Soft Contact Lenses

[CathJ]

So I've been thinking about having LASIK, which means that I can't wear my contact lenses for about 2 months beforehand (because I wear RGP lenses).

But I really hate wearing glasses, and I just can't see as well out of them, especially peripherally, and I'm not sure that I want to drive with them - although I won't have a choice.

But then someone suggested that if you wear soft lenses, you only need to leave them out for 2 weeks - so instead of switching from RGP lenses to glasses for 8 weeks, couldn't I switch from RGP to soft for 6 weeks, then soft to glasses for 2 weeks?

This makes sense to me, although I'll check it out with my optician. My questions are:
1) How easy is it to insert and remove the soft lenses? The hard lenses are really easy, and I'm worried the soft lenses are more difficult since you can't just pop them out.
2) How much do soft lenses cost?

 

[JK8]

So I've been thinking about having LASIK, which means that I can't wear my contact lenses for about 2 months beforehand (because I wear RGP lenses).

But I really hate wearing glasses, and I just can't see as well out of them, especially peripherally, and I'm not sure that I want to drive with them - although I won't have a choice.

But then someone suggested that if you wear soft lenses, you only need to leave them out for 2 weeks - so instead of switching from RGP lenses to glasses for 8 weeks, couldn't I switch from RGP to soft for 6 weeks, then soft to glasses for 2 weeks?

This makes sense to me, although I'll check it out with my optician. My questions are:
1) How easy is it to insert and remove the soft lenses? The hard lenses are really easy, and I'm worried the soft lenses are more difficult since you can't just pop them out.
2) How much do soft lenses cost?

Ive been using soft lenses for 11 years now.
Wear them everyday since.
They very easy to remove and put into your eye.
You can pop them out whenever you want.
I pay R350 for a box of 6, a pair lasts for about a month, I wear them them for 3 - 4 months sometimes

 

[Lino]

Ive been using soft lenses for 11 years now.
Wear them everyday since.
They very easy to remove and put into your eye.
You can pop them out whenever you want.
I pay R350 for a box of 6, a pair lasts for about a month, I wear them them for 3 - 4 months sometimes

I have been using mine for 2 years now.

Everything else is +1.

Later I will post the name of the brand I use. I only ever had problems with Johnson and Johnson.

 

[syntax]

i have used ahrd, soft and these special semi hard type lenses.
Once u are used to hardish lenses, the soft ones are annoying to put in, they flop around and its harder to see which way the lense should be...
but if u have been wearing hard lenses, u should easily adjust.

 

[CathJ]

i have used ahrd, soft and these special semi hard type lenses.
Once u are used to hardish lenses, the soft ones are annoying to put in, they flop around and its harder to see which way the lense should be...
but if u have been wearing hard lenses, u should easily adjust.

Yeah, that's what worries me... guess I can always just go to my optician and get a trial pair.

 

[CathJ]

Ive been using soft lenses for 11 years now.
Wear them everyday since.
They very easy to remove and put into your eye.
You can pop them out whenever you want.
I pay R350 for a box of 6, a pair lasts for about a month, I wear them them for 3 - 4 months sometimes

That's not too bad, price-wise - where do you get them from, your optician? Or can you get them from pharmacies and places like that?

 

[Dolby]

I'd love contact lenses - but I battle whenever anything gets within centimetres on my eyes :/

 

[JK8]

That's not too bad, price-wise - where do you get them from, your optician? Or can you get them from pharmacies and places like that?

You can get it from any Optometrist, as long as you dont have a rare brand or very high prescription, my eyes are -6 in each eye, thats the highest most stores will keep higher than that they need to order.

I find that Spec Savers is the cheapest, My optom chargers R500 a box!

 

[Sackboy]

Ive been using soft lenses for 11 years now.
Wear them everyday since.
They very easy to remove and put into your eye.
You can pop them out whenever you want.
I pay R350 for a box of 6, a pair lasts for about a month, I wear them them for 3 - 4 months sometimes

That's very dangerous. Most contacts seem to be designed to 'wear out' before month end.

There's a new Laser system called iLASIK, which is supposed to be very sophisticated and fully-automated. The problem is we will only find out how well it works in 10 years time.

 

[Pooky]

I wear soft contact lenses everyday. Really easy to put in and take out, and I don't even notice they are there.

 

[Sackboy]

I'd love contact lenses - but I battle whenever anything gets within centimetres on my eyes :/

You do get used to them. What's funny is that it feels very bad at first and then over a day or two it feels more comfi. After not waring them for a few years, I tried them again, and didn't get that initial discomfort at all. I found that a bit worrying, because it didn't make sense, unless the surface of my eyes had been changed by the lenses.

 

[CathJ]

That's very dangerous. Most contacts seem to be designed to 'wear out' before month end.

There's a new Laser system called iLASIK, which is supposed to be very sophisticated and fully-automated. The problem is we will only find out how well it works in 10 years time.

It's not that they wear out, as such, as that there's a greater buildup of bacteria and stuff, which can leadto nasty eye infections.

Can't easily google right now - what is iLASIK and how does it differ from the custom wavefront technology that's in SA already?

edit: ah, I see. it's just custom wavefront combined with the use of a laser to cut the corneal flap, branded as iLasik. We have that technology in SA already, just maybe not under that brand. Not sure why you say we have to wait 10 years to see... it's just an evolution of the old lasik procedure, providing more precision.