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falcon1

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 22, 2006
229
0
Georgia
Who wears contacts? I went to the eye doctor and got the eye exam and everything but I went to put the first one in and I couldn't touch my eye. I have a real fear of getting it stuck in my eye or even touching my eye. Now I can get eyelashes in my eye and i'll dig and get it but I can't put one in. Whoever wears them or just got them can yall give me tips and your experiences putting the first one in? Thanks.
 
I wear 'em.
Just keep telling yourself: you're touching the contact, NOT your eye. :)

I usually grab mine on both sides with my thumb and pointer and pinch just enough for it to come off my eye. I use the sides of my fingers because I have some looong fingernails, and I don't feel like gouging out my eye. ;) (literally!)

when putting it in, balance it on your pointer, and pry your eye open with the other hand. make sure the contact is really wet, or it won't feel good at all. keep both eyes open, as closing the other one will make you close the one you're trying to apply just a little.
 
Really all it takes is practice. I wear contacts (well, I'm SUPPOSED to, dosen;t mean I actually do all the time...) The very first time I tried to put them in was at the doctor's office. A nurse spent a full 2 hours with me, until well after closing before I got it. Now I can stick my finger in my eye with or without contacts (not recomended, but good party trick). Just keep practicing, you'll get it.
 
Well I never touched a contact before so when I touched it and it was just slimy and I wasn't sure about it and then the doctor said she was gonna put it in after maybe 2 mins of sitting there and I just said i'll come back.
 
I've been wearing contacts for at least 12 years now (can't remember exactly when); I've gotten to the point where I can put them on and take them off in the dark. Once you get used to it it becomes habit, although I've met some people who simply could not touch their eye to put them in - it was a purely psychological thing. They had to stick with glasses.
 
Well my eyes are -3.00 in both eyes and i'm nearsighted so I require them to drive but now I wear them ALL the time at home and take them off when I go anywhere else so I think its either time to start wearing them all the time or to break down and suck up the fear and get contacts.
 
I do just like katie described (minus the long fingernails).

I never had an issue with it, but a lot of people (my fiancée included) are grossed out at watching me stick my fingers in my eye. But I assume you'll just get used to it...you're not touching your eye. I've been popping them in and out for over 12 years now and have managed to not maim myself yet.

***knocks on wood***
 
I've got glasses my freshman year of college and got contacts right after I finished grad school. The first time I went to put them in at the doctor's office took me 20 minutes! It just takes a gentle touch and a bit of practice. I only wear mine about half time. Depends on what I am doing for the day. If I am doing field scouting, it's contacts. If I am in the house all day, I might not bother to even put my glasses on!
 
Don't worry, you'll get use to putting the contacts in after a couple of weeks.

Mine got stuck several times, the best thing to do is not to sleep with them. If you do end up sleeping with them wait for at least 1/2 hour before trying to take it off. Less oxygen goes in your eyes when your eye lids are close, and that's how mine got stuck.
 
Never got one stuck or anything like that?

I have had contacts go back up into my eye. It's strange b/c it hits a gag reflex for me. Anyways, I just keep blinking and it eventually come out of the corner of my eye.
As far as putting them in and wearing them, it just takes practice like everybody has said.
 
I got very close to putting one in at the doctors office but the lady was there and there was all kinds of pressure and it was slimy and I just don't know about them. Does the slimy stuff go away or is that with all cleaning solutions?
 
*raises hand*

Love them too. They totally change my personality. I'm told it's a Superman/Clark Kent kinda thing :D I love exercising, dont feel any urge to do my studies or anything with contacts in. I have soft ones, monthly disposables.
 
Ah -3.00 in each eye. Being so near sighted that you can not really function with out corrective lens. It oh so much fun. (I happen to be -3.00 right and -3.25 left)

I used to ware contacts quite a bit. now I ware them maybe once every 2 weeks because I just don't feel like putting them on most of the time and I am lazy. I used to wear them all the time. I do remember when I first started wearing contacts that I struggle with putting them in for a while and taking them out. Now when I do put them in I can get them in my eyes in a min or 2 and I can take them out in about 10 secs mirror-less and any where (mirror helps to get them in. taking them out it doesn't matter, I haven't used a mirror for that in years.) the hardest part is just getting over your bodies natural responds to having something close to your eye (namely you fingers) because once the contact is in and you give it a few seconds you will not even noticed it is there. Then it just takes time getting used to them in your eye. That slimy feeling on the lens I don't think ever really goes way.
Also don't forget to keep you glasses prescription up to date because you will be wearing you glasses quite a bit still (at least every night and morning) because I know with eyes as bad as your, you really cant function with out glasses. Hell I know you can barely read a book with out glasses (for people who don't understand. He can see about 1 foot (30cm) clearly, anything past that it rather blurry.
 
I got very close to putting one in at the doctors office but the lady was there and there was all kinds of pressure and it was slimy and I just don't know about them. Does the slimy stuff go away or is that with all cleaning solutions?

Slimy? You're putting things in that are about 50-60% percent water, so it's going to naturally be slimy (if you see something milky white or any odd thing you don't think should be in the solution or on the contact through both L and R out. Don't focus so much on the feeling of the contact. Another thing you have to absolutely be careful for, and I'm telling you this because it's for your own good, is to make sure you put it on correctly. This means you're wearing the right side and everything. Yes, there are sides for contacts. If the contact appears to bulge out at the top instead of forming a perfect bowl (and it's never going to completely form a perfect bowl, but so long as it doesn't look like the latter image and holding it up close you will easily be able to tell.

contactssb0.png
 
Ah -3.00 in each eye. Being so near sighted that you can not really function with out corrective lens. It oh so much fun. (I happen to be -3.00 right and -3.25 left)

Lucky bastards...I'm -4.50 and -5.25.

