Glasses or contacts?

Casey Palmer5 said:The massive downside to soft lenses, especially the daily disposables, is how easily they pick up various infections and how difficult they can be to keep truly sterile.

Look, just switch to rigid lenses. All those disposable gimmicks are bad by design. Don't gamble with your eyes. You have no idea how quickly you could end up losing your sight. If you need to, just go back to glasses... but don't play games with your vision!!

Ugh, I honestly think you don't have a clue what you're talking about here.
No offense intended, it’s just the first honest thought that popped into my head while reading your attempt at fear-mongering.

I'm kidding, mostly, but trust me—it isn't quite that catastrophic with soft lenses, particularly dailies since they're worn for such a short window.
For someone to actually lose their sight, a perfect storm of terrible circumstances would have to occur; I don't even want to start listing all the potential complications.
As for whether rigid lenses are better, I partially agree with your point, but that has nothing to do with infection risks or going blind.

Casey Palmer5, where on earth are you getting those daily disposables? What’s the damage per month? Are you really going through 30 pairs every single month????? I haven't heard a soul mention those... at least not around here... I know people who use the weekly ones, but switching to dailies??

Could you please give me the lowdown on this? Thanks!

Dana King4 said:Casey Palmer5, where on earth do you find those daily disposables? What’s the damage like? Are you really going through 30 pairs a month????? I haven't heard a soul mention them... at least not around here... I know people who use the ones meant for a whole week... but daily??

Could you please tell me a bit more about it? Thanks

I don't actually have the dailies myself, unfortunately, but I know a few girls on the forum mentioned using them before. I don't think they're super cheap, but if you can swing it, they're definitely worth it for your eye health...

I'm currently wearing the three-month ones, but honestly, my vision is pretty rough regardless, whether I'm wearing contacts or glasses...

Here is a breakdown of the various options available:

Daily disposables:
Johnson & Johnson "Acuvue"
Alcon "Acuvue Moist"
These typically come in packs of at least 30.
Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $100-$200 for a 1-3 month supply.

Bausch + Lomb
Bi-weekly options
Monthly varieties—which usually arrive in packs of three.

While daily disposables offer undeniable convenience, they can be quite a drain on the wallet; consequently, if you're wearing lenses every single day, I would personally suggest opting for monthly replacements based on my own experience. Since you're swapping them out every month, you don't even have to bother with those tedious protein removal tablets.
A few years back, I actually used the extended-wear yearly versions.

In my humble, perhaps unrefined opinion, soft lenses are much more accommodating because there isn't that grueling adjustment period for your eyes, and they pair seamlessly with glasses.

Honestly, most major brands perform admirably; it truly just comes down to which specific brand your eyes decide to tolerate best.

Lately, I have been seriously contemplating making the transition from glasses to contact lenses, primarily because my frames have become quite cumbersome and they seem to be significantly narrowing my field of vision...
Since I am certainly not out hunting big game these days, I cannot justify the expense of visiting a high-end private specialist. Would any of you happen to know a reliable "public" ophthalmologist or optometrist who does great work?

Thanks!

I'm wondering what actually happens when I look left or right—does the lens move along with my eyes? Or is it just big enough to cover the whole eye? 😬

In all seriousness, I've heard pretty good things about lenses, especially the hard ones, so I'm curious about how pricing works and if it fluctuates much. Also, is it fair to say you eventually stop feeling them once you get used to them? Since everything on this thread was posted two years ago, maybe there's some updated info out there?

It appears to me that this discussion has effectively withered away over the last two years.
There hasn't been a single whisper or sign of life from anyone here. 🙂

Elizabeth Anderson40 said:I think this thread pretty much died out over those two years.
There hasn't been a single sign of life from anyone. 🙂

We probably need to keep bugging them and keeping this thread active until someone finally decides to reply. 😉

I can't speak to any of those semi-rigid types, but back in August, I picked up a little pack of Bausch + Lomb soft lenses from Tiffany & Co.—it was a four-pair set, which basically covers me for an entire year since they last about three months. They ended up costing me $173. If you buy through them down at the Square, they’ll even throw in a free eye exam, which is a nice little perk. Honestly, all those fancy LensCrafters or Visionworks locations out there just charge way too much, especially when it comes to the solutions; they act like they’re selling liquid gold or something...
If you want to save some actual cash, the lens solutions are always cheapest at those "Four Leaves" drugstores—there’s one over on Drašković Street near City Hall and another on Savska Street right across from Conti. They actually run this daily discount where everything is 10% off between 2:00 and 3:00 PM.

