Contact lenses - anyone wear them over 40?

[EscapetothePorch]

...Because, I haven't worn them for a while and am considering getting some new ones. Am seriously short-sighted but now also do that, having-to-take-peer-over-my-glasses-or-hold-things-at-arms-length-to-read-the-small-print thang. I remember reading somewhere that the solution they come up with is to put a near-sighted lens in one eye and a long-sighted lens in the other. I can't imagine what this is like. Does anyone else have any experience/advice?

[Chil1234]

I'm over 40 and very short-sighted. I wear daily disposable contact lenses to correct the short-sight and don't struggle to read small print at a normal distance (yet!). I don't think wearing different lenses in different eyes would achieve anything other than eye-strain. But if you correct the short-sight with lenses and have reading-glasses for small print, that might not be such a bad solution. Time for an optician appointment?

[mankymummymoo]

I wear gas permeable lenses because my eyes are so bad (-11 and -9) - soft contacts or disposables would not come in a high enough prescription. I'm 43.

I would think the most sensible solution would be to have bi-focal glasses for when you don't want to wear your contacts and a pair or reading glasses that suit your prescription when wearing the contacts.

[mankymummymoo]

pair OF reading glasses. sorry.

[sue52]

I've given up wearing them recently as my eyes seem to have become drier. I wore them well into my 50s though and used reading glasses for small print.

[pippop1]

I've heard that you can get bifocal contact lenses. They are thicker at the bottom so that they hang the right way up. Look down for reading, up for distance. My optician says they are v difficult to get along with but I'm going to try them when I need reading glasses to go along with my current gas permeable contact lenses. I've been a CL wearer for thirty-five years now!

[rabbitstew]

Yes, apparently some peoples' brains can get used to one eye being made long sighted and the other short sighted - some people even have laser eye surgery to create that effect - but other peoples' brains just tell them they are seasick and need to vomit...

[ThatVikRinA22]

its called monovision. your dominant eye has the distance lens and your other eye has the reading lens.

it can work well for some, though there is a compromise obviously.

the other option is distance contact lenses and a pair of cheap readers over the top for close work.

dont try the varifocal contact lenses - they are rubbish.

[MarionCole]

My dad has a near-sighted lens in one eye and short-sighted in the other, he gets on with it really well.

[MarionCole]

(He's late 50s BTW)

[bindweed]

I am over 45 and have the monovision contact lenses. I've had them for a couple of years and it has worked pretty well, though my optician says it won't work so well if my reading prescription worsens. Apparently it works for some people and not others, so I was one of the lucky ones.

Before that I had cheap reading glasses over the distance contact lenses and that worked OK too.

[EscapetothePorch]

Thanks for your replies. I too cannot see how the different lens in each eye works but it obviously does for some people. I keep thinking that you would end up with one eye bulging Marty Feldman-style whilst the other sinks into its socket - attractive! Bifocal lenses too sound bizarre. The idea of having normal short-sight-correcting lenses and then reading glasses seems problematic - wouldn't I be popping them on and off constantly - I'd need one of those old-lady chains around my neck - I'm dooooomed!

Yes, I should go to an optician but it's been useful hearing other people's experiences and thoughts. I hope the optician allows a trialling of lenses before committing to buy because I sense that I need to explore a few options before making a big financial commitment.

[watercress]

Mankymummymoo, I wear soft lenses and my prescription is far worse than yours (minus 16 in lenses, minus 18 in glasses). You can get softs as long as you don't have astigmatism, otherwise it's pricey torics you need.

I'd go with distance contact lenses and readers over the top - you won't be popping them on and off all the time IMO.

[mintyneb]

escape, I am short sighted but am starting to struggle to read some things close up so when I last saw my optician he suggested reducing the prescription in one eye (the one that was less short sighted) by just .25

It made a marginal difference to close up reading but to be honest I noticed the reduction in long distance vision to be more of a pain so i will be going back to my usual prescription and accept that I will have to get myself some reading glasses at some point. can't say I'm looking forward to it but I guess its yet another sign of aging we cant avoid!

[BecauseImWorthIt]

I'm almost 51, and am still wearing soft, monthly disposable lenses.

I would be lying if I said I hadn't noticed any changes in my vision, but so far, it's OK. I don't have to do the holding things about three feet away from my face to read them!

Biggest difference for me is being able (or not being able) to read small print in poor light.

[lazymumofteenagesons]

I'm almost 50 and wear daily disposable soft lenses. Both eyes are -10.5, but I wear -9.5 in left eye to help with reading and it works. If I have to do alot of night driving I might wear -10.5 in both eyes as it is easier. I used to use reading glasses but this is much more convenient. Also I was told if I have a lens implant to correct my sight permanently it would be best to do it adjusted for reading so I needed to make sure I was comfortable with that. However I have not ahd the courage to go for it.

[MrsDinky]

Any reputable optician should let you have a trial run. I have mine slightly under corrected in the right eye to stave off this problem and it is fine, I can see the difference slightly when I am looking far away, but it is not a problem at all. I have used Dollond and Aitchison for years and always found the service and the lenses to be excellent.

[ByTheSea]

I'm 46 and wear daily disposables which correct my short-sightedness but not my astigmatism. I struggle to switch between looking at things like the telly and a newspaper in my lenses, but am putting off the inevitable reading glasses as long as possible. When I have my glasses on, I need to remove them to read. Computer work is best with my contacts, telly is best with my glasses, and close reading is now best with nothing, although my contact lenses do the job for just daily living, driving etc.

[chipmonkey]

Actually, Vicar, I am currently having a lot of success with Air Optix multifocals, having practically given up on all the others! I am actually finding the majority of patients who try them DO get on with them.

Escape, the best thing to do is book a consultation to find out what is available to you but being over 40 is not a contraindication at all.

[TheNextMrsDepp]

I'm one of the old-school types still using Gas Permeables. I'm 43 and have worn them since I was 15. After years and years of un-changing prescriptions I have started to go a little more long-sighted. Obviously if you go for monthly disposables this in't a problem, but I keep having to change my GPs and they're £100 a pair!!

[chipmonkey]

After a while, that will settle down, MrsJD. And GP multifocals are the best of all. More often that not, my GP multi wearers sit in the chair, say "Oh yes, I can read the bottom line, and yes, indeed I can read the tiny print, can I go now as I am double-parked" and run out the door while I am still trying to put the fluorescein in. Bliss!

[MaryAnnSingleton]

I am 51 and have worn hard gas permeable lenses since I was 18- I also use reading glasses for close up work/reading,though my near sight without contacts is perfect. They have been great I have to say, I rest my eyes and wear specs for 1 maybe 2 days a week and have been advised to take trhem out early some evenings as my eyes are a bit dry from taking tamoxifen. Would hate to be without them !

[tb]

Over 50 with soft extended-wear lenses, +4.25/+1.5 ie mono-vision lenses. The only problem I ever had was the first time I tried to run while wearing them - I nearly fell flat on my face 'cos 1 second the pavement looked in the normal place and the next it was in my face.

Apparently they are better then the dual focus ones as the distance/reading zones interfere with each other.

[eltham]

I've been wearing cls for over 20 years and am shortsighted (-7.5). About six months ago, I noticed it getting harder to see books at close range. Optician tried going down .5 in left eye but my mind couldn't seem to accommodate this. I found this interesting as there's people with different prescriptions in different eyes but phaps it was cause I'd been used to same prescription in both for so long. Now I'm back to original and just have to work harder to see close up. I'm 46 btw