Lentil recipes: Megathread

wh00p said:Look, if your eye doctor prescribed soft lenses, you probably really need to be wearing them, or just stick to glasses. But what rustyraven29 was saying about soft lenses having more downsides? Yeah, that's pretty much spot on. With softies, you've gotta be super careful they don't touch water, you can only clean them with specific solution, you definitely can't sleep in them... you might end up with some weird buildup that messes everything up, and so on and so forth. But honestly, it's way easier for your eyes to adjust to soft lenses than to those semi-rigid ones. Your eyes will likely get used to them after a bit and then it'll be smooth sailing...👍

Thanks!

Let’s be real: "semi-hard" isn't actually a thing. It’s a myth. You either have soft or you have hard. What everyone keeps calling semi-hard is just hard material with high gas permeability.

Kevin White5 said:Let’s be real: "semi-hard" isn't actually a thing. It’s a myth. You either have soft or you have hard. What everyone keeps calling semi-hard is just hard material with high gas permeability.

And let's be honest, semi-hard is simply much easier on the tongue.

I'm currently getting used to wearing hard gas-permeable or semi-hard contact lenses. I’d love to get some advice on the best way to maintain them just to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. Thanks in advance! Oh, one more thing: is it normal for them to feel like they're dancing around in my eye during the first few days?

It’s perfectly normal for them to dance. I’ve been wearing mine for about six months now, and they still jump every time I blink. It drove me insane at first.
Maintenance isn't even a struggle. Just wash them with some shampoo, scrub until you get a decent lather, rinse them off, and pop them in some contact solution. That’s all there is to it.

But I heard you aren't even allowed to rinse them with water...?!?

I always just rinse mine off with water and haven't had a single issue. I've been using them for five years now.

Look... 🤔 9 years... 😁 I rinse them with water both before and after cleaning, and right before putting them in. It’s actually necessary—if I don't rinse thoroughly, they sting.

If by "dancing" you mean slight discomfort, that's perfectly normal during the adjustment period. That’s why you only wear them for two hours on the first day, then add an hour each day... just so the eye gets used to the novelty. If by "dancing" you mean they seem to move across the pupil, causing you to blink 😛 while they settle into place, that’s standard. They only stay static if you stitch them directly into the eye. 🙄

Back when I was wearing soft contacts, I’d occasionally drift off with them in—maybe once a month... nothing too crazy, everything felt fine.
Now I’ve switched to softgels, and I asked my eye doctor if it's actually safe if I accidentally fall asleep in them.
One person here said absolutely not—that they could get stuck or even damage the eye...
So now... look, it's not like I'm planning to sleep in my lenses, but honestly, it's highly likely I'll pass out with them in—sometimes things just happen when they happen.
Some people tell me it's really no big deal if it's rare...
Has anyone else had any experiences with sleeping in softgel contacts?

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.

Hey everyone. Just thought I’d jump in here and share my own experience with contacts. I’ve been wearing them for 25 years now—ever since I was nine years old back when we only had those hard lenses available. Nowadays I wear the semi-hard ones, and man, I have certainly been through it all with them. I see some of you recommending Pur for cleaning, and look, people can say what they want, but honestly? Don't mess around with that. I mean, why would we wash our hair or our faces with Pur? Everything has its specific purpose, and once you get enough years under your belt wearing lenses, you’ll reach that same conclusion yourself. As for maintenance, personally, Allergan used to be my go-to, though I’m using Total Care now because the quality is right up there with Boston, just a bit easier on the wallet.
Someone mentioned earlier that their lenses are constantly irritating them and making it hard to focus or blink properly—well, here’s the thing: if your lenses are actually good, they shouldn't be irritating you at all, because that kind of friction can actually damage your eyes. You really ought to see an eye doctor before your scheduled check-up because that's something that can be fixed; you shouldn't just sit there and suffer through it. Regarding the cost of lenses and the upkeep—yeah, it’s generally an expensive hobby, but then again, it’s usually cheaper than the soft lens route.
I’m not quite sure why the price for hard lenses is listed at $250, because I just paid $200 for mine recently.

Got a quick question... I've got an appointment with a private eye doctor in a couple of days for my first contact lens exam. My glasses are starting to drive me crazy; I've been wearing them forever and they're just getting impractical.
I was wondering if I could actually walk out with lenses on that same day (so I can start getting used to them), or if there's some kind of waiting period while they get everything manufactured?

It depends. If I remember right, the soft ones come through almost immediately (correct me if I'm wrong), but I usually get my semi-firm results the day after an exam—or even later that same afternoon if I have my appointment in the morning.

