Contact lenses: Does it get better over time?

[EtienneK]

Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but how much will lasik surgery set you back? Will medical cover it?

It costs about R30K and Medical Aid doesn't pay for it - they rate it as cosmetic surgery. Fookers!

 

[Nanfeishen]

Well for sport contacts is better. Trust me, glasses and squash don't mix.

Have you ever considered prescription sports glasses?
http://www.gosportsspex.co.uk/Default.asp
Prescription Squash glasses:
http://www.gosportsspex.co.uk/Squash.asp

 

[CathJ]

It costs about R30K and Medical Aid doesn't pay for it - they rate it as cosmetic surgery. Fookers!

The cost depends where you go - mine was about R20K, and I've seen another opthalmologist offer it for around R15K.

 

[CathJ]

Cool, so just have to be patient, also found the method you described to work the best for me, but unlike what the doc said, I always use my right hand to put the lense in, and the left to clamp the eye lid

I actually use the same hand to pull down the eyelid and insert the lens Ring finger pulls down the eyelid, middle finger inserts the lens. Don't worry, in time it'll be second nature.

 

[Devill]

Man, I got my first pair on thursday afternoon, and let me tell you, its been Contact lenses 1 : Gothan 0

Getting them in is already 700% of the battle, the right lense goes in chop chop (after 4 or 5 times), but the left one, oh my word, I have learned some new combinations of colourful words getting that thing in.

I need to get myself some coloured lenses so that I can see if I have them in or not, or if they fall out, it will be easier to notice them on a white towel then they 100% invicible ones I have on now.

But yes, that is my frustrating rant for this morning, already my eyes feel like I have been watching p0rn through a peephole for 8 hours, and they have only been in for an hour and a half

Stay away from fans aircons etc etc they dry out your eyes badly, also if you are working on a pc or something similair I would think glasses would be 100 times better.

I only wear my contacts when I go out and when I play sport. Glasses at the office and at home.

 

[Gothan]

Why use contacts? Why not glasses?

I've been wearing glasses for 20 years now, but my problem is that the only way for me to see with sunglasses is to get prescription sunglasses and they are also a fortune, and I love my wayfarer sunglasses. So I decided when I got me some new glasses the other day to also invest in contacts

 

[Nanfeishen]

I've been wearing glasses for 20 years now, but my problem is that the only way for me to see with sunglasses is to get prescription sunglasses and they are also a fortune, and I love my wayfarer sunglasses. So I decided when I got me some new glasses the other day to also invest in contacts

Fair enough, I have also worn glasses for many years, but being only a little short sighted, with a stigmatism in one eye, it is a bit easier for me.
I have a favourite pair of fossil sunglasses i normally wear, and have considered simply replacing the standard lenses with prescription full tint lenses.
They are not too large, so it shouldnt be a problem , but i can imagine the newer wrap type sunglasses would certainly be costly.

 

[flarkit]

Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but how much will lasik surgery set you back? Will medical cover it?

I wear lenses, they do get a lot easier after a while. I can even put them in and take them out when I'm drunk, no problem.

I had mine done 3 years ago at the Eye Institute in Pta, for about 12K

 

[Devill]

It costs about R30K and Medical Aid doesn't pay for it - they rate it as cosmetic surgery. Fookers!

+1.

Idiots they could save themselves a lot of money. I found out for my eyes it would be around 18k do do the laser surgery.

 

[Claymore]

A couple of useful tips:
1. Don't ever cut chillies and then take your lenses out or put them in afterward. The chilli burns like a red-hot poker, and it doesn't come out of the lenses.
2. The best contact lens solution, in my opinion, is Aosept, but it's hydrogen peroxide and needs to react with the catalyst in the special bottle for 6 hours. Don't rinse a lens in Aosept and then put it in - it's like acid on the eyeball (yes, I know what acid on the eyeball feels like).

 

[Claymore]

+1.

Idiots they could save themselves a lot of money. I found out for my eyes it would be around 18k do do the laser surgery.

Nope. I asked about it once, and they explained that because in most cases the lasik is not perfect, the patients often still need glasses anyway.

 

[guest2013-1]

For me it took about two weeks to put them in and take them out with ease, but even after many months of use my eyes would tire very early evening and even earlier in polluted environments.

I got LASIK done about 12 years ago, and I suspect the techniques have improved since, but I can tell you that driving at night is not good with all the lights flaring.
Low light visibility is poor.

