9 posts shown.
Hannah Bishop said:Ugh, I totally messed up today. I already took my pill for Saturday, even though it's actually Sunday now, and then I'm supposed to take the one meant for Sunday tomorrow... everything is just a huge jumble in my head. Honestly, I don't get why they have to be tied to specific days like that, just like the instructions say.
Look, you really should have just taken the late one right away and then kept going with your normal schedule, otherwise you're going to end up missing a whole dose. Just go ahead and take it now! If you look closely at the box, it actually tells you exactly what to do if you miss a pill—just follow those directions.
The thing is, these pills only actually work if you stay consistent with them. And honestly, you don't necessarily have to stick strictly to the day printed on the pack—like, mine are "triphasic," meaning there are three different weeks, so it doesn't matter which one I grab as long as it's from the right week. But when they've gone through the trouble of labeling the days and adding those little arrows, it’s clearly meant to make things easier for you so you don't miss a beat.
Hannah Bishop said:So, here’s the deal—I was supposed to take my pill on Friday, but it totally slipped my mind. I ended up taking it on Saturday around noon instead. My big question is, am I going to be okay? Like, will there be any side effects from missing that Friday dose and just catching up on Saturday? I've already gone back to my regular schedule since then.
Honestly, you should be fine as long as you made sure to take both the missed one and your Saturday dose. Most of those pharmacy inserts actually have a whole section dedicated to what to do when you miss a pill, so definitely give it a thorough read just to be safe. I've been on the pill for nine years now, and let me tell you, my brain still fails me sometimes—I can never remember on my own when it's time to take it! That's why I rely heavily on my phone alarms to keep me on track. Try to stay on top of it so you don't have to worry about it too much.
I deal with that same intense redness in my bikini area too (girl, I feel you), and honestly, the one thing that actually helps is using an Aloe gel from ESI that has tea tree oil mixed in. You can usually find it sitting right there on the shelf at CVS or Walgreens. I just slather it on every morning and night—though really, you can apply it whenever you’re feeling the irritation. It won't make the redness vanish overnight, but it definitely takes the edge off and calms everything down. Honestly, if you're looking for something, this is my top recommendation.
Kevin Cook11 said:Personally, I’m pretty strict about my routine—I wash my lenses with detergent every single time and swap out the solution every other day. My one little slip-up is that I rinse them under the faucet. Also, since I pop them in first thing in the morning, I don't take them out until the evening, even though technically they should be out and cleaned after about 8 hours. Still, I rarely deal with protein buildup making things look blurry. And no, I never touch artificial tears.
I always make sure to wash my hands before I touch them to take them out or put them in.
For me, it's way easier to do my makeup first and then slide the lenses in. I've gotten so used to it that I can just pop them right in by opening my eyes wide without even having to stretch my eyelids with my fingers.
If your lenses keep popping out on their own, it usually means the base curve isn't quite right for your eye.
As far as rinsing your lenses with tap water goes—honestly, I think it's totally fine. I mean, you wouldn't want to get the cleaning solution directly in your eye anyway, so the lenses definitely need a rinse.
Regarding switching out the solution every two days—well, I'm a bit more intense than that; I change mine every single day, so I never let them sit in the same liquid twice. And honestly, nobody ever told me that I had to clean them specifically after an 8-hour wear period. But hey, it just goes to show how differently we all handle this stuff. I guess you just have to find the routine that works for you, as long as you stay on top of keeping those lenses clean.
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.
silentraven13 said:Alright, sounds good then.
So, I saw my doctor yesterday and she recommended soft contacts... I gave them a shot—well, she basically shoved them in my eyes for me—and man, I was tearing up for the first five minutes. After that, I started getting used to them... even though I was blinking like crazy every second... But after about 30 minutes, I adjusted and they actually feel great 🙂
The catch is, I won't get them until Tuesday 😢... and then there's probably another two weeks of getting used to them...
Honestly, they seem totally fine to me right now... even if the whole process of putting them in and taking them out is such a pain
During my first few days, I was spending about half an hour just trying to put them in and take them out because they can be pretty uncomfortable at first. Since you aren't used to having something in your eye, they tend to pop out more often... But you'll get fully acclimated in maybe ten days tops. It’s really nothing to sweat. For me, they actually ended up slightly improving my vision too.
silentraven13 said:Do soft contact lenses actually protect the cornea somehow?
Because I heard from this one woman that her contacts were the exact thing that messed up her cornea...
Then again, I don't know much about this stuff, so my bad if I'm wrong 🙂
Nah, it’s actually the opposite for me—I have this condition where my corneas bulge outward so much that they could basically pop without lenses, which would mean going blind. For me, those soft lenses act like a physical barrier to stop them from protruding any further.
That's why I realize just how precious your eyesight is, and I never, ever cut corners when it comes to lens hygiene.
Chris Morgan67 said:I’m quite fond of soft contact lenses; they’re incredibly durable and I haven't run into any issues with them.
However, I would suggest a specific combination that works best for my Bausch & Lomb Boston lenses: using their solution for storage and a dedicated cleanser. You can only pick them up at Ghetaldus, but in my experience, nothing else compares...👍
Honestly, Boston is hands down the best. The biggest win for me is that I don't even have to mess around with those extra protein-stripping tablets or whatever they call them to get the gunk off my lenses; this detergent is so powerful that it deep cleans everything perfectly every single day. It’s not like I'm breaking the bank, either—one bottle of the solution and one bottle of the detergent easily last me about three months. And look, you aren't just stuck finding this at Ghetaldus; you can pick up Boston at basically any local pharmacy or drugstore around town.
Look, you can play around with stuff like Pur or whatever other nonsense they try to sell you, but you really shouldn't mess around when it comes to your eyes—that’s some serious business right there!
Jerry Lee14 said:A friend of mine once had to crash on my couch because she missed the last bus home. She ended up sleeping in her contact lenses since she didn't have any supplies with her, and she was totally fine. Apparently, she does that quite a bit. She wears soft contacts too.
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!