Contact lenses

Morgoth

Morgoth

Morgoth

Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2003
Posts
5,128
Location
West Lothian, Scotland
So after 5-6 years of wearing glasses I thought I'd get myself some daily contact lenses just for casual wear, I was shown how to put them in and take them out at the opticians though it took me quite a while to get it done but I got there in the end. I got 3 pairs of the trial lenses to take home with me while my 3 month order comes in, so I had a little try the other morning to pop them in so that I could comfortably wear my non-prescription sunglasses.

Well, trying to get these bloody lenses into my eyes was impossible. I struggled for 15 mins before I had to give up and go to work by which time I had managed to get the lense in the sink, the soapdish, stuck to my nose and also on the carpet, pretty much anywhere except my eyeball. Every time I get close to getting it in there my eye just says "I THINK NOT!" and gives my eyelid superhuman strength to clamp shut.

When the optician said it was a steep learning curve I guess she wasn't kidding.
 
Burnsy2023 said:
What technique do you use to put them in?
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I've tried a couple of ways, holding the top and bottom lids open wasnt very successful so I changed to pulling the bottom one down and trying to slip the lens onto the white of the eye as I look upwards. I found the latter to be a bit better apart from blinking reflexes ruining the better attempts.

As for laser eye surgery, it's not something I've really considered as I don't mind wearing glasses really, it's just that there are some occasions where being able to use contacts would be slightly more advantageous.

I guess it's a technique that will come with practice, I'm just glad I didn't start trying with monthly lenses or I'd be pulling the sink apart to get those lenses back. :D
 
Morgoth said:
So after 5-6 years of wearing glasses I thought I'd get myself some daily contact lenses just for casual wear, I was shown how to put them in and take them out at the opticians though it took me quite a while to get it done but I got there in the end. I got 3 pairs of the trial lenses to take home with me while my 3 month order comes in, so I had a little try the other morning to pop them in so that I could comfortably wear my non-prescription sunglasses.

Well, trying to get these bloody lenses into my eyes was impossible. I struggled for 15 mins before I had to give up and go to work by which time I had managed to get the lense in the sink, the soapdish, stuck to my nose and also on the carpet, pretty much anywhere except my eyeball. Every time I get close to getting it in there my eye just says "I THINK NOT!" and gives my eyelid superhuman strength to clamp shut.

When the optician said it was a steep learning curve I guess she wasn't kidding.
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it really does get easier, i use the old forefinger of same hand routine for mine but for the first few weeks i'd have to allow extra time to get them into each eye in the mornings.
 
Morgoth said:
As for laser eye surgery, it's not something I've really considered as I don't mind wearing glasses really, it's just that there are some occasions where being able to use contacts would be slightly more advantageous.
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Are you short or long sighted? I am short sighted which is very annoying to say the least, but tbh, its not the money, its more the scare-factor of laser eye surgery for me.

I currently wear glasses, my eyes aren't that bad, but shortsighted enough to need them for driving... keep us posted on your contact lenses as I am considerng these as a casual alternative to glasses until I pluck up the currage for lasereye.

Edit: Out of interest how many people here wear contact lenses throughout the day, because often I have thought to myself... "are everybody eles' eyes fine and just mine that are bad... lol because I dont see many people with glasses my age (19/20)
 
I occasionally wear lenses (read: when I can be bothered to spend a whole 30 seconds putting them in) and once you have got the hng of it you will have them in in no time at all.
I don't know how you've been shown but the way I find best is to put the lens on my index finger of my dominant (right) hand and use the middle finger of this hand to hold my bottom eyelid down.
I then use the middle finger of my left hand to hold open the top eyelid before I pop the lens on to the middle of my eye. Once the lens is in I have a quick look up,down, left and right to make sure it's seated correctly and I'm done.

Hope that helps :)
 
lift eyelid with other hand (over the top, left hand for right eye and vis versa) pull down lower eyelid with middle finger of other hand with contact lens resting on the index finger of the same had that's pulling down the bottom lid, gently place on ey, look about abit let go of lids and done.

it's easy :/
 
I'm going to get contacts for the (remainder of) summer so i can wear my non-prescription sunglasses. I had them a few years ago and was awful to start with. My eyes are pretty sensitive so i was a real state trying to do it first time at the opticians. It's totally mind over matter, though.

