Never worn contacts: is there any reason I shouldn’t order some online?

[emmyhelly]

I wear a mask all day at work and I’m sick of my glasses steaming up! I either have foggy glasses or can’t see much in front of me if I’m not wearing them.

I saw an introductory order for 15 pairs of daily disposables from Hubble (it’s a subscription but I would cancel it straight away if i didn’t get on with contacts) and thought ‘why not try contacts?’

I know a glasses prescription is different to a contacts prescription but have converted it using an online converter (checked several to make sure they gave the same answer). Is there any reason this is a stupid/ dangerous idea?!

No way would I use an online shop for lenses without having a proper consult and fitting first.

I thought exactly the same OP. Went to specsavers for my normal eye test and enquired about contacts. They were not doing any new contact "fitting" at the time (3 weeks ago) but told me to phone this month. It's frustrating but hopefully will be able to try some this month.

thanks all! Will make an optician appointment

@Smiling89 what would your recommendation be for monthly disposables?

@ImaSababa

Just order them. The whole "you need an optician to fit them" is a money-making myth.

No it really isn’t. Badly fitting lenses can cause all sorts of problems, like ulcers. But you’ll only be risking your vision so what the fuck, eh?

I’ve been wearing contacts for twenty years and have a monthly delivery from Vision Express. A few years ago I ordered a pair online to see if they were any good and they did not fit, kept sliding about when I blinked and gave me headaches. Definitely optician prescribed all the way.

@Faraway20

I've got a fitting Friday this week for new contacts so give them a call!

slightly off topic, but i discovered that you can get bifocal contacts according to specsavers. 🤯

Definitely go to an optician.
I had a great experience with Specsavers. I had to try different types as I have slightly odd shaped eyes.
Once I found the right once and paid the subscription I found with everyday use I just didn't get on with them and was given a full refund.

@Gingaaarghpussy

slightly off topic, but i discovered that you can get bifocal contacts according to specsavers. 🤯

Yes you can. Back when I worked in optics they used to have concentric rings of different prescription. One ring for distance one ring for near. Each pair will have the prescription in a different order. So the put the one with distance in the middle in your dominant eye and the one with near in the middle on the other.

But...but... how does that work? With glasses, you move your eye to see out of either bit of glass in bifocals, but you can't move your eye with contact lenses. See🤯

@Gingaaarghpussy

But...but... how does that work? With glasses, you move your eye to see out of either bit of glass in bifocals, but you can't move your eye with contact lenses. See🤯

That’s why they are concentric rings. Your brain knows which eye to favour dependent on the distance you are looking at.

Can you not just buy the glasses spray that stops them fogging up? My pal did. Problem solved.

Yes I wear bifocals and my optician told me to just wear a contact (for distance) in one eye. Your eyes adjust!

Why would people risk something that if it went wrong could leave you blind just to save a few quid

Please don’t, go to a high street optician, for advice, fitting & aftercare, the health of your eyes is so important. You will also need to be trained on how to fit, remove & care for your lenses.

I once trialled a pair with a new optician that I fell asleep in. I’d done it hundreds of times with my old brand but I couldn’t see when I woke up.

Thankfully my vision came back and she went back to the previous brand i’d had. I now wear Biofinity torics and love them but every person is different.

The whole "you need an optician to fit them" is a money-making myth

So how does OP know what size she needs before she orders them? Just order one and hope for the best? Order every size and bin the ones that don’t fit?

And if you think you can wear contact lenses that are the wrong size, all I can say is you’ve clearly never tried to. They either fall out when you blink, or hurt like crazy.

@Gingaaarghpussy

slightly off topic, but i discovered that you can get bifocal contacts according to specsavers. 🤯

Ooh. Interesting.

@MulticolourMophead depends on your eyes and prescription, but assuming they fall within average parameters....

I'd go for Oasys Two Weekly, cost is similar to monthlies but you change them every two weeks instead. Silicone hydrogel so more oxygen transmission and changing them more frequently means less protein build up on the lens (less chance of infections and more comfort).

Biofinity monthly also pretty good - good stability of vision for those with higher prescriptions or those who have high astigmatism.

I have Biofinity monthly (high prescription, a bit of astigmatism) and they are fantastic for me. I wear one eye slightly undercorrected to counteract the start of middle-aged long-sightedness (so one eye mainly does close vision, the other distance) instead of multi-focals and it works a treat for me at the moment, the eyes just adjust automatically.

I tried it OP, ended up throwing them away I just couldn't get them in. Felt foolish.

I wear Biofinity too - high prescription, astigmatic, large eyes so can't wear dailies. You definitely need them fitted by an optician.

Are you mad!
Go and see an actual human optometrist/optician.

@FlamingoAndJohn ---wow, amazing, you are the only person ever (apart from my optician) who knows about the concentric rings ('concentric rings of power' he called them )
I have been wearing lenses for about 45 years am extremely shortsighted and for the last 6 or 7 years have struggled with close work.
No problem, said the optician, rubbing his hands together, I like a challenge. So we tried the concentric rings of power and then the different prescription in each eye....neither worked...so sticking with my plan A which is buy loads of pairs of cheap reading glasses. Which has been fine so far.