Who wears contact lenses?

[northerner]

I got mine yesterday, took them out fine last night, but struggled for 30 minutes this morning to get them in and had to give up as needed to set off for work.

I feel like a right idiot. Will try again tonight.

Does it get any easier. Any tips?

TIA

[Tetley]

Yes - it gets lots easier - just keep practising! I've worn them since I was 12, so have had lots of practise!!

I seem to remember a tip I was given was to make sure that your finger was dry. The lenses are attracted to a wetter environment - i.e. your eye - so will come off your finger better.

Other than that - just persevere - it will get easier

[Prettybird]

Are they soft or hard?

I took ages to get used to my hard ones - the soft ones are a cinch in comparison.

I did find with the hard ones it was easier to put them in with my fingers rather than using the wee sucker thing (same wth getting them out).

[northerner]

PB- mine are soft. Glad I don't have the hard ones at this rate!

Tetley I didn't even know you wore lenses. How are you anyway?

[wild]

Found it vile at first
as well as v awkward. Took ages
25 years on its a cinch
Only took a matter of days/ weeks
Worth it every bit, I don't suit specs and hate getting steamed up in the rain, red marks on nose etc

[marthamoo]

It does get easier - I never thought I would get the hang of it when I first had them but I've had mine for 15 years now and it's second nature. Try not to get uptight about it - just give it another go when you have more time.

I don't put mine it the way the optician showed me - I pull my lower lid down, look up, put the lens of my eye, then sort of lift my upper lid over the lens a bit (otherwise your top lid can squash the lens down, or knock it out when you first blink). If you are using an all-in-one solution that doesn't give you much extra liquid for faffing about - buy a can of sterilised saline and you can keep squirting a bit on to keep the lenses moist, if you have to keep trying to get them in.

Persevere: soon you'll be able to do them without looking in a mirror and also when paralytically drunk, which is a very useful skill

This all aplllies to soft lenses, btw - have no experience of any other kind.

[gingerbear]

me.
It does get easier.

Mine are soft, monthly disposables.
Use with All-in-one solution.

Wear for max 7 hours per day - at tea time my eyes get red and dry, so I always swap them for my specs then.
Wash hands, dry with NON FLUFFY TOWEL (vvv important so that you don't get fluff on the lenses)take them out, rinse in stuff and put in container. Next morning rinse with stuff again, put on tip of index finger, check the lens hasn't 'flipped' inside out first - v v painful if you put them in this way, then place straight on coloured part of eye.

Oh and get into a routine where you always put the left or right one in first.

If you are still struggling, go back to the opticians and ask someone to watch whilst you do it to check your 'technique'.

[Tetley]

See Northerner - that's the beauty of them - you don't know they're there!!

I'm fine thanks - back at work now after the Christ,as break, so gradually catching up with Mumsnet again - don't get much chance to get on here when I'm not at work

Hope things are well with you & that you saw some of your dh over Christmas - hope he wasn't too busy.

[Hulababy]

Yes, it does get easier. I have had mine for over 10 years now and I can do them anywhere in no time at all, without a mirror. As I hav e dry eye my lenses often pop out, so I am getting to be an expert!

Keep persevering. Itt'll be worth it.

[marthamoo]

gingerbear raises a good point - about them being right way out; did they show you that?

A bloke I worked with was complaining about his soft contact lenses one day - he said some days they were really comfy and other days they were awful to wear. As we were chatting about it I said (thinking it was really too obvious to mention) "you are putting them in the right way out all the time aren't you?" I couldn't persuade him that I wasn't taking the p*ss - but I described the shapes to him and next time I saw him he said "you were right - they can be inside out!" His optician hadn't told him and he'd been wearing them for four years! Had no problems with them after that.

So...just in case. Put lens on the end of your finger, and lift it up so you can see it sideways on (on a level with your eyeline) If it is a cup shape, it's right way out, if it has a slight tulip shaped outward curve (and it is slight) it's inside out.

