Contact lenses

Megan Peterson2 NewcomerOP

5 messages
joined Oct 2003

#1 · Feb 3, 2004

Could someone please give me some advice? I just started wearing contacts a few days ago, so I'm wondering if it's okay to wear sunglasses during the day while having my lenses in? Also, can I do aerobics with my contacts on... does any kind of intense physical activity interfere with them? Everything is so new to me right now and honestly, I'm just lost, so I'm asking you all for a few pointers... thhhankss

crimsonbear23 Member

21 messages
joined Sep 2007

#2 · Feb 3, 2004

I'm not entirely sure what kind of lenses you're rocking—standard soft ones or those silicone hydrogel varieties. I’ve been wearing contacts for seven years now, starting with the basic soft lenses, and honestly, I haven't run into any issues. You can pretty much do whatever you want, provided you don't decide to go skinny dipping in the ocean while wearing them. I mean, you technically could, but I’ve gone free-diving without a mask a few times and ended up losing a lens 😁
. And of course you can wear sunglasses! One doesn't preclude the other. There have been times when I’ve left my lenses in for three or four days straight. I actually brought it up with my optometrist once, and while they mentioned it isn't exactly the gold standard for eye health, they said nothing catastrophic is going to happen if you do it occasionally.

If I were you, I'd suggest picking up some artificial tears—something decent, maybe something like $13, which you can find at any local pharmacy or CVS. It’s a lifesaver when you start feeling that "dry eye" sensation. You can use them even when you aren't wearing your contacts, too.
It would also be a smart move to grab some multi-purpose cleaning tablets. You can pick those up at the drugstore as well. They work by stripping away proteins and enzymes from the lens surface. They cost a bit more upfront, but they're worth the investment; think of it as regular "preventative maintenance" for your eyes.

Since you're a girl, I'm assuming you probably wear makeup. Just a tip: always put your lenses in first, then do your makeup. Otherwise, you end up creating a total mess, and trust me, I know from experience.😁

Robin Collins5 Member

25 messages
joined Mar 2005

#3 · Feb 3, 2004

The absolute best thing about switching to lenses is the sheer freedom—you can finally throw on some sunglasses without feeling like a total weirdo, or head to an aerobics class without squinting at nothing. Honestly, I can't even describe the pure joy of actually being able to see what the instructor is doing for once. Plus, they’re perfect for those afternoon naps where you just want to drift off without worrying about your vision being blurry when you wake up.
The one catch? You can't go rubbing your eyes while you're wearing them. 😢
As for everything else— 🙂

Peter Taylor63 Member

32 messages
joined Dec 2004

#4 · Feb 3, 2004

crimsonbear23 said:I don't know what kind of lenses you have—hard or soft (silicone hydrogel). I’ve been wearing contacts for 7 years, started with soft ones, and never had any issues. You can pretty much do whatever you want, except maybe swimming in the ocean. Well, you *could*, but I’ve gone free-diving without a mask a few times and ended up losing a lens 😁
Of course you can wear sunglasses! They don't clash at all. I’ve even worn my lenses for 3 or 4 days straight once or twice. I talked to my eye doctor about it, and they said it’s not recommended, though nothing catastrophic will happen.

So, I’d suggest getting some artificial tears—something like $13 should work, you can find them at any drugstore. It’s good to use them whenever your eyes feel "dry." You can use them even when you aren't wearing contacts, too.
It might be smart to grab some contact lens tablets, too. You can get those at the pharmacy. They help strip away proteins and enzymes from the lenses. They're a bit pricier, but worth it. It’s basically like regular "maintenance" for your lenses.

Since you're a girl, I'm assuming you wear makeup. So—always put your lenses in first, then do your makeup! Otherwise, you'll end up with gunk in your eyes, trust me. 😁

I totally agree! 😁

One more thing: if they're soft lenses, yeah, you can swim in a pool or the ocean, but DON'T go free-diving (like I mentioned) with your eyes open. Even then, you should be careful, especially at first until you get used to them. I've been swimming in the ocean with mine for years and almost never have an issue, though a few times they felt a little off, so I just adjusted them, rubbed my eye gently, and was fine. Fitness, jumping, running, etc.—you can do all that without a problem, unless you get sand in your eye, which isn't really a lens thing anyway.

Just one precaution... Usually, when I'm heading out for a full day trip or something active like swimming, I bring my contact case with me, just in case something happens and I need a place to put them or rinse them out...

I also recommend artificial tears... Bausch + Lomb contact lenses work okay for me...