I have been considering scheduling an appointment with a private specialist, though I simply cannot justify shelling out $200-$$100 for a single exam. Perhaps a visit to Tiffany & Co. might be a more reasonable alternative for my needs.

I recall someone mentioning earlier in this discussion thread that the area around Vinogradska Street was a reliable spot for contact lens consultations, but I am unsure if that recommendation still holds water now that two years have passed. I imagine those services were likely covered by insurance back then.

Christian Lee13, how have your lenses been treating you lately? Are you finding them to be satisfactory?
Did you rely on prescription glasses prior to making the switch, and if so, did transitioning to contacts fundamentally change your daily experience?

Thanks for the assistance.🙂

So, I was looking into seeing Dr. Sharice over on Vinogradska Street, and you can just call them up to book an appointment—though fair warning, the initial exam drags on for at least an hour. But here’s the kicker: apparently, Sharice has this little arrangement with an optical shop over on Water Street, and they act like you aren't even allowed to buy your lenses anywhere else. They won't even give you your results or your specific lens prescription in writing; instead, they basically force you to head down to the shop on Water Street, where the staff there calls the clinic to "verify" your data... it's honestly just ridiculous 🙂. It's a total medical racket! Honestly, it feels like it's the same story at every hospital; every single clinic seems to have its own high-priced preferred optician tucked away somewhere...
Just remember, wherever you go, don't let them tell you otherwise: it is your absolute right to buy your contacts wherever you damn well please!!!

Christian Lee13 said:There's a Dr. Sharice working on Vinogradska Street. You call ahead to book an exam, which takes at least an hour. The catch is that Sharice has this deal with a LensCrafters over on Water Street, so they basically make sure you don't buy lenses anywhere else. They won't even give you your prescription or lens type in writing. Instead, you just go to the shop on Water Street, and then they call the clinic to get your info... I mean, seriously...🙂 . It's a total racket! I guess it's the same at all the hospitals; every clinic seems to have its own overpriced optical shop...
Just remember, wherever you go, you have the right to buy your lenses wherever you want!!!

One ophthalmologist once handed me a business card for a private optician, Petrie, telling me to get my glasses made there. But I went to Tiffany & Co. instead, and they made these glasses with some stupid lenses that I couldn't see through properly. When I went back to them to check my frames, he just told me, "Well, I told you to go to Petrie." Tiffany & Co. insisted the lenses were fine, and the private guys wouldn't even touch the glasses because they didn't make them. Eventually, I went to Petrie; the guy looked at them, said they were no good, and I ended up buying new lenses from him (pretty cheap, actually) and everything was great. I've since gone back to him two or three times when my frames needed fixing, and he always fixed them in a flash, sometimes even for free!
The lesson? The ophthalmologist is always right. 😁

Christian Lee13 said:Dr. Sharice works over on Vinogradska Street, and you have to call ahead to book an exam (heads up, the first one takes at least an hour!). The catch is that Sharice has this exclusive deal with the shop over on Water Street, so they make it impossible to buy lenses anywhere else. They won't even give you your results or lens type in writing! Instead, you just go to the Water Street shop, and then they call the clinic to get your data... honestly...🙂 . What a shady group of doctors! It’s the same story at every hospital—every clinic seems to have its own overpriced eye doctor on speed dial...
Just remember, wherever you go, you have every right to buy your lenses wherever you want!!!

Is that still happening?
That whole setup between Vinogradska and the Water Street shop was actually started by Nola more than 15 years ago.

Christian Lee13 said:I can't speak to the hard lenses, but back in August I picked up a pack of Bausch + Lomb soft contacts at Tiffany & Co.—it was a 4-pair pack, which covers a whole year since they last for three months each. They were $173. If you buy through them down at the Square, they'll even throw in a free eye exam! Honestly, all those fancy LensCrafters or Visionworks locations are way overpriced, especially when it comes to contact solution—they charge like it's liquid gold...
If you want to save money on solution, check out those "four-leaf" drugstores. There’s one over on Drašković Street near City Hall and another on Savska Street right across from Conti. They actually have a 10% discount every single day between 2 PM and 3 PM!

That optical shop in Times Square sells those exact same lenses under their own brand name, and they are significantly cheaper. You can find the same thing at a big-box retailer like Target, too.
They really are just Bausch + Lomb; it's clearly printed right on the box.
I usually grab the bi-weekly ones, and a 6-pack goes for about $63. Maybe it was closer to $170, I can't remember exactly.
I wear my bi-weeklies for as long as they feel comfortable. Some pairs barely last the full two weeks, but I once had a pair that lasted an incredible seven months!
For solution, I stick with Alcon.