Does anyone here wear RGP contacts?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I've tried and tried soft contacts over the years and they just don't work for me. My eyes get dried out too fast - I've taught myself how to yawn literally every 5 minutes to moisten my eye. When they get dry my vision goes bad and I feel the contact in my eye.

At night my vision also goes to crap with soft contacts, to the point where it's dangerous to drive. RGPs don't have this problem.

I have a very uncommon astigmatism that has NEVER been able to be corrected with any kind of contacts or glasses.

RGPs should keep my eyes more moist and allow better oxygen transmission because they are tiny and just cover the iris opening. They should also be able to correct my astigmatism more because they are custom fitted for my eyes.

Any experiences?

 

[Viper GTS]

My RGP experience was miserable, they hurt like hell and beat up my corneas (to the point of causing corneal ulcers). I also had a tendency to break them while cleaning so I was constantly buying new ones.

I ended up using custom made soft lenses from Innovations in Sight for quite a while. Expensive ($300 per pair), but the vision was nearly as good as RGP with none of the comfort problems. If those hadn't been an option I'd have pushed for a scleral lens.

Thankfully post cornea transplants I can wear traditional toric lenses which are both comfortable and dirt cheap (in comparison).

Viper GTS

 

[tranceport]

I wear these!

 

[112]

i've had RGP contacts for almost 15 years now. the first couple weeks, i really wanted to rip out my eyes. its pretty uncomfortable in the beginning like Viper stated, but after a week or two, you get used to it. i've never experienced my eyes drying out or my vision going bad at night.

the only bad thing i would say about RGPs are that its really hard to play sports in, because they can pop out easily, and when its windy, you can feel every little dust particle that flys in your eye.

i would recommend you test them out. try them for a couple weeks and see if you like them. i tried soft contacts a year ago, and i hated them. but i'm sure the majority of the people will disagree with me. my local optometry has free trial pairs of all sorts of contacts, so maybe yours will too.

 

[RichieZ]

RGP works for me! but in all seriousness there are a lot of benefits to hard contacts. never tried soft so i can't compare them for you.

 

[GeneValgene]

i use RGP for over10 year now...they are alright. but i have nothing to compare them to, since i never worn soft before. only downside is when dust gets in your eye, but thats' about it!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

What happens when dust gets in your eye or when it's windy out? How does having a RGP contact in your eye make this different from not having anything in your eye when it's windy or dusty?

 

[Dunbar]

Have you tried daily disposable contacts? I wear Focus Dailies and they aren't too expensive (90 pack for $45.) They are a lot more comfortable than to 1-2 week lenses.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
Have you tried daily disposable contacts? I wear Focus Dailies and they aren't too expensive (90 pack for $45.) They are a lot more comfortable than to 1-2 week lenses.

Nope, never tried them. We'll see what the doctor recommends.

Right now I'm on Bausch and Lomb PureVision, but vision goes to hell at night or indoors, such as in a classroom. I think this is due in part to my eyes drying out easier in dim light. Right now I'm waiting on a pair of Cooper Vision Proclears, which are supposed to be VERY moisture retaining as well as very, very soft, soft to the point of tearing easily. But we'll see.

The thing with my contacts is that my left eye has pretty messed up, abnormal astigmatism. B&L don't make contacts in my astigmatism range, but Cooper Vision does. Not sure about daily wear contacts. But my main concern is night vision, vision in dim areas, and dry contacts. I'm starting to think that all soft contacts are going to give me these problems, hence the reason I want to move to RGP.

And I don't really play any sports, unless you call backpacking a sport...

 

[BigDH01]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I've tried and tried soft contacts over the years and they just don't work for me. My eyes get dried out too fast - I've taught myself how to yawn literally every 5 minutes to moisten my eye. When they get dry my vision goes bad and I feel the contact in my eye.

At night my vision also goes to crap with soft contacts, to the point where it's dangerous to drive. RGPs don't have this problem.

I have a very uncommon astigmatism that has NEVER been able to be corrected with any kind of contacts or glasses.

RGPs should keep my eyes more moist and allow better oxygen transmission because they are tiny and just cover the iris opening. They should also be able to correct my astigmatism more because they are custom fitted for my eyes.

Any experiences?

Ever think about just having your vision corrected? Most places have finance plans so you don't have to pay it all at once. It's a little more expensive now but much cheaper in the long run. I had mine corrected with PRK a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier. My eyes still get dry occasionally but not anything close to what it used to be like. I see 20/15 in both eyes. They also corrected my slight astigmatism.

My operation ran about 2100 per eye but I hear Lasik is cheaper. It should have an easier recovery.

 

[Gothgar]

I wore RGPs for a while, I got used to them and everything was fine for a while, then I got some kind of infection, even though I cleaned them regularly and after that I couldn't keep them in my eyes for more than 15 minutes at a time without severe pain and dryness, so I went back to regular glasses.

 

[imported_Imp]

The main deterent for RGP lenses for me, aside from cost, is that they change the shape of your cornea. It's suppose to take about 3 weeks for them to get back to normal, and you glasses won't work as well due to this either. This is essentially why I chose soft lenses over RGP last fall.

I know what you mean about softs though. Currently, I only wear them when I go outside and need peripheral vision. Otherwise, the dryness and blurriness after blinking just aren't worth it.

 

[w3stfa11]

I wore RGP lenses for over a year and I hated every minute of it. I wore soft lenses for soccer games and they felt invisible. I told my doctor I don't want my eyes to be uncomfortable and he said soft lenses would be ok. Been wearing soft contacts ever since.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Imp
The main deterent for RGP lenses for me, aside from cost, is that they change the shape of your cornea. It's suppose to take about 3 weeks for them to get back to normal, and you glasses won't work as well due to this either. This is essentially why I chose soft lenses over RGP last fall.

I know what you mean about softs though. Currently, I only wear them when I go outside and need peripheral vision. Otherwise, the dryness and blurriness after blinking just aren't worth it.

Wait, RGP doesn't give good peripheral vision?

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Imp
The main deterent for RGP lenses for me, aside from cost, is that they change the shape of your cornea. It's suppose to take about 3 weeks for them to get back to normal, and you glasses won't work as well due to this either. This is essentially why I chose soft lenses over RGP last fall.

I know what you mean about softs though. Currently, I only wear them when I go outside and need peripheral vision. Otherwise, the dryness and blurriness after blinking just aren't worth it.

Wait, RGP doesn't give good peripheral vision?

No idea... I was talking about wearing soft lenses for peripheral and glasses at home for comfort.

 

[cliftonite]

I didnt care for contacts untill i tried Acuvue Oasyis. It was really the first time that I couldnt tell that there was something in my eye. Why not give them a try?

 

[RossGr]

I have been wearing Rose K RGP contacts for the last 10 yrs. They are for correcting keratoconus, or conical corena. I have already had a cornea transplant in my left eyek, the RGP lenes are necessary to give me a spherical first surface.

When you get dust or a hair, or most anything under a rigid contact it is sort of like a pebble in your shoe, only on your eye. Frequently I must get to a sink, put a paper towel over the drain, and pop out my contact to rinse it under a stream of water. Usually feels a lot better.

Before my transplant, my contacts would to slip off the cornea and adhear themselfs somewhere on the white, it was like a sharp edged suctioncup stuck to my eye. Yes, a major pain event. The operation pretty much took care of that issue, it has only happened 1 or two times in the last 10yrs. Before that it was nearly a daily event.

I wear them anywhere from 15 to 20hrs a day with no major issues. As long as they are clean and there is no grime in the air they are just fine.