Monday, January 25, 2010

Sportin' Contacts

Today, I walked into Costco not able to read the sign at the end of the parking lot, and walked out able to read the sign clearly - without a pair of glasses atop my nose. Yes, this lady is wearing contacts for the first time in her life. And, I was shocked and pleased that it only took about 20 minutes for me to get through the eye appointment that brought forth the contacts.

The receptionist was surprised as well. Apparently, a first-timer doesn't usually walk out so quickly with contacts already placed correctly in ones' eyes. But, in many ways, I'm not such a first-timer, as I've been the one placing contacts in Brayden's eyes since the summer after his kindergarten year. That had to prepare me a little.

I can't say these contacts are "love at first sight" (ha ha, couldn't help the pun).... I suspect I'll request a pair even more breath-able when I meet with the eye doctor in our follow-up appt. next week. He gave me the sample pair, and I don't even know what they were.... I do appreciate being able to see well long-distance, but my eyes aren't as used to wearing corrective vision for things up close (i.e. - doing this typing).

But, all in all - a very good thing. I'm so tired of wondering where my corrective vision sunglasses are - and being totally limited to just wearing them when I want to see outside in the summer. And, gosh, it's nice to sit down on my couch and be able to read the DirecTV guide on the television without squinting - or trying to track down my regular glasses.

How many of the rest of you readers where contacts? If so, when did you start wearing them, and what kind do you wear?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the world of contacts! They're pretty great. I've been wearing them for about 10 years now but it took me awhile to get used to them. I was really bad at putting them in my eyes in the beginning. I couldn't even tell you what brand I use though...but I go through Costco for mine too.

Anonymous said...

I started wearing contacts the summer after my freshman year. I will never forget it because it was a horrible, horrible experience. Just say "rigid gas permeable lenses" to any longtime contact wearer out there, and you will hear the groans...they were hard plastic lenses and I can remember trying to train my eyes to accept them (which felt like voluntarily throwing a handful of sand in my eyes), then when the prescribed time was up spending an hour trying to get them back out. They were glued onto my eyes. Once I got used to them they were okay, but there were several times I'd duck under a volleyball net and blink just right and, -pop!- out the contact would come. When I finally switched to soft lenses I was so in love with how good they felt. But then a few years ago my eyes started drying out and I had trouble with recurring infections, so I finally made peace with being a four-eyes, pioked out some really cool frames, and said goodbye to contacts forever.

BTW do you remember Eric with his allergies - his eyes were always bright red in the spring and I wondered how he could stand it. Or Adam, taking out his RGP's (see above) and sucking on them to clean them during class, then sticking them back in? GROSS!

StephieAnne said...

No, I don't remember those situations with Adam and Eric - it must take wearers to notice wearers..... and, yeah, those hard lenses, BAD news! Today is better than yesterday, with neither day being all that bad. Getting them in and out has been surprisingly pretty easy......