Specs v Contact lenses

[Camille]

I'm far sighted (I think I got that the right way round...I can see things clearly that are reasonably far away, but not anything too close) and have been wearing specs for a while for things like reading menus, reading the ingredients on packets of food, reading the back of a DVD etc. I don't however wear them for general reading. I'm going for an eye test next week and suspect my sight has become worse (probably because I haven't worn them enough) and will need new specs/lenses. For those that wear contact lenses, what are the pros v cons for you of those v specs...just incase I end up going that route.

TY

C xxxx

[WTF]

lasik eye surgery

[Camille]

WTF, I'm trying to get past the squeemish factor of contacts lol..never mind lasik
Btw, can you have lasik on far sighted eyes? To be honest, I don't know much about what makes someone a prime candidate...

C x

[acp5762]

Well I wear regular glasses. As far as this hobby goes well they can be a little inconvenient cause I've left my glasses in the girls room on a few ocassions, lol. I would leave walk through the parking lot get into my car and realize oh shit my glasses. Go back up to her room knock on her door. She'll come to the door holding my glasses with that sweet little grin and say " did you foreget these sweetie" Whats good about it though is I'll get another hug and a kiss, lol. Glasses or contacts. Hmm I might just stick with glasses.

[WTF]

Originally Posted by Camille

WTF, I'm trying to get past the squeemish factor of contacts lol..never mind lasik
Btw, can you have lasik on far sighted eyes? To be honest, I don't know much about what makes someone a prime candidate...

C x

You are near sighted, which means you have trouble seeing far off. .....and yes you can have that surgey. It sounds as if you vision is not all that bad. I was at a +8 on one eye and they did not do corrective lasik surgey except to around a -6 to a + 3. That was ten years ago and they have expanded that range.

Do the research and I think it would be way less trouble than wearing contacts.


I had cataract surgery because I was so near sighted I was also far sighted! Corrected me to 20/25 and 20/30. I wore contacts for 25 years, hated them. I plan on getting the lasik at some point for reading.

[Ed Highlight]

Originally Posted by WTF

lasik eye surgery

This could be the funniest thing you ever posted!! I don't know why, it just hit me that way.....

Anyway, I have the opposite issue from the OP and can see well up close needing glasses/contacts for distance. However, now that I'm old, I have to take my glasses off to read or can't read up close with my contacts on. It sucks both ways. If I have my contacts in, I need "cheaters" to read. If I have my glasses on, I have to take them off to read....so either way, I'm gonna end up taking them off or putting them on several times throughout the day.....uggghhhh!!

I considered Lasik Eye Surgery (at lease one word) but they can't tell me if will correct both near and far issues and that puts me right back to where I am!!

[Camille]

Ed, thanks for that...something to consider I suppose.
It would take a while for me to be persuaded though I think.

WTF, no, you got it the wrong way round. I'm far sighted...so not sure how that applies to Lasik.

C x

[whitechocolate]

I would also recommend Lasik surgery. You need to go in for a free eval to a very experienced ophthamologist who does it full time to see if you are a candidate. I have one eye corrected for near and one for far as I wore glasses and contact for years. I have never had any problems with the dual eye approach. It is just so much easier than messing with contact or glasses and it takes minutes and is totally painless.

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by WTF

lasik eye surgery

That's three words -- get your eyes checked.

[WTF]

Originally Posted by Camille

Ed, thanks for that...something to consider I suppose.
It would take a while for me to be persuaded though I think.

WTF, no, you got it the wrong way round. I'm far sighted...so not sure how that applies to Lasik.

C x

You are correct, I always get that fuc'd up. Here is an intresting link. Good luck.


http://eyerepublic.com/ilasik-manila...minusplus.html

[EJunkie]

Originally Posted by Ed Highlight

This could be the funniest thing you ever posted!! I don't know why, it just hit me that way.....

Anyway, I have the opposite issue from the OP and can see well up close needing glasses/contacts for distance. However, now that I'm old, I have to take my glasses off to read or can't read up close with my contacts on. It sucks both ways. If I have my contacts in, I need "cheaters" to read. If I have my glasses on, I have to take them off to read....so either way, I'm gonna end up taking them off or putting them on several times throughout the day.....uggghhhh!!

I considered Lasik Eye Surgery (at lease one word) but they can't tell me if will correct both near and far issues and that puts me right back to where I am!!

I have the same problem.

My contacts are different prescriptions; one for close (reading) and one for distance. If you can get used to the two different focal points it works well.

[OneHotMale]

Originally Posted by pjorourke

That's three words -- get your eyes checked.