And btw, I'm not sure what cleaning system your eye doctor suggested, but I use the Acuvue Moist system, and it's way better and easier than that method where you just soak them in two different cases and let them float. Something like this can be seen at this link . That's the closest thing I could find to what I use; the case and manufacturer are actually the same, just the liquid looks slightly different. Maybe it's my exact brand and they just changed the bottle design 😲 😁 Anyway, I'd recommend Acuvue Moist and Alcon (formerly Allergan)....

Nicholas Bennett3 Newcomer

1 message
joined Feb 2004

#5 · Feb 3, 2004

I've been rocking hard contacts for about five years now... I used to stick with the soft ones back in the day...
and... and... even when I end up rubbing my eyes 😁
or diving into a pool... 😁

I didn't really do the whole glasses-to-contacts transition... I pretty much jumped straight into them
as my main thing... whereas all those people who switched from glasses to contacts swear it's like a total rebirth 🙂
and yeah, honestly, I don't have much else to add since you guys pretty much covered everything... but if anyone has questions about hard contacts, just hit me up 😁

Adam Rogers2 Member

10 messages
joined May 2003

#6 · Feb 3, 2004

I my contacts are pretty soft too... they're 👍 .

My eye doctor even suggested I wear sunglasses when I'm out in the sun while wearing my lenses (which, obviously, I immediately used as leverage to argue that I needed a new pair of shades 😎 , and it actually worked).

Roger Cox10 Member

37 messages
joined Jan 2004

#7 · Feb 3, 2004

Megan Peterson2 said:Please, if you could give me some advice. I started wearing contacts just a few days ago, and I'm wondering—can I wear sunglasses during the day while wearing my lenses? Also, can I do aerobics with them? Does any kind of sports activity interfere with anything? It's all so new to me, and honestly, I just don't know—so I'm asking for a few tips... thanks

I was using soft lenses, so everything I say applies strictly to those. 😁 You can do pretty much anything—just don't go swimming or sleep in them... everything else 👍

Of course you can wear sunglasses or exercise... 🙂

Jacob Johnson70 Member

42 messages
joined Oct 2021

#8 · Feb 3, 2004

I've been wearing soft contacts for about 12 years now. For the last three, I've stuck with Re-Nu lenses—four sets a year. That means a fresh pair every three months. They’re incredibly comfortable, and honestly, the price is basically the same as any standard lens. I use the Re-Nu solution for both rinsing and storage. When you buy the 355ml bottle, it comes with a new contact lens case, so I just swap those out whenever the bottle runs dry. You can pick up a bottle for $33 at Walgreens, and it usually lasts me about two to two and a half months. I'd say they're worth it. 👍 👍

placidfalcon Member

42 messages
joined Dec 2012

#9 · Feb 3, 2004

Soft silicone, been wearing them for about 15 years. I do pretty much everything, including swimming and scuba diving.

Amy Fox97 Active Member

65 messages
joined Nov 2007

#10 · Feb 3, 2004

Megan Peterson2 said:Please, if you could give me some advice. I started wearing contacts just a few days ago, so I'm wondering if I can wear sunglasses during the day while wearing my lenses? Also, can I do aerobics in them? Does any kind of physical activity interfere with them? Everything is so new to me and honestly, I'm not sure, so I'm asking for a few tips... thanks

You definitely can, why not? I do everything in mine, except sleep—though sometimes I even forget to take them out. 🙂>

vividcobra46 Member

17 messages
joined Jan 2004

#11 · Feb 3, 2004

I’ve been rocking soft contact lenses for almost a decade now.
With them, I can do pretty much anything except go scuba diving. Honestly, I could probably try it, but I’m terrified of losing one in the ocean.
You can wear sunglasses, keep them on while doing aerobics, or even wear them on your head—they aren't going anywhere, trust me.
The only advice I ever got was not to rub my eyes and to avoid crying while wearing them, supposedly because they might pop out.
And look, it’s not like I’m just casually rubbing my eyes; when my allergies hit, I’m scrubbing and scratching like I’m trying to gouge my own eyes out. Even then, the lenses haven't popped out once. Sometimes they shift a little, but you just nudge them back into place.
As for the crying thing? It hasn't been actual tears, more like heavy sobbing, and I still didn't lose them.
There really isn't any reason to stress out this much over them. They aren't going to fly away.
Just relax and enjoy having vision that isn't trapped behind a pair of glasses frames.

Casey Palmer5 Regular

470 messages
joined Jan 2016

#12 · Feb 3, 2004

Hey Megan Peterson2, I've got a pair here—one is -1.5 and the other is -1.25, both with an 8.4 base curve, and they're the Bausch & Lomb three-month disposables... If anyone's interested... just shoot me a PM

I'm really just trying to get rid of them, so I'll let them go for next to nothing.