I wear contacts the vast majority of the time I'm awake. Sometimes I get lazy and wear glasses, but I see better with my contacts, so I usually make the effort.
 
Ah -3.00 in each eye. Being so near sighted that you can not really function with out corrective lens. It oh so much fun. (I happen to be -3.00 right and -3.25 left)

I used to ware contacts quite a bit. now I ware them maybe once every 2 weeks because I just don't feel like putting them on most of the time and I am lazy. I used to wear them all the time. I do remember when I first started wearing contacts that I struggle with putting them in for a while and taking them out. Now when I do put them in I can get them in my eyes in a min or 2 and I can take them out in about 10 secs mirror-less and any where (mirror helps to get them in. taking them out it doesn't matter, I haven't used a mirror for that in years.) the hardest part is just getting over your bodies natural responds to having something close to your eye (namely you fingers) because once the contact is in and you give it a few seconds you will not even noticed it is there. Then it just takes time getting used to them in your eye. That slimy feeling on the lens I don't think ever really goes way.
Also don't forget to keep you glasses prescription up to date because you will be wearing you glasses quite a bit still (at least every night and morning) because I know with eyes as bad as your, you really cant function with out glasses. Hell I know you can barely read a book with out glasses (for people who don't understand. He can see about 1 foot (30cm) clearly, anything past that it rather blurry.

Oh boohoo. :p

I'm -6.00 in both eyes.
 
Im -2.50 in both eyes, so I need them. I wear them all day, I don't even notice them.

I can't really touch my eye either though, so I don't. I put it on the white yolk of my eye and then roll my eye back and forth and it slides into place. Must work because I've done it for about 4 years and haven't had any trouble.
 
Yeah thats about it. I can funtion without them but not to long. I can read a book but it might be blurry a little ways away but like you said anything farther than a foot in front of me is just blurry.
 
Im -2.50 in both eyes, so I need them. I wear them all day, I don't even notice them.

I can't really touch my eye either though, so I don't. I put it on the white yolk of my eye and then roll my eye back and forth and it slides into place. Must work because I've done it for about 4 years and haven't had any trouble.

I know several people who do this. They just pull their bottom lid down, look up, and rotate the eye until the contact comes into focus.
 
I just want to elaborate on when a contact goes to the "back of" one's eye. It just goes a little bit to the side or above the level of the skin surrounding your eye. It's easy to get out and it doesn't hurt. I don't think it can get lost back there for more than a minute or two or anything like that.

I've been wearing contacts (not the same pair :))since the 5th grade, almost 10 years and I've never had a problem with them. They are totally painless and easy.

If yours are painful then they don't fit you right! :)

e
 
I just want to elaborate on when a contact goes to the "back of" one's eye. It just goes a little bit to the side or above the level of the skin surrounding your eye. It's easy to get out and it doesn't hurt. I don't think it can get lost back there for more than a minute or two or anything like that.

I've been wearing contacts (not the same pair :))since the 5th grade, almost 10 years and I've never had a problem with them. They are totally painless and easy.

If yours are painful then they don't fit you right! :)

e

There's actually a membrane which prevents the contact from going too far back. That and the actual muscles on the eye.
 
I know several people who do this. They just pull their bottom lid down, look up, and rotate the eye until the contact comes into focus.

Yeah, I find it works better than making myself touch my eye when I really don't want to. I mean I CAN, but it's so much easier this way. I think I've had contacts since the beginning of 7th grade, so that's like 4-5 years.

I actually got some glasses the other day and I can't really even wear them. It makes me so dizzy to have a lens that far away from my eye that I feel like I have to fall over. Went back to see if they were the wrong prescription and they checked me again and said they were right, I'm just not used to them. Well I got them to wear once and a while, so I'll never be used to them....guess that was a waste.

Only think I've found wrong with contacts is that driving at night + dry contacts = sucks. But, I got those new Hydro ones that I need to try out! Maybe they'll be better at not drying out at midnight.
 
I know several people who do this. They just pull their bottom lid down, look up, and rotate the eye until the contact comes into focus.

Now I could prolly do that. I just don't like the fact of something coming towards my eye and I can see everything but the doctor didn't say anything about putting it on the bottom of the eye and rolling the eye around to get it in the right position.
 
I have had contacts go back up into my eye. It's strange b/c it hits a gag reflex for me.

Gag reflex, in the eye? :confused:

I have had them slip up out of sight as well which can be irritating but really, you have nothing to worry about. It just takes a bit of getting used to. :) They can get a little dry which is irritating so keep some drops handy for the first few weeks and also, in case they fall out and you need to clean/relubricate them.

I remember when I first tried to put them in, it took me about 20 minutes to get used to the idea of putting something so close to my eye, never mind letting lenses touch them! :eek:

I use a brand called Ciba Night & Day (recently changed to AirOptix Night & Day). They're 30 day, continuous wear lenses so you can wear them all the time, even while sleeping ... for a month! Fantastic things. :)

I tend to take them out every now and then (maybe 2 or 3 times a month) just to clean them. Some mornings they need a drop or two of solution just to help them moisten up a bit too, but they're much more comfortable than my previous ones which needed to put in the lens case and solution every night.

Just keep trying and you'll get used to 'em. :cool:
 
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