The technique i used was to hold both lids open (obviously), look fairly straight at it until you know you're lined up. Then look away so you can put the lens onto the white of your eye. Then just blink it into place. The trick is to not panic, but the real trick is to breathe out as you're doing it - as it stops the unwanted reaction of blinking (yes i thought i had superhuman eyelids :p)
 
Everyone has their own technique - once you find yours its a piece of cake.

I, for instance, just hold my eye open and push the lense directly on to my eye where it snaps into place. Sounds obvious, but it only works if I make sure I am looking directly at the lense with the target eye.

Taking out, I just pinch it off my eyeball. Once you are acquainted with touching your eye, its easy. Most people slide it off and blink to get it out.

Whatever works for you.
 
for some reason i found it easier at first when i was really really close up to the mirror, maybe easier to focus (pun intended :D) / concentrate, i dunno. try thinking about your fingers clamping your eyelids rather than keeping your eye open if that makes sense, as soon as you forget about your fingers your eye is gonna shut :D

make sure the end of your finger is dry when you put the lens on it so there is minimal contact between lens and finger - if finger is wet then the lens is about 75% stuck to your finger so is never gonna gonna want to stick to your eye.

once i pop it in i just lift my top eyelid over the lens to seal it, sometimes if it's not settled central then when you first blink it might pop out

you will lose a few i'm sure :D sometimes they go right down the plughole somehow without sticking to anything.
 
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My top eyelid doesn't lift much, I find it way easier to just pull the bottom lid down and slot it in that way.

Blinking with your top lid dies indeed mess it up, but if you keep at it it becomes way easier to hold back the blinking till the thing has sucked onto your eye.

In a week you'll have no problems. :)
 
haha

It took me 10 minuets at first, now i can pop them out / in in 2 seconds.

Just use your thumb and first finger and look straight between them, relax and pop em out :)
 
I remember it taking me ages to get them in the first few times as well but within a few days/weeks of constantly putting them in/taking them out you'll be fine.

Now I wear extended wear lenses so I put them in at the start of the month and take them out at the end of the month, swapping them for a new pair. There will be the odd day that my eye(s) feel a little tender so I'll take one or both lenses out for an evening, but other than that they just stay in there the whole time.
 
Few threads on contact lenses, here's how I get 'em in.
JIM_BOB7813 said:
I lift my upper eyelid with left hand, lower lid with right hand middle finger and look inwards, then place the lens in the centre of my eye using right hand index finger (but not on the pupil, as it is looking inwards) then push it slightly in and up, take hand away and look to each 4 corners, blink and it's sorted.
It takes a couple of weeks for it to become easy, but if you just relax it's so much easier.

Make sure your index finger is dry too, or the lens will cling to it.
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http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13596813

When you first start out, if you look at your finger coming towards your eye, you will just close it, well I did :p
 
I've recently started using continuous wear contacts, pop em in, 30 days later take em out, well cool and very comfortable to wear, askat specsavers
 
I've always been awesome at putting in contacts. It's a talent.

My girlfriend looks to the side and puts them on the side of her freakishly large eyeballs, then lets them move to the centre.

I just hold my eye open and plant it right in the middle, watch til most of the 'bubbles' are gone and then blink a few times, whatever works for you works.

As others have said it's mostly a case of getting used to touching your eyeballs... it might sound silly, but have you just tried touching your eyeball a load of times to get used to it and retrain your eye so it knows it shouldn't be afraid?

Once the lens is part way on, so to speak, it'll settle itself, you don't have to plant it on there perfectly, just pretty much get it to touch and it'll sort of shlurp itself to your eyeball on its own.

It does get easier, I know someone who took 45 minutes in the optician to get his first one in, whereas i managed it second or third time for some reason, but he can do it fine now it was just at first he struggled. Sticking stuff in your eye's not natural, loads of people can't do it very well.

First few times I did it on my own I struggled, definitely. It was harder when someone wasn't there to show me, remind me what to do and so on. I definitely flicked a few on the floor, in the sink, in my shirt pocket... Hardly ever happens now.
 
I recently started wearing them aswell. First week i struggled with getting thme in, often spending about 20mins getting very annoyed. Then i just found an easy way and it clicked, i now put them in instantly.
 
Tefal said:
lift eyelid with other hand (over the top, left hand for right eye and vis versa) pull down lower eyelid with middle finger of other hand with contact lens resting on the index finger of the same had that's pulling down the bottom lid, gently place on ey, look about abit let go of lids and done.

it's easy :/
Click to expand...

That's how I do it. It took about a week of doing it every day for me to get the knack of it. It took me a while to work out consistently which way was the wrong (inside-out) way to have the lense too.
 
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