The Student Room Group

Contact lenses? Safe? or Dangerous?

Hi guys,

I am thinking of getting one day disposable contact lenses for 74p a pair, where you wear once and throw them away, instead of the all day monthly contact lenses where you wear them everyday for 30 days cost around £10/month, and then they send you a new pair.

Don't get me wrong, i don't mind wearing glasses, but as i play field hockey at Uni', its hard for me to see the ball, since its so small.

I spoke to the sales assistant at the optician, and she said it is safe, and it will never get lost. Obviously, she would say that, as shes trying to sell contact lenses

I can get toric daily disposable lenses for customers with an astimatism for £1.30 a pair

OR

Varifocal daily disposable lenses combine distance, intermediate and reading prescrption for £1.30 a pair

I know nothing about contact lenses, so whats the difference between these and the 74p a pair?

Anyone that wears contact lenses out there? Are they safe? Can you lose them? Does it take you long, to get the lenses in your eye?

Any help would be appreciated

:smile:

Thanks

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Do you have glasses where at the top its long sighted, middle its near, and bottom its short sighted?
because they would be varifocal lenses, but you obviously only need them if you are short and long sighted.

Contact lenses, especially dailys are safe. Don't worry about it.
Reply 2
FireDeuce
Do you have glasses where at the top its long sighted, middle its near, and bottom its short sighted?
because they would be varifocal lenses, but you obviously only need them if you are short and long sighted.
.


Sorry, i don't think i get you :redface:

I am short sighted, not long sighted, does that answer your question?

As i am short sighted, then i don't need varifocal lenses?
Reply 3
You only need varifocal lesnses if you're eyes are so ****ed you cant see long or short or barely middle.

You only need the cheap ones.
Reply 4
I wear monthlies, have been doing for the last 3 years and I've only ever had one eye infection (now, in one eye. It's just a bit red and I'm wearing glasses!)

Very safe to my knowledge, so you'll be just fine.
Reply 5
Of course contact lenses are essentially safe, they wouldn't be legal if they weren't! (that's not to say people never have problems with them, but it's not that common and problems aren't usually that serious). In terms of losing them, no they won't fall out of your eye.

For occasional use, daily contacts would probably work out cheapest, but be warned -- once you've tried life with contacts you really won't want to go back to glasses (or at least that's what I found). For everyday use, go for monthlies as they're cheaper and just as good. And buying them on the internet is cheaper than buying them from a High Street optician, although you should probably get your first lot from your optician to be absolutely sure that you're getting the type suitable for you.

With regards the different types of more expensive lenses you mention, your optician should tell you what type you need. If you don't have astigmatism and are just normally short-sighted the cheapest should be fine.
Reply 6
Daily contacts are great. Im loving mine atm. if you loose one, its only a quid, not 15/30
Reply 7
They are safe, they won't get lost and the worst they'll do is dry out your eyes a smidge (providing you take care of them). A lot of people wear them and they rarely have a problem.
My contact lenses are £22 for 30 pairs, which works out about 73p a pair, and I've been wearing the same brand since I was 12. In nearly eight years, I've never had a problem.
Reply 9
I wear monthlies and have been for about 3 weeks now and they're excellent. I pay £14 for one pair which lasts me a month and have to clean them etc. They should be fine- far better than glasses- they really boost your self confidence. But yeah, they can dry on your eyes but just water them and they'll come out.
To be honest..about the eye infection thing..if you swim too much you get an ear infection, and no-one considers swimming to be dangerous (well not medically...except for drowning..yea)
I've been wearing contact lenses since I was about 14. At first I had the hard lenses, where you wear them everyday and have to clean them every night. I found these fine at first, but then the solution that I had to clean them which changed and I became allergic to it. Not a nice feeling, comparable I imagine to having someone plonk a red hot brick in your eye that you can't shift.

I now have one day disposable soft lenses, and these have been fantastic. No cleaning at all, just take them out and throw them away.

I've never had a problem with the lense getting 'lost' in my eye, it can't. There have been times where it's been hidden under my top eyelid, but you just learn to move it down to the middle again. They're really quite easy to put in and take out - especially since you're not worried about cleaning them, you can put your finger on the lense and lift it off easilly.

Contacts are great: no rain splodges on glasses, no fear of them getting broken (especially since you play hockey too!). Just make sure you carry your glasses round with you just incase you should need them.

Good luck, they take a little getting used to, but after a while you'll see that contacts are really a great invention :smile:
Alexander
And buying them on the internet is cheaper than buying them from a High Street optician, although you should probably get your first lot from your optician to be absolutely sure that you're getting the type suitable for you.


Know any good sites?
Reply 13
I work in an optometrists' with contacts, feel free to pm me with any questions!
I started wearing contact lenses when i got seriously into trampolining and started having to wear glasses all the time.
It was crap because I couldn't see the bed properly as I was landing and I dont like fuzz.
best investment ever.
I cant even feel them in my eye anymore.
Reply 15
no rain splodges on glasses

And no steaming up when you walk into the common room, haha

Know any good sites?

Same question, my optician wants £38, some sites i've say £24! Just want a site I can trust though
Its better to pay more for nice fitting lenses.
my sister is at specsavers at the moment and hers kill her beyond belief...and they are like fuzzy when you look down. but they assure ber theyve tested her eyes and theres nothing wrong..

Whereas I have boots dailys. Mmmmmm. No problem. Slightly more expensive though.
red665

Contacts are great: no rain splodges on glasses, no fear of them getting broken (especially since you play hockey too!). Just make sure you carry your glasses round with you just incase you should need them.

Good luck, they take a little getting used to, but after a while you'll see that contacts are really a great invention :smile:


They are annoying though when you get drunk as you have to take them out before you sleep. (can be a difficult experience)

Also, contacts are equally annoying if you find yourself sleeping elsewear, as you cant sleep with them in your eyes.
The sleeping thing is annoying, I always carry a spare pot in my handbag/car for that reason! And the drunk thing is true.
xyz2k6
Also, contacts are equally annoying if you find yourself sleeping elsewear, as you cant sleep with them in your eyes.


I've slept in mine a few times, namely when I've forgotten to take both my glasses AND another pair of contacts with me. It was fine, so long as you take them out as soon as you get home.