Good luck!

I have bi-focal contacts and love them. It did take me a few days or so to get used to them. The first day I put them in I thought, oh, this is never going to work. I got used to them and now I'd hate to be without them.

And no, you're not crazy. At least not about wanting bi-focal lenses. :p

Thanks everyone. My problem is more close up, can't see anything close up and small even my dinner plate makes me queezy if I don't have my glasses on. Distance is not too bad the glasses just make things in the distance " crisper". Well I'm taking a half a day tomorrow and going to the eye doctor to give it a try.

Bifocal contacts didn't work for me. I have one contact for distance and other is for close up. Have worn hard gas permeable lenses for 40 years now

Debbie

I don't think you are crazy at all! I've been wearing contact lenses since 1978 and cannot imagine life without them. Currently, I wear toric lenses (no idea what that means, either!). I'm sure your eye dr can work with you to come up with a solution that works!

I'm on my second type of "bifocal" contact lenses.....the first was really just a different prescription for each eye (one for distance, one for near vision) and those worked great for about a year or two, but then they didn't work any more and I switched to bifocal contacts about 3 or 4 years ago. Other than occasional adjustments in the strength and proportions, they've been working well for me.

I've been wearing rigid lenses for over 35 years, and these are no different than before I needed bifocals.

I've had contacts (hard and then gas-permeable) for over 40 years, and bifocal contacts for the last 15. I don't own a pair of reading glasses, and only wear my single-vision glasses around the house (I am very nearsighted). I agree with everyone else that there are many versions of bifocal contacts that your eye doctor can have you try to find one that works.

I used to wear them too. They'll tell you not to wear them swimming but I always did!:eek: I never got any kind of eye infection from doing so...however, there is always that risk. I had very terrible eye-sight. I could see close but my distant vision was almost non-existent. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face most of the time! I think it's well worth a try. I always had at least one pair of prescription sunglasses. So I'd wear my contact swimming or snorkeling and then when I was done for the day...I had disposable contacts, so after I was done using them at the beach or pool...I'd just dump them and wear a new pair. It did take me a short while to get used to the bifocal contacts, but it was worth it! If you want to use them, be sure to get them way ahead of whenever it is you want to wear them. Since having cataract surgery last year, I don't need to wear glasses anymore...only for very, very, small print do I need reading glasses.

Good luck!:D

So I went to the eye doctor today. Of course they have to order the contacts . So they should be in , in a week then I'll go back and try them out.

Thanks for all the advice!!

I don't think you are crazy at all! I've been wearing contact lenses since 1978 and cannot imagine life without them. Currently, I wear toric lenses (no idea what that means, either!). I'm sure your eye dr can work with you to come up with a solution that works!

I think toric lenses are for astigmatism. I have astigmatism but my rx is too strong, and no maker makes those contacts in my rx so I just have to make do with it.

So I went to the eye doctor today. Of course they have to order the contacts . So they should be in , in a week then I'll go back and try them out.

Thanks for all the advice!!

I too wear contacts and I don't get my head wet when swimming unless I have on goggles or and snorkeling with a mask. Even chlorine water hurts my eyes and usually causes the contacts to dislodge from the proper place. Salt water, forget about it! I would really suggest to not put your head under water unless you have eye goggles. I've lost lenses in the ocean before. Long way back home (or to the cabin) for a replacement.

Hopefully your brand you get fit well. I have a high rx -11.0 in both eyes, so I don't have much of a choice.

I'm actually bringing swim goggles I found in a drawer that I purchased at the end of the summer last year. I'm bringing a pair for me and for my dd who wears contacts. Last cruise she lost a contract in the pool :eek:

I wear disposable contacts when diving. Water magnifies everything so I can see perfectly fine underwater, including reading my wrist computer.

I'm so jealous of all of you. I just last week went to be examined and fitted for my very first contact lenses ever! I broke my nose three years ago, for the umpteenth time, and this time the lump on the side of my nose that was already there got bigger. It's made wearing glasses very uncomfortable at times, as it's right where they sit.

The doctor told me my vision was a perfect candidate for either bifocal contacts or two different monovision lenses. But, he suggested I not bother. The same fall that caused that last break, also apparently knocked one eye out of alignment with the other, so they don't work together properly. I now need a prism in my glasses to avoid double vision. That cannot be done with contacts. I could get contacts to correct my vision but would then need to wear glasses with a prism over them. I didn't see much point so I just ordered new glasses, the lightest weight I could find. Poooooo

I hate, hate reading glasses! I've worn contacts for many years but started getting near-sighted a few years ago. Now I'm doing the mono-vision thing (one eye for reading, one eye for distance). My husband tried mono-vision but didn't like it so he's using the bifocal contacts.

Good luck! It takes a little patience to get the right contacts but it's worth it.

So the eye doctor called today and I go Monday morning to get my trial pair of bifocal contacts. Can't wait.

waiting for my 3rd set of trial lenses to come in so far no go, but I am not giving up!!

Don't give up. As I said in my earlier email ...you may have to try a few trial pairs to find a brand that work for you.

I accidentally broke one of my bifocal contacts last week and put in a replacement. Even though I had tried it when I got it six months ago, it's awful (out of focus, hurts) and I ordered another yesterday. Be patient, sometimes it does take several tries to get it right. Bifocal contacts are very tricky to made.