Contact Lenses?

[jrbronte]

My daughter (13) just got contacts for her birthday in August. I don’t wear them myself so I’d like to pose a few questions here. (She is currently wearing 2-week O2 Optix by Ciba).

We’ve noticed that around day 10 the lenses become uncomfortable for her. Could it be the brand? Perhaps we should switch to a 1- week lens?

How many hours do you wear your contacts? I know they say it should only be 8 hours per day, but being realistic, when you are starting school at 8:00 am and going to bed around 10:pm-ish a kid is not going to be taking the contacts out at 4:00 pm – there are after-school activities etc. (Does anyone limit their wear to 8 hours? I’ve heard stories of people wearing them all day and all night for days at a time).

Any comments? Experiences? Suggestions? Thanks.

Judy

[schoonma]

Hi Judy :D

I wear contacts and have since I've been about 16 years old (37 now). I have the kind that you wear for a month and then throw them away. I wear my contacts from approx. 6:00 a.m. until approx. 11:00 p.m. so that is quite a long time. What I notice toward the end of the day is my eyes can start to dry out and that can be uncomfortable. What helps me is to either take my lenses out and wash them off or get her some of the artificial tears so the eyes are moisturized.

Hope that helps!

Mary Ann

May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the Angels protect you and Heaven accept you. (Irish proverb)

[ratemaker]

Hi Judy.

I, too, wear the 2 week lenses. I wear Accuvue 2 brand. When I first started wearing them they were uncomfortable after just a few hours--almost like they were forming a haze around the edge and felt out of place. The key for me was getting a good contact solution. I use a No-Rub brand and just soak them overnight.

I definitely keep mine in longer than 8 hours and now they are comfortable all day with no problems.

Good luck to her--I remember at first I was terrified of trying to get those things out--now? Piece of cake.

[gillmings]

If she needs to keep them in longer than recommended, you might need to get a different type. I wear gas-permeable lenses, and a few years ago my brother-in-law switched me to a newer brand that was rated for overnight wear. Now, he told me not to wear them overnight, but that they had the rating because they let more oxygen through them, so if I fell asleep in the afternoon nursing the baby, it would be okay and I wouldn't wake up in pain. It's my understanding that the recommended length of wear is based on the amount of oxygen that gets through them to your eye. Even if they aren't uncomfortable, they can damage your eyes if you wear them longer than they should be, due to lack of oxygen. Your daughter may need to switch to glasses between school and her other activities with that type of lenses.

-Moyne

"She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain." -Louisa May Alcott

[Lori French]

Check with your opthamologist. My daughter has been through several different kinds/types over the years. Seems like when she gets accustomed to one for a year or 2 she starts having issues. She had one style that regularly popped out of her eye, that was the expensive one you wear for 30 days, day and night. She had actually used them for over a year before issues developed. Cool idea, just didn't work. She's now wearing the daily throw aways but still can't wear them 7 days a week. More like 3 days on 1 day off.

Some bodies produce/excrete more protiens that cause a build up on the contacts, so you may be right on with needing a 1 week lens.

[u]Lori</u>

[Tina71]

I have been wearing contacts for YEARS too. :) I have the ones that you also wear for 2 weeks. I also use the no rub contact cleanser. The only time I have ever had troubles with my contacts is if I have been wearing them alot more than normal. Or if I need to change them. Could she try taking them out in the early evening if she is at home? I do that to give my eyes a break sometimes. If not, I would contact the eye Dr.

Tina

Life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

[SueMBu]

I have been wearing Biomedics 2 week kind for years. The key is to take them out at least a few hours before going to bed. That way the eyes have time to get oxygen in them. That is what my dr said and since I have been following this instruction, I have not had any problems. My dr. is adamant about this and if my eyes show the least bit of problems, he will not renew my prescription for contacts. I had a problem a few years back when I was taking them out right before going to bed so they did not have time to get any oxygen to them.

On days when I have to go back out after work etc and I know I will have them in for a long time, I will take them out for a bit. This works great for me.

Good luck, Susan

[zopear]

My daughter was wearing one contact when she was about 6yo... she also started to feel irritation before the two weeks was up and our ophthalmologist said that was normal that for some people they don't last the full two weeks -especially if you are wearing them for longer times. After almost a year of wearing a contact though, my daughter's eyelid was damaged, something I had never heard of, but once we went to a specialist that deals with that kind of damage he said it happens "all the time" that he sees young people with lid damage from contacts.

