Lentil recipes: Megathread

Lawrence Harris8 said:So, I’m finally trying to get used to these contact lenses—it’s only day four, but honestly? It’s been a struggle. And not even a balanced struggle, either. It’s just my left eye that’s acting up. It looks totally bloodshot right now and it actually hurts. My eye doctor told me to just ease into it, you know? Like, wear them for one hour on the first day, then add an hour every single day after that. But man, please, someone help me out!! How long did it take you guys to stop feeling like your eyes were being poked with needles? Is this whole bloody mess normal?? I am so over wearing glasses, I swear if I have to put them on one more time I might lose it.

Don't worry, it took me a full year and a half to finally get comfortable with soft contacts. Honestly, I spent so much time wearing them while crying because they were chafing my eyes so badly... but now, I simply can't go without them. I finally adjusted, and they don't bother me or cause any irritation anymore.

swiftcrane13 said:Look, you aren't going to go blind if you accidentally fall asleep in your soft contacts once or twice, but personally, my eyes start feeling gritty and dry after only thirty minutes of sleep. You really need to watch out for your corneas, ladies—mine actually got damaged, which is the whole reason I even have to wear lenses now, and that’s a heavy situation to deal with. It’s honestly not that much trouble to toss some solution and a case in your bag so you're prepared wherever you go. If it happens by accident, don't sweat it, but please, don't make it a habit. Protect those corneas!

A contact lens can shift while you're sleeping, which might lead to corneal damage. Doctors generally advise against sleeping in them for that very reason, but the fix for these issues is quite simple: just pack a large bag with all your necessary lens supplies... I never leave the house without my gear...

Joseph Lee18 said:Don't worry, it took me a full year and a half to finally get comfortable with soft contacts. Honestly, I spent so much time wearing them while crying because they were chafing my eyes so badly... but now, I simply can't go without them. I finally adjusted, and they don't bother me or cause any irritation anymore.

It’s wild that it takes a year and a half to adjust...😲

Even two weeks felt like too much for me... this just doesn't make sense...

Chris Morgan67 said:It’s wild that it takes a year and a half to adjust...😲

Even two weeks felt like too much for me... this just doesn't make sense...

I tried wearing them, but I just couldn't get comfortable with it; there would be stretches where I wouldn't touch them at all. Every single time I actually put them in, I refused to leave the house because I looked absolutely disheveled... and I couldn't even look people in the eye because I was blinking so much and my eyelids felt so heavy. It was as if everyone could tell I had contacts in... and frankly, dealing with the sun and contact lenses without sunglasses is a recipe for disaster...

swiftcrane13 said:Yeah, you definitely want to keep them in their case at first; otherwise, you might end up damaging them or just losing them entirely. Honestly, I don't think I ever stretched those multi-hour sessions out longer than necessary—I can't quite recall the exact timing anymore. They used to bug me so much that I’d be counting down the minutes until I could finally pop them out, especially since my eyes get incredibly dry and I have to use drops. You'll see what I mean. Just stick to the rules from the jump.
I go about washing my face with them in on perfectly fine, but only once you've actually gotten used to the sensation. In the beginning, they’d occasionally pop out while I was applying makeup or if I accidentally rubbed my eyes a little too hard, but that was mostly just during the adjustment phase. Like I said, you need a bit of time to get acclimated, and after that, you just live your life exactly like you did before you even had them.
As for taking them out and cleaning them—it really depends. If my hands feel even slightly oily or dirty, I make sure to wash them thoroughly with some dish soap, because if you don't, the lenses get all cloudy. And man, you really have to watch out for stray hairs; being blonde, I swear a few fly in there unnoticed all the time. Regarding keeping them in the solution during the day—if you aren't wearing them and you take them out for a quick errand, the main thing is making sure they don't sit out in the open air for too long, as I think that can actually damage them. They really need to soak in the solution for at least six hours every single day to stay comfortable enough to wear. Sometimes I’ll oversleep, and if they haven't been in the solution long enough overnight, it feels like I'm trying to shove two pebbles into my eyeballs in the morning. It’s not like you have to scrub them with soap and dunk them in solution every single time you take them out for a quick break, but you should definitely follow the basic guidelines—everything you need to know is right there in the instructions provided with the cleaning solution. Just respect the process at the start.
Oh, and if you're using powder eyeshadow—I always put my contacts in first before doing my makeup, because if I don't, the powder tends to drift into my eyes and it's super irritating. Also, when I first started, black mascara was a total nightmare for me, so I switched to a clear one immediately, and honestly, I still only use that to this day. But again, my eyes are pretty sensitive, so I doubt everyone runs into the same issues.

