The Student Room Group

Contact Lenses

Quick question...

I have eventually decided to try contact lenses. I collected some yesterday to try, but they feel strange. (The pair I am trying at the moment is a monthly pair of soft lenses.) The problem is I'm not sure if it is what they are 'meant' to feel like or if these are right!

It constantly feels as though there is something in my eyes (I know there is :rolleyes:), but it feels like it does when you have an eyelash or something in your eye. I can feel them every time I blink. Is that normal? Also, I few times when I have blinked it feels like they move and my vision goes blurry, then if I keep blinking again it clears.

I'm just not sure what they should feel like. Can you normally feel them at all, do I just need to get used to it?

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Reply 1
You need to get used to them. However, the pain and movement are usually something that happens when the lenses don't fit, or when they're inside out...have you double checked that they're not inside out? They should be a perfect bowl shape when laid on your finger, and not have a curved rim.
Reply 2
sounds like you have them inside out to me. blurry and movement and indeed pain are all 'symptoms':smile:
No you don't normally feel them but you may just need some time to get used to them and getting the hang of putting them in properly.

I agree with Carrie1, you may have them inside out. However, this happened to me and it turns out that my contact lenses were moving around in my eyes too much because they were too 'big' and I had to get some smaller ones.

Also, try moving the contact lense with your fingers (while you're wearing them of course!) to see if it improves your eyesight.

If the problem persists, talk to your optician
Reply 4
Hey

I've worn lenses for 5 years now. At first it is weird and whenever I actually think about it when they are in I feel a bit weird. Always follow the instructions, ask the optician for more advice maybe. Also make sure your not too tired when you put them in and use a mirror to check they are in the right place.

Keep trying because it just adds somthing special and means you can do sport and other things and be able to see at the same time.

I have never had issues with inside out ones but equaly they have never hurt for longer than a moment or two as I put them in.

good luck

Nico
Reply 5
I've had them about a month, and after a week I was going to give up but tried it one more time and managed to get them in without much fuss. Sometimes when I put them in my eyes feel sore for about 5 minutes but thats only when I haven't worn them for a few days. I'm glad I didn't give up because they are so useful, it's like having a superpower.
Reply 6
Hey!

They will feel weird for the first few days / week. It sounds like you've had them in for a bit too long... I was told to do 2hours on day 1, then 4hours, then 6, then a day off etc.

Why not give them a bit of a clean and try again tomorrow? Eventually you should only be able to tell they're in by the fact that you can see clearly!
Reply 7
If it feels like you have an eyelash in your eye after a few hours, you need to go back to your optician and ask for lighter lenses.

I have monthly lenses, which are quite heavy and slightly thicker than dailies. I love them and get on really well wit them, but my boyfriend cant use them, he has dailies because he finds that he can feel the monthlies more.

Each to their own.

Try to get used to them. Believe me, theyre so much better than glasses. Especially for driving.
Reply 8
I have the problem of blurriness kinda too... I can't day dream anymore because everything just blurs out and I have to blink like crazy so I can see again :p:
Reply 9
Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure there not inside out. I was told to wear them three hours for the first day, then five hours, then seven etc. But I ended up taking them out before I had them in that long. They were annoying me too much. They also gave me a few daily ones to try as well as the monthly ones if I wanted, so I might try them today and see if they feel any better.
3 hours day?
jeeez that a long while at first.
i had to wear mine for an hr, then 2, then 3 etc etc.

dont wear them if they hurt, just keep trying to build up the time slowly.
try taking them out and cleaning them again.

if it still hurts, leave them out for a while and try again.

it does take a while to get used to them but they shouldnt really hurt as such.
Cathie86
Quick question...

I have eventually decided to try contact lenses. I collected some yesterday to try, but they feel strange. (The pair I am trying at the moment is a monthly pair of soft lenses.) The problem is I'm not sure if it is what they are 'meant' to feel like or if these are right!

It constantly feels as though there is something in my eyes (I know there is :rolleyes:), but it feels like it does when you have an eyelash or something in your eye. I can feel them every time I blink. Is that normal? Also, I few times when I have blinked it feels like they move and my vision goes blurry, then if I keep blinking again it clears.

