[frankcent]

Lately, I have got into badminton.. but wearing glasses really bugs me when I need to do smashes or clears. sometimes, I cannot see very well when the birdy enters in my "blind spot" (since its the area where glasses dont cover and my vision is really weak, its equal to blind spots to me.) and glasses tend to move around as I move. Also, the movements also cause distance changes. so, sometimes, I get really bad perception. Therefore, I am aiming for contact lenses and have secretly made an appointment for it. However, my dad has some kind of strong attitude toward contact lenses. although he has worn glasses for almost 30 years and never tried contacts, he says they are not better than glasses, may cause some kind of eye syndrome and also tend to move when I play badminton. he just makes the assumption based on the experiences of some people he knows.. he gets pissed for no reason as if I want to go on drug or alcohol,

when I tell him that I need a pair of contacts for playing badminton. I really hate wearing glasses no matter what I do.. even when not playing badminton.
so, please tell me your experiences and what you think about them.. any comments will be apperciated.

my prescription for glasses is -5.25 for both eyes if this helps.

 

[Mr.PD]

I've been wearing glasses since middle school. I'm over 40 now.
I tried contacts about 12 years ago.
I was hoping to be able to wake up and see with out fumbling for the spectacles. That didn't work. The soft torric(sp) lenses I had were supposed to be okay to sleep with, but they were all gunky in the morning and needed cleaned.
I found contacts to be an expensive pain in the butt. I had to use only one brand of cleaner and drops. My eyes were allergic to the other brands. It wasn't fun figuring that out. The contacts needed to be soaked and cleaned daily, I needed eye drops to keep them moist and in their proper place. Sometimes I would blink and one of them would go out of place. Although that got to be less of an occurrence the longer I had them. Then, there is the expense of buying new ones on a regular basis. They don't last forever. Your doctor can fill you in on the details of that aspect, since I'm sure they are different now. Keep in mind that contacts will move on you. Not as easily as glasses though. I think after the break in period you wouldn't have any problems with them. Just be sure to follow your doctors advice on cleaning and changing them, and you shouldn't develop any eye problems, unless you end up with an allergic reaction.
I found the expense and ritual cleaning to be more of a hassle than I thought they were worth to me. About the only thing I like about them was the ability to wear any sunglasses I wanted.
Honestly, it sounds like you need better fitting glasses. But I don't see any problem with you getting contacts either. Just remember that they can be a lot of work. Glasses are much simpler, but then so is the headphone out jack and Bose triports

 

[fr4c]

its not the brand of contacts you need to worry about, but the measurement of your eyes. you need to schedule a "Fitting' Session with your eye doctor so they can measure your eyes. Usually they would suggest a brand of contacts for you and give you samples to take home and try out. You would need to come back a few weeks later and have the contacts rechecked to make sure they are fitting correctly. The process usually takes a few weeks to complete, but after that, you're all good to go.

I'm currently using Focus Dailies, and I order them from 1800CONTACTS. its much cheaper than ordering from my doctor.

 

[frankcent]

it doesnt sound contact lenses are as simple as I thought tho.. but I still want to give them a shot since they are not unbearably expensive. some of my friends are using it and i dont hear very bad news from them. I was told on the phone to go to the local eye center at 11:30 and come back again at 2:30. I dont know what I will probably do.
by the way, I dont think the fitting of my glasses is very bad. but there is a gap between the glasses and your eyebrow you can find when you look up. thats the blind spot I was talking about.

 

[Oddball]

I'm a bit lazy sometimes, but I don't find contacts to be difficult, especially modern ones. I use Acuve 2. I've had contacts for a few years now, and it's a ritual to clean my contacts and put them on. When I take my contacts off, I feel a little more sleepy since I've gotten used to going to sleep after taking them out. When I put them on, I almost feet a bit more alert and have sharper vision.

This is coming from someone who thought that cleaning my glasses regularly was a pain. With contacts, I just do it out of habit and it's no big deal. I've had very positive experiences with contacts. It feels really weird at first, like there's jelly in your eyes, but you'll get used to it.

 

[Earwax]

Contacts are a big pain in the butt, but they are worth it for sports use. I get better correction for reading and fine detail work from glasses so that's what I use most of the time, but I still keep some contacts around for the few times when glasses really get in the way. You're right that with contacts you avoid those nasty blind spots and distance distortions that you get with glasses. (my correction is at -5.50 and -6.00, not so much different from yours).

