# Contact Lens wearers I need your help. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258 "2010-09-27T19:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/41 "2010-09-28T18:16:20Z")
I agree that if this person is not holding your eye open this is never going to work, and I don’t think this person is much of a specialist if he doesn’t know this. I also think the idea that the lenses expire in 3 weeks is nuts. They don’t. And as I understand it you have never actually worn these lenses, so they have not “expired”, period. When I was first fitted (a million years ago) I watched a video about four times and then put in the lenses. I use basically the method **wishIhadacoolname** described above. And really, don’t give up! Contacts are great. You just need to find someone who knows what they are doing I think. ETA **Renee** and I agree but she types faster. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/42 "2010-09-29T01:44:22Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I’m the opposite. I pop disposables in, don’t even think about them for two weeks beyond a couple drops in the morning and night, take them out and toss them. I can’t imagine having to care for a single delicate pair, taking them out and putting them in every single day for over a year. THAT’S skeevy to me. Me too. Do most people take their contacts out at night? I’ve never had an infection. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/43 "2010-09-29T01:51:55Z")
You have to have continuous wear lenses to leave 'em in overnight, or you’re at risk for ocular health problems down the road due to the reduced amount of oxygen flowing into your eye. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/44 "2010-09-29T03:01:12Z")
The method I used when I wore them is very similar to **wishIhadacoolname’s** ; I just went through the motions and whaddya know, I bet if you handed me contacts I could pop them right in and out without a problem and I haven’t worn 'em for about eight years. Left hand, middle finger, holding the top lid up, middle finger right hand on the lower lid, right index finger with contact, tada! It must be like riding a bicycle. But I actually prefer glasses, it’s a lot less fussing around. Call me weird. I remember hating when they put them in, which in my experience they normally did when they were fitting a new prescription; the instinct to pull away was very strong, and said instinct is the same reason I’m in so much trouble if I ever need the sorts of eye surgery where they insist you be awake. I do not like having my eyes messed with. ---
**Author:** ![WishIHadACoolName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WishIHadACoolName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WishIHadACoolName)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/45 "2010-09-29T22:53:17Z")
I taught a twitchy 11 year old boy today. He was a nervous wreck at first, but got really confident once he started making progress on his own. He got to leave the office with the lenses in his eyes. I don’t advocate leaving contact lenses in for days or weeks at a time. Acanthamoeba keratitis is a serious (albeit relatively rare, but I’m NOT taking chances) infection, and your tap water can harbor the amoeba, which can pass between your eyelids while your eyes are closed. Compare it to your laundry…you wash your socks and underwear after wearing them for only one day. Your corneas are more easily damaged than your feet and nether regions. Oh yeah, the “monthly disposable” concept means “one month of wearing cycles”, or 30 days of wearing them for 12-18 hours per day. The lenses haven’t even been in your eyes yet, so your contact lens dude is just being a jerk. Sounds like he really doesn’t want to teach you, which implies that he doesn’t like his job. I really enjoy doing it, and try to get my patients to laugh as much as possible while they’re learning. ---
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/46 "2010-09-30T08:10:07Z")
> [@WishIHadACoolName](#): > > Oh yeah, the “monthly disposable” concept means “one month of wearing cycles”, or 30 days of wearing them for 12-18 hours per day. The lenses haven’t even been in your eyes yet, so your contact lens dude is just being a jerk. Sounds like he really doesn’t want to teach you, which implies that he doesn’t like his job. I really enjoy doing it, and try to get my patients to laugh as much as possible while they’re learning. I really really think you are right there. After my initial eye exam he tried to talk me out of trying contacts for no good reason. I cancelled the appointment I have today because I was ill, I have really bad depression and if effects me like flu, just knocks my whole body out, am glad I did cancel because it gave me time to think and and am going to take my prescription to another opticians and ask them to fit the contacts for me. It feels like a relief especially after people here have remarked it’s not possible to get contacts into eye without holding eyelids open which he did not even suggest. Once again I’m thankful for the dope! ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/47 "2010-09-30T13:59:23Z")
> [@WishIHadACoolName](#): > > try to get my patients to laugh as much as possible while they’re learning. But, but, but! Laughing makes the eyes squinch closed!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/48 "2010-09-30T23:26:24Z")
Get a different optician. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/49 "2010-10-01T17:41:47Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > You have to have continuous wear lenses to leave 'em in overnight, or you’re at risk for ocular health problems down the road due to the reduced amount of oxygen flowing into your eye. You can have problems with those, too. I quit wearing contacts all the time after I started having problems with lack of oxygen. Now I take them out at night, and usually go without for at least a half-day or so on the weekend. I’d love to do the overnight gas-perms, but that only works up to about -6 diopters. No help for me! Geeze, I’m just glad to have disposables, it took them _years_ to come out with high-power disposable lenses. **Acorns…but not Bacon** - good for you! Good luck with the new optician - he’d have to be better than this one! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/50 "2010-10-01T17:51:39Z")
15 year wearer. Never had anyone else put them in. Never done it without holding my eyelids. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/51 "2010-10-01T19:51:30Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 15 year wearer. Never had anyone else put them in. Never done it without holding my eyelids. Ditto on this (though it’s been 20 years, I’m getting old). My lenses are actually bigger than my open eyes typically are. I just tried to put in my lenses without holding at least my bottom lid down and it took me nearly 10 minutes to do it (normally takes less than a second per eye). ---
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/52 "2010-10-01T20:49:29Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > > You have to have continuous wear lenses to leave 'em in overnight, or you’re at risk for ocular health problems down the road due to the reduced amount of oxygen flowing into your eye. > > You can have problems with those, too. I quit wearing contacts all the time after I started having problems with lack of oxygen. Now I take them out at night, and usually go without for at least a half-day or so on the weekend. > > I’d love to do the overnight gas-perms, but that only works up to about -6 diopters. No help for me! Geeze, I’m just glad to have disposables, it took them _years_ to come out with high-power disposable lenses. > > **Acorns…but not Bacon** - good for you! Good luck with the new optician - he’d have to be better than this one! Thanks redtail! I visited a new opticians today and even though I won’t get a discount from there, I feel they were a lot more relaxed, where I went to before - SpecSavers, it was really rushed, lot’s of people there, obviously because it has offers on but I feel it’s necessary to have this done no matter what the cost and it is actually less expensive than I thought at new place - £60 for contacts fitting and £30 for three month follow up. Will still get my glasses frames fitted with lenses at SpecSavers though because it’s free I think? Or it costs less. Or free… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/53 "2010-10-01T21:24:00Z")
Yeah, you really don’t want to go “discount” when it comes to contacts and LASIK. At least not when it comes to optician services; I’ll happily shop online for lenses. The product is the same regardless of the seller. ---
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258/54 "2010-10-01T21:29:06Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Yeah, you really don’t want to go “discount” when it comes to contacts and LASIK. At least not when it comes to optician services; I’ll happily shop online for lenses. The product is the same regardless of the seller. Oh no it’s a reputable company, SpecSavers is a massive brand, it’s just because I’m on a benefit, it means I don’t have to pay full price for the service. They offer the same sort of things for students…old people… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contact-lens-wearers-i-need-your-help/555258.md?page=2)