Lentil recipes: Megathread

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.

We’re talking about the semi-solid ones here—I honestly didn't even notice my soft ones... A friend was telling me it took her quite a while to get used to switching over to the semi-solids, though I'm not entirely sure how long that actually lasted.

My soft contacts were absolutely killing me too—constant irritation and total eye fatigue. After a week of pure misery, my optometrist swapped them out for a slightly larger, thinner lens designed specifically for sensitive eyes. At least, that’s what they claimed. Honestly, they actually work; the discomfort is gone. If you're struggling with soft lenses, maybe a similar switch would help you. Where did you pick those up?

The concrete's hard as hell, man, but I’m starting to feel a little better already... guess I'll eventually get used to this mess, right?🙂 thanks guys!!!😉

Look, just a heads-up: if you can't handle them, just buy the soft ones. It’s better than struggling through it because you're never actually going to get used to them.

Homemade lentils are the best. 😁

I personally use soft contact lenses, though I have used hard lenses before and they really are quite excellent if you can adjust to them.

My current soft lenses actually contain some sort of additive from $33 designed to improve comfort, though I’m not entirely certain of the specific chemical composition.

The primary advantage of going with soft lenses is that they are much lower maintenance—you don't have to worry about them constantly sitting in solution if you happen to leave your case behind or something similar. Plus, you won't risk passing out from sheer pain if a stray splinter or debris happens to hit your eye.

Regarding the adjustment period, when I first started wearing contacts, I found that increasing my wear time by just thirty minutes each day was more effective than trying to jump straight into an hour. Maybe you could try that incremental approach if you find the discomfort to be too intense.

However, if your eye looks bloodshot, something is definitely wrong. That simply isn't normal.

If you wear your lenses for too long—specifically while you are still in that initial adjustment phase—and you try to push through the irritation, there is a risk that you might actually scratch the corneal surface. You wouldn't be able to see the damage happening, but the pain is absolutely excruciating. I would suggest being very careful and not pushing your luck, as you could cause serious damage to your eye.

Semi-rigid lenses can be a real pain. If you’re dead set on wearing them, just grit your teeth and power through for a bit—it usually gets better. Besides, there are different types available, and some are definitely less intrusive than others. If things haven't improved in two weeks, let me know and we'll figure out a better solution. Cheers

Quick question for anyone wearing contact lenses: How long did it take before they actually felt comfortable enough to wear all day without any irritation? I’ve been using hard lenses for about two days now, so I guess I'm still in the adjustment phase.

I honestly felt like I’d reached my limit once it dawned on me that setting these up would take a solid thirty minutes of my time.

PS: That's an excellent avatar you've got there.

I wear soft contact lenses too, and it took me about two weeks to really get used to them.

It took me a few days before my eyes stopped watering like crazy.
I spent about a week just trying to actually get stuff done while wearing them.
Give it like two weeks and you’ll finally get used to the feeling.
If I remember right, I didn't even feel comfortable driving my car until a month had passed.

Honestly, you just need patience and grit. At first, putting them in, wearing them, or even taking them out feels totally weird and uncomfortable.

My first solo attempt at handling them was a total disaster: it took me a couple of minutes just to get the lens in. I managed to shove it in and get it centered, I guess. Then came 15 minutes of trying to adjust, my eyes just streaming tears, cursing my own clumsy hands, blah, blah, blah... And the grand finale? It took another 20 minutes just to get the thing out. I couldn't get lucky for anything. I was pulling on my eyelid in every direction possible, but nothing worked. My eyes were red, tearing up, and I couldn't even see or feel where the lens went... just total darkness. The next day, I went out and bought one of those little suction tools to help, and I kept using that until I finally mastered the "manual" blink technique.

Anyway, good luck with the contacts.

Sean Nguyen4 said:Quick question for the contact lens crowd: How long did it take before they actually felt normal and you could wear them all day without thinking about it? I just started wearing hard lenses two days ago, so I'm still in the "adjusting" phase.

Hey! Honestly, getting used to the shape and that feeling of having something in your eye happened pretty fast for me. I grew up wearing soft lenses, so the whole putting them in and taking them out part was easy. Hard lenses aren't too bad to put in, though I still rely on a suction tool to get them out—once you get used to it, you don't really feel like messing around with your fingers to pull them out.
As for them being totally comfortable? It comes in waves. Some days are perfect, other days they irritate me a bit, so I end up taking them out, cleaning them, and popping them back in a few times a day. Since it’s always so windy here in Chicago, I basically live in sunglasses to keep the dust from blowing into my eyes. Plus, your eyes definitely get more sensitive to sunlight when you're wearing contacts, so the shades make everything way more comfortable. Good luck!👋

Mother Goose said:I totally gave up once I realized it would take me half an hour just to set them up.

PS: Great avatar

😂 😂

P.S. Thanks. 🙂

So, today is day three. On the first day, I wore them for maybe an hour, then about two hours yesterday. They don't exactly chafe, but it’s just that constant sensation of having something stuck in your eye. My prescription is -2.00. It’s weird because I had zero issues putting them in on day one, but yesterday one slid right under my eyelid near the top, and then drifted toward the inner corner. Getting it out was a total nightmare. Honestly, taking them out is the worst part—you can see how red the corners of my eyes are from all that straining. I'm not even sure how I managed to get it out. 😉 Does anyone know where I can pick up those suction tools? Like at a CVS or a local optometrist?
If I quit now, I probably won't have the guts to try lenses again anytime soon and $200 it'll all be for nothing.

Started wearing soft contacts last week—took me a solid 45 minutes just to get them in on day one, but man, I got used to them instantly. I’ve been wearing them pretty much every day since, except today... I only clocked about 4 or 5 hours of sleep last night, so there was absolutely zero chance of me forcing anything into my eyes...

et: @Sean Nguyen4, what made you go with the semi-hard ones instead of the soft ones?

I read somewhere that soft contact lenses actually last longer and aren't quite as prone to bacterial buildup, though I'm not entirely sure if that's right. My eye doctor also mentioned that soft lenses are a solid choice and said she'd recommend them too.

I could just never bring myself to get used to lentils 😢

I started with soft lenses and it took about a week to get used to them. I went from wearing them for two hours at first, to three, then five, until eventually I could wear them all day. I really liked the 🙂

Man, I remember my first day with them—I headed out to work and didn't get back until around 8 PM... so basically 12 hours straight. No issues at all, honestly.