Regarding makeup, the rule of thumb is that you should apply your makeup first and then insert the lenses, specifically so you don't cloud them while you're working. Personally, I never wear makeup at all, precisely because I wear contacts.

Nah, you gotta do lenses first, then the makeup. Seriously, let me see you try to blend eyeshadow or slap on mascara without getting gunk in your eyes if you wait until after the lenses are in 🙄. And about the water thing—sure, you can rinse a lens with water, but you absolutely have to soak it in solution (the big bottle) afterward. That tiny little saline squeeze bottle isn't meant for soaking, only for rinsing, so don't mix them up
.
As for getting used to them, just go by how you feel. Don't stick to whatever schedule some doctor gave you like it's gospel. If they start feeling scratchy and you know there’s nothing actually stuck in your eye, that’s your body telling you you've hit your limit for the day 😉

Yeah, you put the contacts in first, then move on to makeup. A year and a half sounds like a massive stretch for getting used to them. It’s usually just because you haven't worn them in a while, so you have to start the adjustment period all over again. For me, I stopped noticing they were even there after about ten days.
I actually keep two different lens kits—one at home and one stashed in my bag just in case.😬

I picked up some soft contact lenses about ten days ago. Putting them in and taking them out is fine—no irritation, no discomfort at all. But there’s a catch. My near vision is a mess; everything just looks blurry. And the periphery? It’s even worse. I’m seeing these weird halos or circles in the corners of my vision. It's honestly pretty terrifying. Is this actually caused by the lenses themselves? When I originally went to get fitted, my sister let me try on a pair of hers first, but I had an allergic reaction to the material. She ordered me a different brand to compensate, but these aren't working either...

I’ve been rocking my semi-rigid lenses for a few days now, and honestly, everything is awesome! My vision is crystal clear whether I'm looking up close or far away, and I don't have any annoying halos at all. It literally feels like I'm not even wearing anything!

Quick question—when it comes to those lens enzymes, do you drop one tablet into a single case with just one lens in there? =) Or is it one tablet for both lenses? (I know it sounds like a dumb question, but I don't want to mess them up, so I figured I'd ask... the instructions aren't exactly detailed about it)

silentraven13 said:Quick question—when it comes to those lens enzymes, do you drop one tablet into a single case with just one lens in there? =) Or is it one tablet for both lenses? (I know it sounds like a dumb question, but I don't want to mess them up, so I figured I'd ask... the instructions aren't exactly detailed about it)

Are we talking about soft contacts here? Like those descaling tablets you use roughly every two weeks? If the answer to both my questions is "yes," 🙂 then I can tell you with absolute certainty that you use one tablet per lens. 😁

Noah Barrett10 said:Are we talking about soft contacts here? Like those descaling tablets you use roughly every two weeks? If the answer to both my questions is "yes," 🙂 then I can tell you with absolute certainty that you use one tablet per lens. 😁

Yeah, it’s for soft lenses (sorry, totally forgot to mention that crucial detail)... Not really sure, it says enzymes to get rid of protein buildup 😕.. I've had these lenses for a year (though I haven't worn them much), and just now realized I have these enzyme cleaners sitting here, so figured I'd give it a shot...