Just follow all instructions on wearing time and cleaning and you should do fine with contacts, these "new" soft lenses are so much easier than the hard lenses I started with 20 years ago.

 

[Born2bwire]

Contacts are a friggin Godsend. For me, all I do is take them out at night and stick them in the solution. In the morning I take them out of the case and put them in. I wear my contacts as long as they feel comfortable (they're bi-weekly's but I usually comfortably wear them for longer periods of time). I don't wear them to bed although I have fallen asleep with them in without any problems. In the end, it winds down to how tolerant your eyes are to the contacts. However, the improvement in your vision is phenomenal. Contacts stay in place on your eye so that you're looking through the lens in the correct manner. Eye glasses have a sweetspot so to speak and the image becomes distorted around the edge of the frames. In addition, you lack peripheral vision with eye glasses and the lens is prone to being dirty and getting scratched over time. The only real downside is the expense since you have to get checked every year and the cost of a year's supply is on the order of a new pair of lenses and frames. But for me I usually have to get a new prescription annually so the difference in the cost isn't too restrictive (plus I've been able to get some nice discounts and refunds the past few years).

 

[frankcent]

thanks you guys, this really helps. I think I will probably have eye surgery when I am at the right age. perhaps its just my dad being too conservative.. he always is... he is not comfortable with new stuff. he even hates anti reflective coating... anyway, thanks so much for the confidence you guys give me.

 

[Kirosia]

Not to hijack the thread, but I was wondering how much your basic contacts cost approx?
(one-year, one-day, etc) Just some figures would help.

I'm tired of wearing glasses as well, since I feel like that nerdy kid I was in elementary school.

 

[frankcent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Not to hijack the thread, but I was wondering how much your basic contacts cost approx? (one-year, one-day, etc) Just some figures would help. I'm tired of wearing glasses as well, since I feel like that nerdy kid I was in elementary school.

the lady told me the disposibles would cost probably 50 CND (it will likely end up 60~70 CND because of various fees and taxes). I am not very sure how long they can be used before replacing them. I think what my friend told me was 3 months. (6 months perhaps?) anyway, thats not gonna cost me too much. I will be 18 soon and by that time I can have eye surgery.

 

[Kirosia]

Whoa, I'd be scared to use eye surgery, cause of possible long term effects. I think I can afford contacts if I get a part-time job, but that'll take money away from my head-fi additcion. =)

 

[frankcent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Whoa, I'd be scared to use eye surgery, cause of possible long term effects. I think I can afford contacts if I get a part-time job, but that'll take money away from my head-fi additcion. =)

well. the feedback always veries and is subjective... Im not sure what I will do probably. maybe quit badminton and stick with glasses?

 

[meat01]

I wear Acuvue 2 contacts and I wear them for a week (sleep in them also) and then toss them. 4 boxes of contacts cost me ~$58. There are 6 contacts per box, so you can do the math. I love them and have no problems with them. I usually wear my glasses for 1 day after I throw away my contacts to give my eyes a rest. I never even think about them.

If you have a strong astigmatism and can not wear disposable contacts then you have to wear gas permeable contacts which suck ass! I know people that wear them and their eyes are bloodshot by the early evening.

 

[frankcent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meat01 I wear Acuvue 2 contacts and I wear them for a week (sleep in them also) and then toss them. 4 boxes of contacts cost me ~$58. There are 6 contacts per box, so you can do the math. I love them and have no problems with them. I usually wear my glasses for 1 day after I throw away my contacts to give my eyes a rest. I never even think about them. If you have a strong astigmatism and can not wear disposable contacts then you have to wear gas permeable contacts which suck ass! I know people that wear them and their eyes are bloodshot by the early evening.

its pretty cheap. where did you bought those? I wonder if they would ship to Canada. I will buy some from my doctor then buy more supplies online. by the way, how long can you use them before replacing them?

 

[Born2bwire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meat01 I wear Acuvue 2 contacts and I wear them for a week (sleep in them also) and then toss them. 4 boxes of contacts cost me ~$58. There are 6 contacts per box, so you can do the math. I love them and have no problems with them. I usually wear my glasses for 1 day after I throw away my contacts to give my eyes a rest. I never even think about them. If you have a strong astigmatism and can not wear disposable contacts then you have to wear gas permeable contacts which suck ass! I know people that wear them and their eyes are bloodshot by the early evening.

Sounds about right, I would probably pay about $200 for a year's worth of contacts without any discounts.