[jmnash]

I can't wear mine for the full two weeks, either. I take them out every evening after dinner unless I'm going to the theater or a party, and I use a good no-rub solution. But if your daughter needs to change them every seven to ten days then tell her not to try to stretch the time. When the time is up, you know it! I know they're a little more expensive when you change them that often but them's the breaks. I agree that it's a good idea to take them out and rewash them when there's an evening event. You can get more than eight hours out of them that way. OLJ

[wynmil]

Hi Judy,
Check out the Paragon CRT program. You wear hard contacts at night while you sleep. You put them in right before you go to sleep and take them out when you wake up in the morning. The contacts put the eye into proper shape while you sleep. My daughter started wearing these at age 13 and is now 16. She is a very active in sports and loves to read. She never has the problems that daytime contact wearers have. She has 20/20 vision and many times only wears her contacts every other night. She has two sets of contacts, one that she wears and the other is a spare. She switches them about every six months. She sees her eye doctor once a year and they do a special cleaning treatment to the contacts. You still use daily cleaning solution for everyday use. She actually started wearing soft lenses when she was 11. Her vision changed very rapidly due to growth spurts and we had to change contact prescriptions about every 3 months (very frustrating for her). A friend told us about Paragon CRT and we found an eye doctor in our area. My daughter also has several friends that are having geat success with these contacts. It cost a little more up front but it pays for itself quickly because you don't have to buy contacts anymore. We have had the same two pairs from the start. Go to paragoncrt.com for more info and for a list of doctors in your area. Our pediatrician also recommends this to her patients with vision problems.
Best wishes,
Alisa

[amo8781]

I have been wearing contact lenses for 28 years, with a one year hiatus because I was wearing them too much and the doctor refused to let me wear them without also purchasing glasses. At the time I could only afford either/or so did the glasses. The next year, I purchased contacts again and kept the glasses to give my eyes a rest every day. On weekends, I might not put in my contacts until noon if I am not going out. At night, when I know I am not going out again, I will take out the contacts and wear the glasses. I have been told that I have extremely healthy eyes for a contact lens wearer. At one time, I had worn extended wear lenses but never could stand to sleep with them so treated them as daily and took them out every night.

If your daughter will listen to her eyes, they will let her know what she needs to do and she should be able to wear contact lenses for many years. I got mine for my 16th birthday and the first 2 weeks I thought I would die with all the wearing for a few hours and taking them out but now I am so glad that I kept it up. I am now 44 years old and wouldnt take for my contact lenses.

Annette

Tapp On, Inches Off.
Keep smiling, make somebody wonder what you know that they wish they knew.

[dsmith]

I only wear one contact for reading, just at work. I'm a substitute rural mail carrier & use my reading glasses at home. I used to wear the Acuvue 2, but switched to 1-day Acuvue about a year ago. I like them so much better. No solutions or cleaning, just wear one day & throw away.

Dawn

[dsmith]

Also, my eyes don't get irritated like when I was wearing the two week ones.

Dawn

[Lori French]

Hey, Dawn, I just got my one contact for reading, TODAY!! I'm so excited to not have to wear reading glasses all the time! He did put me in the 2 week ones, I should ask about the 1 day when I go back. Wonder why he didn't offer them.... I actually didn't realize they came in a 1 day.....

[u]Lori</u>

[dsmith]

Lori,
I think you would like them a lot better. I wore the Acuvue 2 for a year or so before I realized I could get the 1-day. They cost the same...I guess for someone who has to wear them daily, it would be more expensive. It does work out great for me, only wearing them at work a couple days per week. I still prefer my reading glasses at home though.

Dawn

[skinnimimmy]

Wow, I never heard of anything like that ParagonCrt program you mentioned.

I started wearing contacts about three years ago, when I just got so tired of reading glasses, couldn't see the computer screen, music on the piano, read the dashboard while driving, or see prices or ingredients while shopping. I felt so blind.

My dad is a pioneer of the "monovision" technique of wearing one lens for distance and one for reading, having come up with that idea himself in the early 70's. His doctor was reluctant to try it, but my dad insisted. After he had success with it, the doctor began recommending the monovision technique to his patients with bifocals, or who still had to wear reading glasses with their contacts. Anyway, to make a long story short. I got the monovision thing going with a reading lens in my left eye, and a very slight correction for distance in my right eye. Because I also have a mild astygmatism, I started with the Bausch and Lomb Toric lenses - 2 week disposables. Well, I never could get the hang of getting the lenses out. I can put them in OK, but I can't get them out. So eventually I just left them in 24/7. I rationalized that I was probably less likely to introduce bacteria into my eye since I'm not messing with them. I love them and I never have any trouble. I don't have any dry eye problems, and probably couldn't put my hands on a bottle of lens solution if I had to right now. This past summer Bausch and Lomb introduced a new extended wear toric that you can wear for 30 days then toss. So now I'm "legal" to wear them round the clock.

I would encourage you to have your doctor try different brands until you find one that is comfortable for your daughter. I feel very lucky that I've adapted so well to lenses. So many people say they could never put anything in their eyes. But there are many different brands with different shapes and materials. I can tell you that when I put these new lenses in for the first time, I couldn't even feel them when they first touched my eye! If you want, I'll look for the name.

Stacy

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