Contacts, glasses, & sea spray?

[tattoobob]

I know we have covered this before, I am considering getting contacts and I usually leave my glasses in the truck because they just don't work in the surf. I was wondering about contacts because I have never had them and want to know a few pros and cons before I take the plunge. What do you gals/guys think?

[GattaFish]

I wear and have been wearing them for 8 years.... I wear them waterskiing, flying, fishing and everything,,, I have the throw away ones so after a month I chuck them,,, I have had very few problems. sometimes... they get dry (mostly on long flights since the air is very dry) or I rub my eyes to much and they fall out,,, I have even worn them swimming a few times,,,, Just make sure you keep an extra set if you get them,, Just in case,, especially if you are reckelss with them like I am,,,, I wear the soft ones since they are easy on my eyes....

[bart]

same with me. i wear them doing everything, swimming included. never had a problem.

gattafish basically summed it all up

[jim sylvester]

bob,
in the ocular industry for 6 years

heres the skinny on contact lenses

there are daily disposable lenses, ask your optometrist for a couple of weeks of trials for these, since your tear film needs to become acclimated to the thinner material

no cleaning of these lenses at all

put a pair in in the morning
take them out at night and throw them away
put a new pair in the next day

benifit of these lenses besides being the most healthiest way to wear contact lenses is when you are exposed to water

these are the modality of contact lens wearing that the american opthamology association recommends to patients that are exposed to water, ie, swimmers, surfers, fisherman

a nasty microbial disease can take place when you are exposed to water while wearing contact lenses and not cleaning them

Its called acanthameba castrilio

basically its bacteria build-up between your contact lens and the first layer of your eye

can cause blindness in the worst cases

these lenses are a bit more than traditional 2 week lenses, but your paying for health and convenience

after the trial, if you decide to purchase there is usually a pretty nice rebate that comes with the lenses...in the value of $60.00-$80.00 depending on the company

I'll try and get decksweeper to chime in on this one as he made the switch to daily disposables approx 3 years ago and loves them...he'll let you know from first hand experience

anything else you need let me know or i can recommend thebest dr in your area that has first hand experience in fitting these lenses


jim

[tattoobob]

Wow thanks, I forgot to mention that I had Laser surgery for Glaucoma, I have a great eye Doctor and I have to go soon I wanted to get some opinions first

[MakoMike]

If you had laser surgery for glaucoma, why do you need contacts?

[DZ]

Bob,
On one night many moons ago I quit casting because pea soup drizzle/fog made my glasses unusable and I can't see without them. The next morning my partner shows up in my driveway with multiple cows. I missed that action because of my glasses. I vowed that would never happen again by getting contacts.

I'm fortunate to have an Optometrist as my casting partner - you may remember Dr. Al Rispoli who spent some time with us at Block last fall. Al has fitted me with daily disposable contacts. I only use them when its rainy, foggy or in the open surf. Otherwise I wear my specs. This way you can purchase a months supply and make it last longer by wearing them only when you need them.
Talk with your doctor and get fitted, then if he approves, get some free samples to try, all docs have samples to give out.
Contacts have really made a difference for me.
DZ

[JFigliuolo]

I use monthly disposables... I forget what they are called... wicked comfortable. I ONLY use them fishing. I take them out when I get home. 1 pair lasts me a few months. I will NEVER go nack to glasses in the surf.

[Slick Moedee]

As I normally wear glasses I got the daily disposables. Only wear them fishing in the surf/fog, diving...... They are great. Like anything they feel weird for a while as you eye gets used to them, but having the ability to just toss them at the end of the day is great. I forget which ones I have, but I have a astigmatism and they work fine.

[decksweeper]

Alright....Jim's pulled me out of Lurker Land...

As with fishing, Jim is far more knowledgeable than I on this topic as well...but here's my story. I've been wearing contacts now for about 15 years....I used to go with the two week disposables...and found that if you don't really take care of them they get diseased and your eyes can get infected. As Jim said, I switched to the daily lenses a few years ago. I love them, they last about 12-14 hours then start lose their comfortable factor. The good thing is that you could buy them and only wear them when you're out fishing then throw them out when you're done with them. No risk of infection, no effort on your part to clean them, and as Jim said they're better for you.

[zacs]

contacts here as well. Sailing, Fishing, any other watersports would never be the same. Also, being able to wear off the shelf polarized shades is a huge plus IMO.

I see no cons, only pros.

[Diamond Tackle]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

If you had laser surgery for glaucoma, why do you need contacts?

not to hijack the thread
I had the same laser surgery for Glaucoma, its to relieve pressure only, nothing to do with vision at all.


Bob, get the contacts, they are all disposable now, unless you have special needs(like the ones for cataracts so they dont spin). You cant beat the freedom it gives you. No more foggy glasses at night, no more possible lost/damaged glasses climbing on rocks ,jettys etc. Its great. When you lose them, who cares ,they are disposable anyway. I even used to wear them jetskiing, only lost 2 in all the years. Waterskiiing you will lose them regulartly, but i would even use them for that, cause you can see everything,and safety is more important than a disposable lens.

One more thing,
Start slowly, build up your tolerance, like a new pair of shoes. Dont let them tell you that you can wear them for 4 hours right off the bat, start with like an hour, go to 2, 3, 4 etc, til you are comfortable wearing them all day, and never leave them in overnight, no matter what anyone tells you, thats real bad.

[striperman36]

How about astigmatism? I have wicked issues years ago with contacts. Do softs handle that now?

What is the approx cost of the daily disposables? I would love to get these damn things off my nose.
Can you sleep with them on if you like fall asleep waiting for the tide are you hosed?

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by striperman36

How about astigmatism? I have wicked issues years ago with contacts. Do softs handle that now?

