Contact lenses in college

<p>One trick my eye doctor gave me when trying to figure out if the contact is "correct" or inside out....
Re-read post #8. That's the basic strategy--the way you place it in the palm of your hand. However, it's easier to think of it as "the taco test". If the contact folds in a bit when you have it in the palm of your hand, it's ok. If it doesn't "fold" to look like a taco, it's inside out. </p>

<p>One other trick for getting the contacts actually in your eye was this:
Get up close to a mirror. When you're ready to put the contact in your left eye, for example, focus your left eyeball to the right. You put the contact in so that it seems to cover more of the white part...essentially don't go at it "straight on". That tip seemed to help me alot.</p>

<p>My biggest challenge, especially with a toric lens for astigmatism, was getting them out. I was only wearing one lens for many years, now I have two and can't ever get this new toric lens out without rubbing my eye way too much. Any tips are welcome.... </p>

<p>It's also true that after you've been doing this for a few weeks, you'll become an expert. My D uses the 30 day lens, but also had some dailies (a new one every day) with her when she did her study abroad so she didn't have to worry about cleaning them. (She has to use a special cleaner as she's very sensitive to eye infection). She LOVES the dailies but they are more expensive.</p>

<p>OP: How strong is your prescription and what kind are you wearing? Just curious. </p>

<p>I'm wearing Acuvue OASYS and my prescriptions are -5.75 and -7.25.</p>

<p>Drinking and contacts isnt a problem. I've been passed out quite a few times wearing them and iyts not been too bad. Just a little difficult taking them out. </p>

<p>To the person who asked about cold/dry conditions - I've been weraring contacts for 5 years in Dubai (Middle East) and am now hgeading to michigan so I guess I'll found out. I haven't had any problems with dryness though.</p>

<p>I've had contacts since I was 8 years old (so 13 years now), you get used to them after a few months and I pretty much forget that I have them now most days. I wear them usually from 6 am-midnight straight during my college years so far, and its not a problem. Cold wind sometimes bothers them (then again, i live in fargo north dakota, so most people don't have to deal with as much cold wind as I do!)</p>

<p>As for drinking/passing out, i might leave them in for an hour or two if i just can't make it to my case and solution, but I always take them out before passing out in my bed...its just habit, after 12 years of taking them out every night before going to bed, you get used to it in your routine.</p>

<p>I dunno what all the worry about passing out in them is. I routinely fall asleep in my bed at home with my contacts in (like once or twice a week), and despite crashing for 12 hours, the only problem I have is that my eyes are a little dry. So I take my contacts out, put a load of solution in my eyes, shower, get dressed, and then put 'em back in and it's just like normal.</p>

<p>The only problem is I don't wear them daily, so I never got to be a master at putting them in like some people. I have to be sitting in front of a mirror making all kinds of weird faces for a couple minutes, haha. That's going to be embarassing in a bathroom I share with 30 people...</p>

<p>A week after I got my contacts in 7th grade I had a substitute teacher who asked if I could put them in without a mirror. I said no, because obviously I was still in the learning stage. He asked me what would happen if I didn't have a mirror to put them in if they ever fell out. As a little 7th grader that freaked me out. So I went home and practice. Now 5/6 years later I never use mirror and can have both contacts in in under 30 seconds. There are so many times that I would have been left with a rapidly drying contact if I didn't know how to do it without a mirror. </p>

<p>I do have astigmatism in my right eye so I wear toric lenses. But, I think mine is pretty slight and I've never had a problem.</p>

<p>as for drinking and contacts, dailies are the answer! i wear the acuvue 1-day kind and all you have to do is take them out of your eye (which i can somehow do mirrorless when drunk but not otherwise) and toss them anywhere. my eyes get dry when i drink anyway, so i never forget.</p>

<p>I'm still in the adjustment stage. My optometrist did tell me that I shouldn't wear them too much like everyday; it could make mine prescription worse. Is that true? I also worry about go over the 8-10 limit hour so on days that I know I will be outside for at least 8 hours I will use glasses.</p>

<p>You'll get used to them and they'll become second nature.</p>

<p>Two tips to make sure they're the right way:</p>

<p>When it's set on your finger, bring it up to eye level to look at it. The correct way it will be nice and rounded, nothing wierd at the top. Inside out, the edges will stick out and it will look kind of like a flying saucer. Do this one way, then flip it and try the other way, and you should be able to see the difference.</p>

<p>Also when it's set on your finger, use your thumb and index fingers on the other hand to gently press on the edges. The correct way the edges will easily come together, and the wrong way the edges will try to stay apart and stay on your fingers. Again, try it both ways and you should be able to see the difference.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Just be careful with the hygiene and keeping your case clean, because I managed to pick up a corneal ulcer from mine, which was not really a pleasant experience. I mean, it only hurt at first, when I discovered I had it, but then I was stuck with the inconvenient experience of having to put eyedrops in every hour, on the hour for about 2 days. It was nasty for my sleep schedule.</p>

<p>Other than that, I love contact lenses--I can barely tell I'm wearing them. I've been wearing them for about 2 years, but it really only takes a while to get used to them. And you have to build up a tolerance for wearing them for extended periods of time. At least that's what my doctor said.</p>

<p>contacts are annoying. i recommend dailies which i have. so they get dirty and you can throw them out. but really contacts are detrimental to social life (not as much as glasses) because my eyes get tired if i'm say, up at 8 am and out at a party till 2 am, so im more inclined to call it an night earlier. laser eye surgery is what im saving money for.</p>

<p>Urgh this reminds me of the time I lost my contacts and I didn'tknow about it (my vision is pretty good in one eye) so I kept on trying to take out the contact and obviously it wasn't there. I just poked around my eye for like 40 minutes until it got red... (i realized you CAN pinch your eyes... Grossed out yet?)</p>

<p>
[quote]
but really contacts are detrimental to social life (not as much as glasses)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wouldn't really consider glasses detrimental to your social life...hah. Maybe depending on how blind you are, inconvenient if you want to play a pick up game of something.</p>