I'm just not sure what they should feel like. Can you normally feel them at all, do I just need to get used to it?


I've had contatcs for about 2 years now and when I first got them, I felt the exact way. You just need to get use to wearing them. When I first got them, my doctor made me keep it on for 2 hours the first day, 4 hours the next day etc. gradually I got use to them. If it really annoys you, close your eyes and gently rub your eyelids. Or take off the contacts, wash it in the solution and put it back on. There could be something on the lense itself that's bothering you.
Reply 12
Hey Cathie86,

I have been wearing contact lenses for around a year and a half now; I was exactly in the same situation as you are in now, when I first got mine!

For the first couple of days or so, they irritated my eyes quite a lot and I kept thinking that I was not going to get along with them, however I kept with it and built up my immunity to them - I had to have them in for 30 mins the first day, then 1 hour the next, then 1 hour 30 mins the next and so forth - and things did start to get better!

Like people have suggested already, if they are really irritating you, then either close your eyes and do circular movements on your eyelids to move the contact lenses around or take them out and wash them with some solution or failing that, simply drop some of the contact lense solution into your eyes, since this is what I do when they start to irritate me and everything usually sorts itself out!

When you said "Also, I few times when I have blinked it feels like they move and my vision goes blurry, then if I keep blinking again it clears" I was thinking that you might have had them inside out, since when I do have mine inside out, they seem to slip around my eyes all over the place, while when I have them in the correct way, movement does occur, but not as much.

I suggest that you carry on trying with your contact lenses, since you will be really happy once you have mastered them!

On a related note, my right contact lense irriated me this morning and really stung my eye, however I took it out and washed it in solution to find there was some fluff on it! lol So even people who have had them for a long time, do still get this problem :tongue:

Oh, also, another reason could be that they are drying out on you, ergo simply place some solution in your eyes and voila!

Let us know how you do! :smile:
Reply 13
I have been wearin contact for 2 years. i hated them to be honest, they were really good at first because i could see stuff without glasses etc etc and it was ok. but after months, they gave me terrible headaches and itchiness. probably just myself i know, but ive got an eye laser surgery tomorow so hopefully i will be trouble free with my vision for ever!!!! i suggest if your over 18 and got some money saved up eg over £1k, go for the laser treatment.
Reply 14
I wear contact lenses and I can't feel anything.

Are you putting them in the right way? If the lens has a lip, it's inside out and you will feel it.
I don't know, but get these
Reply 16
Again, thanks for the advice people. I tried some of the daily ones today (rather than the monthly pair that I had worn the last couple of days.) It felt much better, so I guess I will just have to keep trying them and see which feels better as I get used to them.

I just wasn't at all sure if it was 'normal' to feel them like I was doing or not. I didn't want to go back to the opticians moaning if you should be able to feel them, or if it would get better with time. But neither did I want to keep wearing them if they shouldn't be like that. :smile:
Reply 17
koops
I have been wearin contact for 2 years. i hated them to be honest, they were really good at first because i could see stuff without glasses etc etc and it was ok. but after months, they gave me terrible headaches and itchiness. probably just myself i know, but ive got an eye laser surgery tomorow so hopefully i will be trouble free with my vision for ever!!!! i suggest if your over 18 and got some money saved up eg over £1k, go for the laser treatment.


Even though I have never looked into laser treatment, me thinks I would be too much of a scardy cat for this, since I would get worried that the laser might damage my eyes permanantely opposed to helping, while with wearing glasses this cannot occur. Let me know how it goes, since it would be great one day to finally get rid of my glasses/contacts! :tongue:
Reply 18
I'd suggest going to see your contact lense optician. I first got mine about... 5 years ago now and I don't recall them ever feeling like that. Sometimes when I first put them in they feel a bit uncomfortable but it sounds like you've either got them isnide out or they're just not right for your eye.

However, if you did get them from an optician they usually check these things anyway so I'm not sure why they'd not fit...
Reply 19
im currently working at specsavers on my gap year, if you have any issues with your contacts the best option is to pop in to ure optician and ask to see a contact lens fitter. They will answer any questions you have and check that you follow all the procedures properly