LMAO!!!! Camille I would suggest when getting your check up to just ask your ophthamologist what your options are. I have now been wearing glasses for less than a year as I am near sighted and it totally bites. I did try contacts and they just did not work for me. I also will soon be going back for a check up and plan on exploring my options and know that I am in the early stage of a cataract so I will eventually have to have this corrected. I know in my case it is heck getting older especially when everyone in my family wore glasses and I had perfect eyesight. Best of luck with whatever option you take.

[Lovely Victoria]

Originally Posted by Camille

I'm far sighted (I think I got that the right way round...I can see things clearly that are reasonably far away, but not anything too close) and have been wearing specs for a while for things like reading menus, reading the ingredients on packets of food, reading the back of a DVD etc. I don't however wear them for general reading. I'm going for an eye test next week and suspect my sight has become worse (probably because I haven't worn them enough) and will need new specs/lenses. For those that wear contact lenses, what are the pros v cons for you of those v specs...just incase I end up going that route.

TY

C xxxx

Hi Camille,

I'm blind as a bat without my glasses / contacts. I tend to alternate between the two depending what I'm doing. For work, where lots of reading and staring at a computer screen is involved, I tend to wear glasses. Glasses are easier on the eyes I think. Plus, I convinced myself that I look much smarter with my glasses. For play, I wear my contacts. It's much less bothersome to wear contacts when doing physical activities; one less thing to worry about. I also wear my contacts when it's really cold or really hot - glasses tend to get foggy when you go from cold to hot. On downside, wearing contacts all day tend to dry my eyes which can be quite uncomfortable.

Awesome new pictures btw! You look lovely as always.

xo

[69er]

Camille,

Lasik is available to both near and farsighted patients now. The first procedures were to correct nearsighted patients only. But the availability of Lasik for farsighted has been around for at least 10 years. (I only know that, as It's when a friend had it done.)

As to the "Squeemish Factor"...

I had Lasik about 4 years ago due to such worries, and after having the procedure, was immediately kicking myself as to why I waited so long!

But, my guess is that you are worried about the surgery itself. The doctor prescribed a mild sedative for me. I was to fill the prescription, and bring it with me to the procedure. When I arrived they prepped me by doing some final eye exams, and then had me take the sedative. After giving the sedative about 30 minutes, they walked me to the operating room.

I laid on a table, that would move me between two seperate instruments. The first forms the flap, which is done with a laser. It was certainly much easier than having the glaucoma test done where they use the dye in your eye, and get a lens within mm's of your eyeball. I felt no discomfort, just some brief flashing of lights. I couldn't really tell at the time, but apparently the machine uses a donut shaped seal, and actually creates a bit of suction to minimize motion of your eye, and hold your eyelid out of the way. The small amount of movement your eye does make is tracked by a computer system, so the laser targets the correct location, even if your eye moves.

They then moved me to the second instrument which does the shaping of the lens. Here the weirdest part is when the doctor told me they would move the flap they had just created, and I would only see light, and no shapes. Another several seconds of flashes of light, and then quickly put the flap back over the shaped lens, and it was time to repeat on the other eye.

Upon sitting up the doctor had me read the clock across the room. I was already seeing at nearly 20/20. The time from when I walked into the operating room, to walking out couldn't have been much more than about 20 minutes.

I was nearsighted, so the recovery tends to be a bit quicker. I wore goggles the day of surgery, but I went home and slept due to the sedative. I went in the next day to be examined, and walked out of the office the next day after they found my vision to have been corrected to slightly better than 20/20 in one eye, and 20/15 in the other.

I wore contacts for several years, and gave up due to the hassle and inconvenience. The contacts were definitely more of a pain than the Lasik.

[charlestudor2005]

I have no stories about Lasik. I had a friend who had it done when it first hit the market, and had nothing but problems after the surgery. I have avoided it since, even though it has been a long time. I've always thought the Drs. who did Lasik to be charlatans akin to ambulance chasers because of their ads. But based on 69ers story and the amount of time gone by, I admit I may not be current with my thoughts. But surgery always has risks.

Except for a short period of time, I've worn glasses for the last 30 years or so. Granted, with age the prescription changed over time to where they are now: trifocals in progressive lenses.

For a short period of time, I tried soft contacts. I was not happy and quit. At the time, I was living in the midwest. The days were either to hot (drying out the contacts); too cold (drying out the contacts); too windy (drying out the contacts AND blowing dust and dirt in my eye). It was all a PIA, so I went back to glasses.

If you do decide on glasses, you may need bifocals or (like me) trifocals. If that is the case, you'll have to decide on "lined" lenses or progressives. Once you make the choice, it is (I'm told) hard to switch. I wear the "no lined" (progressives).

Good luck whatever you decide.