oh contacts, how i despise you.

[nvexio]

So I went to the eye doctor (for lack of a better term as I'm too tired and aggrivated to try and remember what they're actually called) to have my yearly checkup, and to have any errors in my glasses that have occured over the past year fixed.

After my eyes have been thouroughly examined, I was asked if I would be interested in trying out contacts. Me being the glasses-hating kinda guy that I am, I immediately opted for this trial.

As with most people, I sat in a little room with a round mirror infront of my face, poking and prodding my eyes with a miniscule floppy version of a glasses lense. After about 30 minutes of not figuring out a proper way of doing this, I asked my doctor to put them in for me, so I may see and feel what I should be doing.

So he puts them in, and I managed to get both lenses back out about 20 minutes later after much irritation.

After giving my eyes a bit of a rest (10 minutes or so) I attempted to put my newly aquired contacts back in my eyes. On the first eye I managed to get it in and out, both on the first try, the doctor said I was comfortable enough to be putting them in (from his point of view) and that if I wished I could go on home with my contacts... as it was nearing close to dinner time, and I had been in this room for almost 3 total hours, I ofcourse opted for this route and made my way to an Italian restraunt called The Crazy Tomatoe.

Well, this morning, I can no longer even get my eyelids to fully stretch open, so I cannot even attempt to poke my eye for half an hour with a miniscule floppy-glasses lense..

Jolly ho.

[livius drusus]

That sounds hideously painful, Josh. I'm sorry. :comfort: I shall take a moment to appreciate my 20/20 in your honor.

[Ymir's blood]

Contacts will absolutely drive you batshit when you first get them. They made me late for work the day after I got mine.

The trick I use is to pick up the lens with your forefinger and pull down the lower eyelid with your middle finger. Then look upward and place the contact on your eyeball. Look down without blinking and then close your eyes. Pat the eyelid to remove any trapped air between the lens and your eye. The hardest part to learn was not to blink.

[Weaselboots]

They can be annoying at first. Stick with them, its worth it. I love my lens, i used to wear them everyday for years but was told that you're eyelids can develop an irritation and you can't wear them anymore. So now i wear them a few times a week and look all smart with glasses the rest of the time.
Keep a big bottle of saline handy. Take them out before you have a shower at night or they get fused to your eyeball for a while.

Good luck, it gets easier.

[pescifish]

Aargh, your post makes me concerned that I won't be able to get back into it like I need to. For 30 years or so I wore hard lenses but then I had Lasik surgery, which was an amazing success. Unfortunately, being the galloping myopic that I am, my Lasik has worn off after 5 years and I now need to wear glasses again.

I hate glasses!
So I plan on getting contacts (err... contact) again. At least this time it can be a soft one. I hope I can get back into the pokey-in-the-eye thing without problem. Ymir's blood, I will keep your pointers in mind when the time comes.

Stick with it if you can, nvexio, since you are an artist. The contacts will help avoid the distortion that is produced because the glasses lenses are located far from the eyeball lens.

[nvexio]

Well I've been practicing all day... eyes are a bit sore, but I'm starting to get the hang of taking them in and out :D