Btw, thanks for the comment 🙂

I’ve been wearing semi-permeable contact lenses for about two weeks now, and I must say, I am quite satisfied with the results.
There were absolutely no issues regarding comfort—within ten minutes, they felt completely natural—nor any trouble removing them, as I find using a suction tool makes the process much more manageable. However, the actual application process was a different story entirely. While the first attempt went smoothly, subsequent tries resulted in intense stinging... the kind of irritation that triggers unstoppable tearing. 🤷 Good grief.

Eventually, after a few days of hesitation, I gathered my courage and began tackling the insertion process head-on. 🙂
Of course, there was a prior complication to address: I had actually sustained a minor corneal abrasion, which required a visit to my ophthalmologist for some medicated ointment and an eye patch.
Within two days, the discomfort had subsided significantly. 🙂

My current goal is to master inserting the lens on the first attempt. I want to avoid those long, drawn-out struggles that previously led to further injury. After all, one's vision is far too precious to jeopardize. 🙏🎉

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice here. I recently got fitted for some semi-hard contact lenses, but honestly, I feel like I’ve already failed the test. Now, I’m dealing with this weird, nagging anxiety every time I think about putting them in.
It’s not even that I have trouble actually getting them into my eyes—that part is fine—it’s just that I can’t stand wearing them for more than five hours before they start irritating the hell out of me, so I have to rip them out.
Is this actually normal, or am I just losing my mind here?

Sean Nguyen4 said:😂 😂

P.S. Thanks. 🙂

It took me forever to get them settled in too, but honestly, my real struggle is just lugging them around everywhere I go.

George Thompson14 said:I've been wearing soft contact lenses for 12 years now without any issues. But I just picked up a new batch because my old ones finally wore out, and things have gone south fast. After about an hour, my eyes start stinging like crazy and everything gets blurry. Once I take them out, my vision stays foggy and distorted for a while. My eye doctor says they’re made of the exact same material as my previous pairs and can't figure out why my eyes are reacting this way. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? I'm losing my mind trying to fix it.😢

I'm going through the exact same thing, though these are actually my first pair.
Putting them in used to be the hard part, but now it's actually the wearing them that's become a struggle.
Maybe try using more solution? Personally, I find it's much easier when I'm holding the lens with plenty of moisture.

Can someone please walk me through how these heat pumps actually work? Seriously, I’m hearing about them for the first time and I feel like I've missed an entire chapter of the manual here. Is anyone else just now finding out about this stuff?

Joseph Lee18 said:I tried wearing them, but I just couldn't get comfortable with it; there would be stretches where I wouldn't touch them at all. Every single time I actually put them in, I refused to leave the house because I looked absolutely disheveled... and I couldn't even look people in the eye because I was blinking so much and my eyelids felt so heavy. It was as if everyone could tell I had contacts in... and frankly, dealing with the sun and contact lenses without sunglasses is a recipe for disaster...

Well, that's exactly where I am right now. First, everyone was giving me grief about needing glasses, and now they're all messing with me because of these contacts. I look like... well, there isn't a word for it. My eyes look totally dilated and I can't stop blinking. I have no clue what to do; my mom keeps pushing me to just go for it, and part of me wants to, but the thought of going back to those hideous glasses is just unbearable. Is there actually a point where I'll finally get used to this? Or am I stuck feeling like this forever?🤷😢

I'm totally 😉 with you on that! Same thing happened to me. Now, whenever I'm exhausted or running on zero sleep, my eyes look a little funky, and I start worrying everyone can tell I'm wearing contacts. But honestly? People who don't know me haven't noticed a thing...
It just takes a little time and patience...

Jeffrey Walker3 said:I'm totally 😉 with you on that! Same thing happened to me. Now, whenever I'm exhausted or running on zero sleep, my eyes look a little funky, and I start worrying everyone can tell I'm wearing contacts. But honestly? People who don't know me haven't noticed a thing...
It just takes a little time and patience...

oh, and one more thing—how long did it actually take you to get used to it????????????????