Megan Peterson2 NewcomerOP

5 messages
joined Oct 2003

#13 · Feb 3, 2004

crimsonbear23 says:

Thank you so much for such a detailed response.
It turns out my doctor prescribed soft contact lenses for me. She immediately gave me a solution called Acuvue Moist to go with them. I let the lenses soak in it overnight, and right before putting them in, I rinsed them out with some saline solution... but the second they touched my eyes, I felt this intense stinging sensation. It was exactly like getting shampoo in your eye! I called her office right away, and she told me to stop using that specific solution and instead switch to Complete along with some Bausch + Lomb contact lenses for artificial tears, just like you suggested... so I'm going to give that a shot. I really hope everything turns out okay.
thanks again so much🙂

Casey Palmer5 Regular

470 messages
joined Jan 2016

#14 · Feb 3, 2004

I personally use Re-Nu solution, and honestly, it's absolutely perfect.

mistyhound2 Active Member

89 messages
joined Feb 2004

#15 · Feb 3, 2004

Megan Peterson2 said:Please, if anyone could just give me some advice. I started wearing contacts just a few days ago, and I was wondering—can I wear sunglasses during the day while having my contacts in? Also, can I do aerobics with them? Does any kind of sports activity mess things up? Everything is so new to me right now and honestly, I have no clue, so please, I'm begging for a few tips... thanks

Look, do whatever you want with them. I've gone swimming before, but, uh, just watch out for water getting in your eyes because it stings like crazy, and honestly, you might end up popping one right out.😁 Believe me, I've been there.😁 As for sunglasses, they’re a total necessity for me since the sun hits me like a freight train when I'm wearing my lenses.

swiftbison7 Active Member

62 messages
joined Dec 2002

#16 · Feb 3, 2004

When I first started wearing contacts, I had absolutely no clue that I could actually go in the ocean, swim, or scuba dive without any issues... so I used to rip them out every single time before hitting the water, then I'd be hunting for fresh water just to rinse the salt off my hands, then trying to put them back in, and praying for some shelter from the wind so they wouldn't fly right out of my eyes... man, it was such a struggle. Honestly, the hardest part was definitely trying to find my floaties when I was coming out of the surf because my prescription is so high that I can barely see my own hand in front of my face... so I’d always buy the brightest, most neon-colored floaties possible and just stare intensely at that little speck in the distance so I wouldn't lose sight of it, otherwise who knows where it would have drifted off to.

But now everything is totally fine since I switched to soft ones, I don't even take them out unless I'm going to bed, and I just swim and dive whenever I want...🙂

Matthew Morris28 Active Member

55 messages
joined Jan 2005

#17 · Feb 4, 2004

Been rocking semi-permeable contacts for two years now. Honestly, I'm pretty stoked with them. Sometimes they do feel a bit weird on my eyes, though, mostly because my job involves staring at a computer screen all day long.

I spent years wearing photochromic glasses, so bright sunlight is still a massive struggle for me, especially when stepping out of a building. Because of that, I always have to throw on sunglasses whenever I'm outside. Also, cigarette smoke really messes with me when we head to a pub for a few rounds.

Artificial tears are a total lifesaver. I actually have this habit where I drop a little bit onto the lens right after taking it out of the solution—it makes the lens way more comfortable and my vision gets so much clearer.

I can't really deal with them in heavy dust or if I'm walking through crazy strong wind. I even managed to do some welding once, which used to be a huge nightmare when I was wearing glasses.

Sometimes I just totally forget I'm wearing them and rub my eye, and then... well, you know how that goes. It's a mess.

William Morris2 Member

26 messages
joined Jun 2003

#18 · Feb 4, 2004

ancii said:...if anyone has questions about soft contact lenses, just hit me up 😁

I've been wearing soft contacts for about a year now.
Honestly, I usually just stick to glasses because they never feel 100% comfortable. It's like I can always "feel" them in my eyes.
Do you think using something like artificial tears would actually help?
prescription is -1.5, -1.75

Peter Taylor63 Member

32 messages
joined Dec 2004

#19 · Feb 4, 2004

Megan Peterson2 says:
crimsonbear23 said:I immediately got some Acuvue Moist solution from her. I left my lenses in it all night and even rinsed them with saline before putting them in, but man, they burned like crazy once they were in my eyes.

Did you use the neutralization tablet with that solution? I mean, Acuvue Moist is peroxide-based, so you definitely shouldn't let it touch your eye without neutralizing it first. And honestly, rinsing after using it is kind of unnecessary—it just seems like extra work moving the lenses around your fingers for no reason...

Peter Taylor63 Member

32 messages
joined Dec 2004

#20 · Feb 4, 2004

William Morris2 said:Do you guys think using artificial tears might actually help?

I mean, just try it. It's not like it hurts to find out! 😁

P.S. Actually, it's probably only like $5.

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