Contacts -> Glasses after 15 years...

[shocksyde]

Good LORD, this is gonna take some getting used to.

I don't remember glasses distorting things so much. I feel like I'm walking on a tiny planet and I'm about to fall off the edge into the abyss.

Also, the chromatic aberrations are out of control. I see heavy blue/green and magenta color bands on the edges of objects in the extreme edges of my glasses.

Is this normal for someone who's damn close to blind (prescription is in the -7 range for both eyes) or should I take them back to the eye doctor and ask him what's up?

 

[ScoobMaster]

Why are you going to glasses from contacts? Is there a medical reason forcing you to do this?

I do sympathize - I have -8 prescriptions for both my eyes (yeah - see nothing but blobs of color beyond 2-3 feet). My glasses do exactly as you describe (chromatic aberrations, distortion near the peripheral, "shrink the world"). Those are all reasons I hardly EVER wear my glasses (only when at home at night before bed). Contacts give me MUCH better vision.

I just switched to silicone hydrogel lenses (Coopervision Biofinity) and they are FANTASTIC. My older brand used to dry out after many hours of wear. These silicone hydrogels stay moist ALL day (I wear them 14-19 hours every day!). They also "breathe" better and let much more oxygen get to my eyes.

Are contacts no longer an option for you? If so, I am afraid that glasses for people with eyes as bad as ours exhibit the effects you list (at least they always have in MY experience) The only way to minimize the effects are to get the largest diameter lenses you can (but then again, who wants to go out looking like a cross between Elton John and Poindexter from "Revenge of the Nerds" all the time?)

 

[shocksyde]

It's not a medical requirement that I switch to glasses, I was just getting tired of wearing contacts.

But, it looks like I'll have to just wear my glasses at home at night to give my eyes a rest and wear contacts the rest of the time.

I'm just bummed, is all. I was excited to try something different and it's not gonna work out .

 

[ScoobMaster]

Sorry to hear that you find them as lacking as I do

At least you CAN choose between the two. If you have not tried any yet, give a pair of silicone hydrogel lenses a try (ask your optometrist for a sample/trial pair). Many companies make them now (Coopervision, Bausch&Lomb, Acuvue, etc...) They are the most comfortable lenses I have ever worn.

 

[shocksyde]

I'll give them a whirl.

It wasn't so much that I found contacts uncomfortable, it's just I was looking forward to not having to deal with them anymore. They're a hassle, in my mind.

Ehhhh, whatever. Try and fail, that's my motto.

 

[erikistired]

i got tired of contacts after a long time as well, and now am back to glasses. for me they dry my eyes out, and are just generally uncomfortable.

however, i had none of the problems you are describing when switching back. especially color band issues? my prescription is -6.5 in both eyes, so i'm close to yours.

 

[shocksyde]

i got tired of contacts after a long time as well, and now am back to glasses. for me they dry my eyes out, and are just generally uncomfortable.

however, i had none of the problems you are describing when switching back. especially color band issues? my prescription is -6.5 in both eyes, so i'm close to yours.

What shape lenses do you have and do you remember which lens type?

 

[erikistired]

What shape lenses do you have and do you remember which lens type?

my glasses? they are small ovals. i'm not sure on the lens type, i've had them for about a year now. they are whatever the thinnest i could get at the time were.

 

[shocksyde]

my glasses? they are small ovals. i'm not sure on the lens type, i've had them for about a year now.

Ah, small ovals. That's why.

Unfortunately small, oval-shaped frames would not look good on me.

I have an oval-shaped face, and the only frames that I liked were rectangular ones. This mean the lens gets pretty thick towards the outside edge of the frame, and that's where the distortions are introduced.