Contact lenses - continued

[watervole]

Took a total break on Saturday to allow the eyes to recover from wearing the lenses too long on the earlier days.

Wore them for four hours today, which seemed about right.  (a little ache, but not too much) They're great for gaming as I can see people's faces without having to keep moving my head up and down.  A lot easier on the neck.

I'm finding them very fiddly to wash.  I'm supposed to squirt fluid over them to wash off protein deposits, but if I hold them while squirting, then there's a bit that fails to get washed.  I'm also not entirely sure if I'm supposed to rub them as well.

How do you clean your monthly lenses?  Do you find you accidentally turn them inside-out a lot?

Comments

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that the wearing today went well.

Cleaning is something you get more used to, I think, especially as you get used to how much force you can use without damaging them.

I put a lens, inside downwards, over the rounded tip of a finger to squirt fluid on the outside, and then I put it in the palm of my hand, inside upwards, to squirt fluid on the inside. I then use the tip of my index finger to rub the lens against the palm of my hand.

Yes, they do sometimes get turned inside-out. I've even been known not to realise until after I've put a lens in, and find that it's unusually uncomfortable! But it's pretty easy to spot, if you look. (Sorry if you know this already!) Turn one inside-out deliberately; you should see that the edges curve slightly outwards, like a lip. When the lens is the right way round, they don't.

[jophan.livejournal.com]

I'm on dailies, and I can tell you it's heaven compared to monthly contacts. Just get them out and throw them away. If you drop them on the floor, just rinse them and put them in - they won't be used long enough to get infected. They are unfriendly to beginners, though, because they are much thinner.

When I was on monthly contacts I used several different cleaning methods, rinsing them, and rubbing them, and putting them into some sort of self-cleaning fluid. I can't say I turn them inside out a lot, but yes, it happens. For that reason, I always pinch them between two fingers to make sure they're the right way before putting them in.

For me it took months before I was able to insert them and remove them with some sort of ease, and it can still take five minutes to get them into the eyes on a bad day. Totally worth it, though. Can you read with yours? I have to use reading glasses, which does defeat the purpose somewhat. I don't mind getting older, but why do my eyes have to age with me?

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I still have to use reading glasses, but it beats having to carry both reading glasses and 'conversation' glasses around with me.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Cleaning contacts can be very fiddly, yes. I basically disregard the "rinse" instructions: I just squirt a bit of the cleaning fluid into the palm of one hand, rub the contact against my palm, turn the lens over to do the same to the other side, then pick it up with a fingertip and balance it (cup-like) on another fingertip to check whether it's inside out before I put it in.

I've been wearing monthlies for years, and this seems to work quite well.

They're great for gaming as I can see people's faces without having to keep moving my head up and down.

When I first started using contacts, that was one of the things I loved best about them--no more blind spots! Suddenly I had reliable peripheral vision!

[winterbadger]

Cleaning contacts can be very fiddly, yes. I basically disregard the "rinse" instructions: I just squirt a bit of the cleaning fluid into the palm of one hand, rub the contact against my palm, turn the lens over to do the same to the other side, then pick it up with a fingertip and balance it (cup-like) on another fingertip to check whether it's inside out before I put it in.

That's a good description of what I do too. Well, missing out the bit where I accidentally drop it into the sink or on the floor, swear, fumble around trying to find it, and eventually locate it, pick the cat hair off, and start over. :-)

When I first started using contacts, that was one of the things I loved best about them--no more blind spots! Suddenly I had reliable peripheral vision!

Even if I'm having a day off from lenses, I will still usually put them in for driving. I find I am not nearly as comfortable driving without that extra bit of sideview that I don't get from glasses.

FWIW, having worn lenses for many years, I wear them from morning to night a lot of the time. Sometimes I'll take them off when I come home from work; sometimes I'll take a whole day off from them. But I have known people who would not wear them for more than 10 hours or so, jsut so as to avoid excess wear on the eye.

If I'm trying to paint wargame minis, I'll take them out; I can see better to do that without either lenses or glasses than with.

[twinfair.livejournal.com]

I can second glitterboy's way of cleaning them. But now I have dailies so I don't have to. They are great because I only wear them occasionally so a month's set last me about 6 months so don't work out too expensive - and no cleaning required!!!