Some lens brands keep stock on hand, but since the base curve matters so much, they’ll adjust the lens size based on how your eyeball is shaped—specifically with those hard contacts. I don't have a super curved eye, so I actually need the largest size available; otherwise, they’d just slip right out and wouldn't cover my entire cornea. That was actually the issue with my very first pair, so they had to swap them out for me.
Plus, everything depends on your prescription. If you're dealing with higher diopters or heavy astigmatism—or even weird combinations like I have, where my prescription is low but my astigmatism is high—you might have to wait a bit longer for them to arrive.
As for the cost, a single hard contact usually runs anywhere from $250 to $133, depending on the strength you need, which manufacturer makes them, and whatever margin the distributor decides to tack on. Medicare covers a certain percentage based on your specific prescription, so your out-of-pocket cost really just comes down to that difference.
Regarding sleeping in them... look, I occasionally close my eyes for maybe 15 minutes, but my eyes end up watering and stinging like crazy afterward, so I don't make a habit of it. Honestly, I'd rather just take them out. If I don't have my case handy, I'll just wrap them up in a clean tissue, and when I'm ready to put them back in, I give them a really thorough rinse with water... though, again, I don't really do that often.
It’s true that some people have a harder time adjusting than others. Personally, my eyes didn't water at all, even when I walked into the clinic or when the technician popped the first pair in. I was looking around totally fine! The only real struggle was just getting used to the physical motion of putting them in at first. But listen, if you're dealing with bloodshot eyes or intense stinging, that's not okay. Go back to the eye doctor where you got them and ask them to check if the edges need to be polished. If that doesn't fix it, go see an ophthalmologist immediately.

Kevin Cook11, does the contact lens actually cover your entire pupil?

Well, obviously they’re gonna cover it up!

I had a bit of a brain fart—I was actually thinking about the iris. I’ve been wearing contacts forever, so I know the pupil stays covered, but my iris isn't fully covered by them, whereas a friend of mine who wears soft lenses has total coverage.

Since my eyeball doesn't have much of a curve, I have to wear the largest size available; otherwise, they'd slip and wouldn't cover my entire pupil.

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...👍

Jerry Lee14 said:It depends. If I remember right, the soft ones come through almost immediately (correct me if I'm wrong), but I usually get my semi-firm results the day after an exam—or even later that same afternoon if I have my appointment in the morning.

Alright, thanks 🙂... I'm heading in tomorrow afternoon, so whatever happens, happens... Still haven't decided which ones to grab (soft or semi-hard), it all just depends on what my doctor says 😁

Kevin Cook11 said:Some lens brands keep stock on hand, but since the base curve matters so much, they’ll adjust the lens size based on how your eyeball is shaped—specifically with those hard contacts. I don't have a super curved eye, so I actually need the largest size available; otherwise, they’d just slip right out and wouldn't cover my entire cornea. That was actually the issue with my very first pair, so they had to swap them out for me.
Plus, everything depends on your prescription. If you're dealing with higher diopters or heavy astigmatism—or even weird combinations like I have, where my prescription is low but my astigmatism is high—you might have to wait a bit longer for them to arrive.
As for the cost, a single hard contact usually runs anywhere from $250 to $133, depending on the strength you need, which manufacturer makes them, and whatever margin the distributor decides to tack on. Medicare covers a certain percentage based on your specific prescription, so your out-of-pocket cost really just comes down to that difference.
Regarding sleeping in them... look, I occasionally close my eyes for maybe 15 minutes, but my eyes end up watering and stinging like crazy afterward, so I don't make a habit of it. Honestly, I'd rather just take them out. If I don't have my case handy, I'll just wrap them up in a clean tissue, and when I'm ready to put them back in, I give them a really thorough rinse with water... though, again, I don't really do that often.
It’s true that some people have a harder time adjusting than others. Personally, my eyes didn't water at all, even when I walked into the clinic or when the technician popped the first pair in. I was looking around totally fine! The only real struggle was just getting used to the physical motion of putting them in at first. But listen, if you're dealing with bloodshot eyes or intense stinging, that's not okay. Go back to the eye doctor where you got them and ask them to check if the edges need to be polished. If that doesn't fix it, go see an ophthalmologist immediately.

Thanks for the info 🙂... I don't even have astigmatism, but my prescription is 2.25 in one eye and 3.00 in the other... Not sure what they're gonna suggest for me. I'll find out tomorrow 😁