Extended-Wear Contacts
July 7, 2004 7:15 AM Subscribe
I'm thinking about trying out some of the newer extended wear contacts, specifically the Night and Day contacts that you can wear for up to 30 days straight. Anyone have any experience with these?
I wear my regular two-week disposables night and day for about 3-4 weeks with no problems, but when I tried the actual Night and Day lenses I could not tolerate them for more than a few hours.
Even if I could have tolerated them, they are about 2-3 times as expensive as my regular lenses and wouldn't have really provided me any benefit.
What are you wearing now and what is driving you to try something different? I would talk to your eye doctor and see what might work for you. I took home 3 different pairs of lenses from my last appointment. I was able to choose the ones that really worked the best for me.
posted by Coffeemate at 7:49 AM on July 7, 2004
Even if I could have tolerated them, they are about 2-3 times as expensive as my regular lenses and wouldn't have really provided me any benefit.
What are you wearing now and what is driving you to try something different? I would talk to your eye doctor and see what might work for you. I took home 3 different pairs of lenses from my last appointment. I was able to choose the ones that really worked the best for me.
posted by Coffeemate at 7:49 AM on July 7, 2004
I've had two different trustworthy optometrists tell me that they ain't all that.
And you are definitely not supposed to take them off and put them on every day, because the material that makes them so breathable deteriorates in contact solution (or something), and if you wear them for two weeks after doing that, your poor eyeballs will strangle and get all vascularized.
My doc recommended Acuvue Advance, which are between Acuvue 2 and Night & Day in terms of breathability -- and thus extended wearability.
Ask your doctor about it next time -- but be wary if it seems like he's trying to shill for some new gimmicky product. My impression is that the technology for N&D is not quite ready for prime time, and you shouldn't be prescribed them withouy also getting a follow-up appointment to make sure they are safe for you.
posted by Hildago at 8:24 AM on July 7, 2004
And you are definitely not supposed to take them off and put them on every day, because the material that makes them so breathable deteriorates in contact solution (or something), and if you wear them for two weeks after doing that, your poor eyeballs will strangle and get all vascularized.
My doc recommended Acuvue Advance, which are between Acuvue 2 and Night & Day in terms of breathability -- and thus extended wearability.
Ask your doctor about it next time -- but be wary if it seems like he's trying to shill for some new gimmicky product. My impression is that the technology for N&D is not quite ready for prime time, and you shouldn't be prescribed them withouy also getting a follow-up appointment to make sure they are safe for you.
posted by Hildago at 8:24 AM on July 7, 2004
I love my Accuvue's.
On occasion I need a couple of drops in the morning but then am generally good all day. I keep my eye drops in the fridge so it is a nice refreshing wake up.
I think I've even gone as long as six or seven weeks.
posted by geekyguy at 8:42 AM on July 7, 2004
On occasion I need a couple of drops in the morning but then am generally good all day. I keep my eye drops in the fridge so it is a nice refreshing wake up.
I think I've even gone as long as six or seven weeks.
posted by geekyguy at 8:42 AM on July 7, 2004
I just got 'em about 3 weeks ago, and love 'em. You're kinda crazy if you really try and leave anything in your eye for a month straight, but given that you theoretically could means that they're a lot easier on your eyes than regular extended-wear. As a downside, though, it means that you really should get back on the "wash every few days" scenario--"never cleaning" was a real bonus of my old disposables.
As my doctor explained it, the real advantage of the N&D lenses is that they don't depend on moisture to conduct oxygen to your eye, unlike other extended-wear lenses, so your eye doesn't start losing oxygen if they dry out a bit. I've noticed a huge difference in the mornings with these...my eyes may still be dry when I wake up, but they're not gasping for oxygen like they used to be. But like I mentioned, he also said I should not wear them for a month straight--he told me if I used them, I had to wash them weekly. The advantage was the better oxygen conveyance, not wearing them for 30 days.
Finally, regarding the cost, the overall expense should be the same, since each lens is more expensive, but you wear it for a lot longer. I paid as much for a box of 6 N&D as I would have for 24 regular EW lenses, but both boxes last 6 months.
posted by LairBob at 8:54 AM on July 7, 2004
As my doctor explained it, the real advantage of the N&D lenses is that they don't depend on moisture to conduct oxygen to your eye, unlike other extended-wear lenses, so your eye doesn't start losing oxygen if they dry out a bit. I've noticed a huge difference in the mornings with these...my eyes may still be dry when I wake up, but they're not gasping for oxygen like they used to be. But like I mentioned, he also said I should not wear them for a month straight--he told me if I used them, I had to wash them weekly. The advantage was the better oxygen conveyance, not wearing them for 30 days.
Finally, regarding the cost, the overall expense should be the same, since each lens is more expensive, but you wear it for a lot longer. I paid as much for a box of 6 N&D as I would have for 24 regular EW lenses, but both boxes last 6 months.
posted by LairBob at 8:54 AM on July 7, 2004
I went from glasses to Night and Days, having never worn contacts before. I've had them about 6 months now, and like them a lot. I try to remember to always change them on the 1st of the month.
Like Ufez Jones, my eye doctor recommended removing them at night the first two days I wore the first set of lenses.
The only downside to them is my eyes feel sticky when I wake up in the morning. This typically clears after a few minutes, or I use some Visine Contacts eye drops and they immediately unstickify.
posted by LeiaS at 11:38 AM on July 7, 2004
Like Ufez Jones, my eye doctor recommended removing them at night the first two days I wore the first set of lenses.
The only downside to them is my eyes feel sticky when I wake up in the morning. This typically clears after a few minutes, or I use some Visine Contacts eye drops and they immediately unstickify.
posted by LeiaS at 11:38 AM on July 7, 2004
Tried Night & Days. Hated them -- everything had a halo around it, and the lenses became extremely uncomfortable after a couple of days. You might have a more favorable experience if your prescription isn't -10.00 like mine is.
posted by kindall at 12:07 PM on July 7, 2004
posted by kindall at 12:07 PM on July 7, 2004
LeiaS, that's actually a downside to all extended-wear lenses. Your eyes just don't need to produce as many tears when you're sleeping, and any lenses left in overnight are going to dry out.
posted by LairBob at 1:45 PM on July 7, 2004
posted by LairBob at 1:45 PM on July 7, 2004
I use 'em, I like 'em. Like Ufez and Coffeemate, I had been sleeping in my regular monthly disposables for months at a time. I haven't noticed a difference between the two, but at least my eye doctor doesn't yell at me for sleeping in my lenses anymore. (word o' warning: I have had perforated corneas in both eyes and several cases of conjunctivitis, all of which my doctor attributed to severe contact overwear. It's probably smarter to just take them out every night like normal people. But if you're going to sleep in them anyways, you might as well go with the ones that are designed to be slept in.)
posted by bonheur at 5:03 PM on July 7, 2004
posted by bonheur at 5:03 PM on July 7, 2004
slightly off topic...doesn't anyone else wear hard, non-disposable contacts anymore?
posted by gokart4xmas at 7:53 AM on July 8, 2004
posted by gokart4xmas at 7:53 AM on July 8, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
I have very little problem with dryness, even in smokey bars or in the morning, and my work involves staring at a computer 90% of the day, if that was one of your concerns.
If you're not used to sleeping in contacts, your transition may be a little rougher. Most docs will give you a trial pair if you ask (I didn't even have to ask mine).
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:26 AM on July 7, 2004