Help me choose what contact lenses to pick. Cheap is good

[nobb]

There doesnt seem to be any popular contact lens forums so I thought I might as well try asking here.

I have been wearing some black thick framed glasses for a few years, but today I got my first contacts. I dont like how glasses irritate my nose and back of the ear after a long day. The eye doctor gave me a set of Acuvue Oasys to try for 2 weeks and they feel great. It is so much more comfortable than my glasses. Realistically, I probably will be buying online, but I want to try and see what brand will work best for me and is cheap. The Acuvue 2 is cheaper than the Oasys, but what difference will I notice? I am perfectly healthy and I dont seem to have a dry eye problem or anything. I also noticed these Focus Night and Day lenses which claim you can leave them in for 30 days and is even FDA approved. I dont know if I want 2 week disposables, or one month disposables. Maybe someone has some experience? What is a good brand (that wont break my wallet) to consider?

I should also mention that since I am taking chemical engineering at school, I will probably be doing alot of laboratory related work with various chemicals. Is that safe? I always wear safety glasses...but do various chemical fumes drift underneath contact lenses or something?

 

[George P Burdell]

For Chemistry lab and related work, people generally advise NOT to wear contacts. Depending on what kind of work you do in lab, lenses might be fine. But would you bet your eyesight on it?

I've tried the night&day lenses and while they are convenient, I like the idea of removing my lenses at the end of the day and letting my eyes breathe (ok, maybe that is more psychological than medical). Go for the regular 2-week lenses. The first time I got lenses, my doctor told me it was ok to wear 2-week lenses for up to 4 weeks. I usually wear them for 2.5-4 weeks depending on how fresh the lenses feel.

 

[Brainonska511]

Even with safety glasses, it is still not recommended to wear contacts in chemical labs, just because if something does make it into your eye, the contact lens will absorb the chemical and concentrate it over your corneas.

I personally use Accuvue Advanced for Astigmatism and have no problems wearing them for 16+ hours a day. They get tossed after 2 weeks of wear.

 

[shopbruin]

acuvue 2 are cheaper because they're "older" technology than the oasys. the oasys are more "gas permeable" meaning more oxygen passes through the lens into your eye compared to the acuvue 2. if you were to test them out, take a nap in each pair. when you wake up, the acuvue 2 will hurt like hell and the oasys won't hurt as much once you blink a few times.

btw, even though they are more gas permeable, and i bet someone will say you can leave them in for days and just put in drops, don't do it. still take them out and clean them.

i have 2 week disposables, but i use o2 optix. they're the same idea as the oasys lenses though - i can't wear acuvues because they are too small for me. before the o2 optix, i used to wear biomedics 55.

if your doctor gave you acuvues, then i'd wear those. they do check to see that they work out with your eyes, so messing around and trying other brands is probably not a good idea.

 

[nobb]

I just took a nap with my Oasys and they still seem fine. I got a coupon for a free trial for both the Focus Night and Day and the Acuvue 2, so might as well try them. The Night and Day seem to be the most oxygen permeable. If I were to take those out every night, would I be able to squeeze maybe 40 days from them (when they are designed for 30 days)?

 

[warmodder]

I have PureVision's from Bauche and Lombe. They're 30 day silicon hydrogels, but I'm only approved for around 3-4 days at a time. My doctor wasn't really fond of the extended wear, but they were significantly more comfortable and clearer than everything else I had tried (and I tried it all believe me!). That said I don't find contacts all that convenient as I much prefer just throwing on my glasses, but nothing beats the feeling when you wake up in the morning and you're able to see all around your bedroom. It's amazing the first time it happens.

 

[chickadee]

You guys nap with your contacts in? Im new to contacts, only had em' maybe 3 months and i only wear em one or twice a week - but my doctor told me under no circumstances should i ever nap with them in i've feared them falling into the back of my eyes and being lost in the brain for foreverrrrr or something. but really, i dont know why - just curious if it works out okay for everyone. cause man do i love to nap, it would be nice to know its okay to do with contacts.

 

[warmodder]

Originally posted by: chickadee
You guys nap with your contacts in? Im new to contacts, only had em' maybe 3 months and i only wear em one or twice a week - but my doctor told me under no circumstances should i ever nap with them in i've feared them falling into the back of my eyes and being lost in the brain for foreverrrrr or something. but really, i dont know why - just curious if it works out okay for everyone. cause man do i love to nap, it would be nice to know its okay to do with contacts.

Depends on the lens. Some are approved for over night wear most are not. The only reason you can't wear them is because they don't allow oxygen through and your eye will develop all sorts of infections. Depending on brand (and doctor approval) there are contacts FDA approved for up to 1 month of continuous wear.

 

[nobb]

Yea if your lens is not approved for overnight wear, then you probably shouldnt sleep with them on. But a light nap during the day shouldnt hurt. Its a myth that the lens can get stuck in the back of your eyes. I think the hardest part of wearing contacts right now is putting them on/off. I cant seem to control my blinking reflexes! On average, it is taking me about 10 minutes to take them off and maybe 15 to put them on.

After a bit more researching, I came across the Focus Monthly Visitint. Anyone have any opinions on these lenses? It cost $18 for a box of 6 and each lens only needs to be replaced one a month. Seems like a huge cost savings to me.

 

[pointdablame]

oops wrong post

 

[alkemyst]

You will need to talk about your environment with your eye care provider, but some fumes will affect contacts and if you are in a predominantly dusty environment they aren't the best choice either.

I have found monthly disposibles are a great compromise for comfort vs cost. The higher the lens change frequency given = usually the lens is more water based and thus comfortable. At the same time wears out faster. I usually use my monthly sets for 2 months. If I ever work outside where I get them really dirty, i replace them that day.

My wife wears daily lenses and they aren't much more than my monthly, but she doesn't have astigmatism.

Also if you have special eye problems a conventional contact rather than a higher-frequency change lens may be your only option. You can also sometimes make some sacrifices in perfect vision by going to a normal lens. For a long time I didn't adjust my astigmatism with a contact lens as the original torics where uncomfortable for me. I only need the minimum adjustment though so it didn't really impact my vision too much except reading small print on signs/screens far away...street signs and the like I could see fine.