What is the approx cost of the daily disposables? I would love to get these damn things off my nose.
Can you sleep with them on if you like fall asleep waiting for the tide are you hosed?

1. Depends, how bad it is. But they have come a long way since you tried them last.

2. Again depends how often you wear them. I think ~$1 a day is a good estimate.

3. Yes, but I don't recomend doing it everynight. But a few hours on a rock is fine.

[striperman36]

I have an eye appt next week, I'll ask.

Thanks,

Bill

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by striperman36

How about astigmatism? I have wicked issues years ago with contacts. Do softs handle that now?

What is the approx cost of the daily disposables? I would love to get these damn things off my nose.
Can you sleep with them on if you like fall asleep waiting for the tide are you hosed?

daily disposable lenses are made for people with astigmatism

they are called focus dailies torics

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

1. Depends, how bad it is. But they have come a long way since you tried them last.

2. Again depends how often you wear them. I think ~$1 a day is a good estimate.

3. Yes, but I don't recomend doing it everynight. But a few hours on a rock is fine.

they cost appprox a dollar a day

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by striperman36

How about astigmatism? I have wicked issues years ago with contacts. Do softs handle that now?

What is the approx cost of the daily disposables? I would love to get these damn things off my nose.
Can you sleep with them on if you like fall asleep waiting for the tide are you hosed?

you can sleep in them, just not for extended periods

if you take a cat nap waiting for a tide, thats fine

just don't fall alseep for a 7 hour period with them on, or you'll need a pry bar to get them off, since they are made extremely thin, therefore drying up a lot faster

they are made for to be worn for a 14 hour period, then throw them away

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by striperman36

How about astigmatism? I have wicked issues years ago with contacts. Do softs handle that now?

What is the approx cost of the daily disposables? I would love to get these damn things off my nose.
Can you sleep with them on if you like fall asleep waiting for the tide are you hosed?

The daily disposable, or even the monthly ones do not correct astigmatism. I have perma lenses, which are not disposables, (unless you have a ton of money) but they do offer some slight correction of astigmatism. If your astigmatism isn't too bad they might do. And you can sleep with them in. You just hvae to take them out and clean them every couple or three weeks.

[TC23]

Originally Posted by zacs

contacts here as well. Sailing, Fishing, any other watersports would never be the same. Also, being able to wear off the shelf polarized shades is a huge plus IMO.

I see no cons, only pros.

I agree with everything he said

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

The daily disposable, or even the monthly ones do not correct astigmatism. I have perma lenses, which are not disposables, (unless you have a ton of money) but they do offer some slight correction of astigmatism. If your astigmatism isn't too bad they might do. And you can sleep with them in. You just hvae to take them out and clean them every couple or three weeks.

Not true....
http://www.acuvue.com/acuvue_astig.htm

[Swimmer]

Bob I wish I could wear them, if they fog up, blink, and your good to go. My glasses fog up and I have to live with it.

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

The daily disposable, or even the monthly ones do not correct astigmatism. I have perma lenses, which are not disposables, (unless you have a ton of money) but they do offer some slight correction of astigmatism. If your astigmatism isn't too bad they might do. And you can sleep with them in. You just hvae to take them out and clean them every couple or three weeks.

mike,
respectfully disagree, and again this is my profession

disposable toric lenses correct astigmatism 100%

patients fit with these lenses have achieved 20/15 vision 87%of the time, and that is a stat from the AAO (american association of optometrist)
20/15 is better than perfect vision, which is 20/20

your dr may be keeping you is rgp's (perma) lenses because his profit is MUCH higher than selling disposable lenses.

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

Not true....
http://www.acuvue.com/acuvue_astig.htm

I'm glad someone posted that

[ThrowingTimber]

Love the disposables

work covers 70% of laser surgery for me so I'm considering it

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by jim sylvester

mike,
respectfully disagree, and again this is my profession

disposable toric lenses correct astigmatism 100%

patients fit with these lenses have achieved 20/15 vision 87%of the time, and that is a stat from the AAO (american association of optometrist)
20/15 is better than perfect vision, which is 20/20

your dr may be keeping you is rgp's (perma) lenses because his profit is MUCH higher than selling disposable lenses.

Tell me more, please!

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

Tell me more, please!

what more do you need to know

if your asking about profits, optometrist make between 17-25% on disposables as opposed to rgp's (gas perms, the hard ones) where they are making upwards of 60%


technology has come along way

back in the day..the late 70's early 80's before disposables, rgp's were the caddy of all lenses..the best you could get

its comparing dial up to high speed internet, its new technolgy that performs much better

[GattaFish]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

Bob I wish I could wear them, if they fog up, blink, and your good to go. My glasses fog up and I have to live with it.

I have a buddy who takes a rainex anti fog cloth and treats his glasses (while they are off his face and lets them dry usually overnight when he is sleeping) with the anti fog,,,,, He said he does it once a week during the fishing season whether they need it or not,, just for nights like that,,,,Just don't get that crap near your eyes,,,,,

My contacts are great,,,,, in every morning,,,, soak all night and out at night,,,, easy and never a problem,,

[tattoobob]

Now that I only hear good things, I am going for it if the Dr. says it is for me, thanks for all the tips

[Sgt_Nutz]

I had contacts for years. Fishing, hunting, diving, swimming.... Used the disposable ones. Two weeks then throw them away. I don't think they had the daily disposable ones then but they sound even better. Then talked to a friend who had the laser surgery. Had it done about 5 years ago. BEST thing I ever did, other than marrying my wife and fishing of course!! No more contacts or glasses. Evaluation to see if you qualify was free I believe. I highly recommend it if you can do it.