Now I use reading glasses.

It definately has improved a lot since then, they're using a technique now that doesn't give that halo effect at night with street lights. I think the doc mentioned a less than 5% chance of you having that, and even if you do get it, the effect of it is a lot less than previous methods has had.

I'd definately try lasik before ****ing up my eye with lenses

 

[guest2013-1]

Nope. I asked about it once, and they explained that because in most cases the lasik is not perfect, the patients often still need glasses anyway.

Not sure where you went to, but the can fix a refraction of up to 6 and have you walk away with legal driving vision the next day.

a higher refraction than 6 is basically legally blind. Even in those extreme cases you would only need a correction pair of glasses of less than 1.5 per eye (varies per eye)

The risk is minimal, and if your lenses are too thin for the operation or they **** it up, it can be repaired without reprecussion and is usually done for free (hence the next day checkup to see how everything went)

The doc I went to usually got cases of lasik patience where other doctors screwed them up, he said he had a 100% success rate in fixing their eyes and giving them at least legal driving vision without glasses.

The most extreme case he had in the past 10 years was when they loaded the wrong reflection plate on the laser they used and did the wrong eye with it. The patient then was corrected within a few minutes anyway.

One patient had his eye done twice, because the lens on his eye was too thin to operate again, they just did a lens replacement surgery and redid the lasik.

THATS EXTREME CASES and well worth the 6 minutes you lie flat on your back thinking the worst coming out with 20/20 vision. 5 days with those little plastic **** isn't worth the ease it is just getting lasik.

I haven't regretted a single moment, and with technology today you don't have to worry about halo's and stuff. Your doc needs to be seriously retarded and backwater in the basement type of operation to **** up your vision even more than it already is with lasik

 

[guest2013-1]

It costs about R30K and Medical Aid doesn't pay for it - they rate it as cosmetic surgery. Fookers!

Its R13600 excluding the R670 consultant fee for the checkup to see if you're a candidate. That's without medical aid and the cash discount they give you. With medical aid it's around R16700.

Medical Aid covers it and as far as the doctor explained is not considered cosmetic surgery if your refraction is out by a lot (more than 3 or 4 I think)

 

[guest2013-1]

A couple of useful tips:
1. Don't ever cut chillies and then take your lenses out or put them in afterward. The chilli burns like a red-hot poker, and it doesn't come out of the lenses.

Yes, be very careful with chillies, even after you wash your hands a few times they sit in there. I thought I washed my hands... oh the agony!

 

[Gothan]

WEll this morning its contact lenses 1 : Gothan 0 (Again!!). Just could not get the little $#%^#$&^#$% helpers in, so I had to leave them out else I was going to be late for work. So tonight when I get back home, I'll try to pop them in and wear them for a couple of hours

 

[RazedInBlack]

I would so agree. Go Lasik. Lenses are damn expensive over time as well.

Dude, over the years it will be cheaper to just get lasik (if you qualify) so go spend the R600-700 consulting fee, go get an exam, and check if you're a candidate. Its literally 6 minutes and you have close to 20/20 vision.

Contact lenses are evil and the cash is deductable from medical aid I think...

What is Lasik? Give me more info, please.

 

[Frankie]

What is Lasik? Give me more info, please.

Google is your friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK

LASIK or Lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a type of refractive laser eye surgery performed by ophthalmologists for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.[1] The procedure is generally preferred to photorefractive keratectomy, PRK, (also called ASA, Advanced Surface Ablation) because it requires less time for the patient's recovery, and the patient feels less pain overall. However, there are instances where a PRK/ASA procedure is medically justified as being a better alternative to LASIK.[citation needed]

Many patients choose LASIK as an alternative to wearing corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses.

 

[Yotch]

What is Lasik? Give me more info, please.

I would also take a look at this site to learn about the many negative aspects of Lasik surgery. Even if the initial operation is successful you can experience serious eye problems at a later stage due to premature cataracts, complications during later cataract surgeries or resulting from dry eye conditions etc.
http://www.lasikcomplications.com/

 

[Gothan]

Well this morning its Gothan : 1, Contact lenses : 0 !!!

Got up this morning (set my alarm to get up 20 minutes earlier), went to the bathroom, and whoop in went the right one, bam in went the left one. Stood there in shock for awhile, then I started looking around the room, on the floor, in the basin. But they were already in!!

So this afternoon when I go back to the Doc, gonna tell them to lay a pair on me,