[northerner]

Well yes I'll persevere again tonight. Sounds promising that it's second nature to you all now. Especially doing it whilst drunk!

I suppose it's similar to inserting a tampon. God I struggled for weeks with those - squatting/foot on bath etc. And I mastered that!

[northerner]

Forgot to say am terrified of the turning inside out thing. My optician did mention it but I'm finding it ahrd to tell teh difference at the moment. Just my luck - I'll finally get them in and they'll be bloody inside out.

Will report back tommorow.

[oatcake]

I don't understand this inside out business. It bloody hurts when they're inside out... and you can't see anything... (I wear daily disposables purely cos of sensitive eyes otherwise they're an environmental disaster)

[gingerbear]

Oh, you will know if they are inside out, trust me!

[PicadillyCircus]

Northerner, I've worn soft lenses for 13 years now and they are so much better than glasses .

With the inside out thing, I was shown to put a lens on the palm of my hand, on the line which goes across your hand and underneath my little finger. Bend your little finger upwards and if the lens is the right way round, it will bend into itself, if not then it will bend outwards.

And if one does feel sore in your eye it could well be that it is inside out.

Do perevere though, at first I thought I would never get the hang of it

[munnzieb]

I've had them for about 6 yrs now, and they're pretty much ok, normally it doesn't seem to matter if it's inside out or not, thou I am having a problem if I put one in the wrong eye - it stings like hell. It took a few weeks to get used to tehm initally thou, mainly cos my eye wanted to shut everytime my finger went nr it! but u get used to it. I used a mirror to begin with and didn't put my finger in the centre of my eye(slightly off to one side and let my eye pick the kense up as it were) seemed to work better than trying to directly put the lense in the centre. Oh and use your one hand to hold the eye lid open and the first finger to hold the eye open the other end, then use the middle finger to put in the lense. (haven't found any other method to work)

[Prettybird]

With the inside out business: it is difficult to tell, but I find that if if I'm not sure, then it probably is inside out. You flip it over and see if it has the "right" curve. If it doens't, you can always flip it back again.

Even after c.20 years of soft lenses, I still need to use a mirror. If I'm forced to, I can try to do witohut - but it would probably take a few attempts (and very watery eyes). I use the daily disposables too - I think they are a wee bit thinner and more difficult to handle? I can take them out without a mirror no problem.

I sued to be able to put my hard ones in and out without a mirror, no problem.

I have the opposite problem to most contact lens wearers - my eyes tend to be too moist rather than too dry.

[breeze]

I have had contact lenses for about 10 years now. It did take ages at first, but after a few weeks it got a lot easier.

I now wear the mothly all day and night ones, so I only have to put them in once a month.

[northerner]

Well I tries again last night and this morning and still couldn't do it. I'm so frustrated.

Called my opticians today and there's noone in today who is qualified to help. So I have to wait till tommorrow.

[breeze]

Do keep trying, I remember pacing the bathroom huffing and puffing at first. try and remain calm and if you cant do it, go and have a cup of tea or something, calm down and then try again.

Good luck I know its a pain.

[Tetley]

Sorry to hear that, Northerner. I have to agree with Breeze - keep trying. It is fiddly, but you will get there!

[galaxy]

It does get easier. I don't wear them anymore as had Lasik surgery 4 years ago but did wear them for 12 years before that. I have vivid memories of sitting on the bathroom floor crying coz I couldn't get them in and I was gonna be late for work. Took me about 3 weeks to get the hang of it. I found that if I was struggling, it was better to leave it for 10 minutes and then go back to it

Agree with the finger being dry tip but also found that my eyes were dryer in the morning so squirted a bit of saline into the lense before putting it in helped.

[Prettybird]

How are you getting on Northerner? Is it any easier yet?

[northerner]

Thanks for asking Prettybird!

I'm getting on fine now thanks. Feel a bit silly at making such a fuss now