<p>Really? That surprises me. My eye doc had Lasik years ago, as did my husband, with great results. I would do it if it were an option, but I am too nearsighted for traditional Lasik. I am thinking that getting glasses I am happier with would be the next logical step - with catersct surgery and implanted lens being a future goal. </p>
<p>Count me in as another who switched to progressive lenses. I’m extremely nearsighted, and wore contacts for 40 years. A few years ago my eyes started getting drier and very irritated, and I had to wear reading glasses over the contacts for small print. I switched to monovision contacts for a while, which helped with the fine print, but driving at night became very difficult because of depth perception issues. So I finally bit the bullet, found a pair of frames that looked pretty good on me (I do <em>not</em> have a good face for glasses), and spent the money for the high-index (thin) lenses. </p>
<p>What a difference! I can see everything clearly, from far away to the smallest print, driving at night is no longer a problem, and my eyes look and feel much healthier. I would never go back.</p>
<p>Man o man, I would do surgery in a heartbeat if I could! </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What about getting different glasses (different frames to solve the “attractive” problem, and higher index lens material to reduce the thickness)?</p>
<p>Rockvillemom, I also wear two pair of glasses when at home once the contacts come out :)) My family laughs at me, but I don’t care, at least I can see! I have worn multifocal lens for years, but the last 2 years, I am lucky to be able to keep them in for 8 hours, and after 4 hours, I can not see the computer with a pair of reading glasses over them. I have started either wearing my glasses all day, or taking my glasses to work and removing my contacts at lunch time. </p>
<p>Last year I went for my fitting weekly for 6 straight weeks; I think I tried almost every multifocal lenes available in each eye. For some reason I can only wear the Proclear in my left eye and the Biofinity in the right eye. I am going in a few weeks for my exam and plan on asking the doctor if there is anything i can do to get decent vision; even my glasses are not allowing for great vision, so I wonder if something else is going on.</p>
<p>I had a horrible time with progressive lenses many years ago, but maybe it is time to try again. I hate wearing glasses daily, but I also hate not being able to see!</p>
<p>To those of you who wear contacts, do you use disposables that you discard after 2 or 4 weeks? Or do you have a permanent pair? Are the disposables more “flimsy” than the permanents?</p>
<p>The Proclear multifocal are supposed to be worn for a month and discarded, but since I only wear them a sum total of ten hours/week (or less), I tend to keep them longer than a month. They are kind of slippery and absolutely less substantial than whatever it was I wore for years prior. (Much easier to tear and I am very careful.)</p>
<p>I have the highest index material they make, but it still makes my eyes look smaller than they are & I cant wear wire frames because too heavy.
Plastic frames dont usually have a wide enough bridge.
But contacts are much cheaper, my last pr of glasses were almost $900( after ins)& I lost them traveling.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions on higher index lens - I think I am going to try getting a new pair of glasses and try to select more attractive frames and the thinnest possible progressive lenses and see what doc comes up with.</p>
<p>snowball - so glad to hear I 'm not the only one wearing multiple pairs of glasses. And yes, I get laughed at. it looks ridiculous. </p>
<p>Typical CR-39 plastic has index of refraction of 1.50, while glass has index of refraction 1.52 and polycarbonate has index of refraction 1.59. There are various types of “high index” materials available with indices of refraction ranging from 1.53 to 1.74. The highest index of refraction materials will give lenses about half as thick as CR-39 plastic.</p>
<p>Here is a page from a lens manufacturer with a picture of lenses of various materials:
<a href=“http://www.nikonoptic.com/en/nikon-glasses/how-to-choose”>http://www.nikonoptic.com/en/nikon-glasses/how-to-choose</a>
In addition to Nikon, 1.74 lenses appear to be available from other companies like Seiko, Essilor Crizal, Zeiss, Transitions, and Mitsui.
<a href=“1.74 High Index Single Vision Lenses”>http://www.eyeglasslensdirect.com/1-74-High-Index-Single-Vision-Lenses-s/122.htm</a>
<a href=“MR™ ,Material for eyeglass lenses| Business and Products | MITSUI CHEMICALS AMERICA, INC.”>MR™ ,Material for eyeglass lenses| Business and Products | MITSUI CHEMICALS AMERICA, INC.;
<p>Interesting. I have no idea what index I have now. But I’m going to find out!</p>
<p>I started wearing “hard” contacts at age 15. When I got older, I got multifocal lenses. However, they started feeling too hard I switched from hard to soft lenses —years ago, that wasn’t possible because of astigmatisms. I can’t read very small type, but I can read most type.</p>
<p>I second the praise of Clear Care. I have a lot of allergies and my 2-week contacts got a film too heavy to see through after 4or 5 days. Not a problem with Clear Care.</p>
<p>Is Clear Care the one that has to go in the holder with that disk and it fizzes? It has to be in there 6 hours or you can damage your eyes? If so, the whole 6 hour thing can be a problem for me. I don’t always have that much time to clean them. I did try that kind when I was having issues before- before I went to daily lenses. I really want daily multifocals now. </p>
<p>I get the cleaners all mixed up. I’m using Pure & Moist now and it seems fine to me. </p>
<p>I keep trying to get to used to the progressive lenses but I just can’t stand how small the area for distance is. I can’t drive in them at all. I have to hold my neck in a really odd position to see my laptop at work and at home and it makes my neck hurt so bad. And, to be honest here, my ears are uneven. Glasses always look a little cockeyed on my face. I don’t think the progressive lens is hitting the right spot on the right side because of that. I need the distance part higher on that side or something. And not having peripheral vision. I don’t know, I just feel like everything swims around except out of that one right spot. </p>
<p>2016BarnardMom ~ Yes, that is Clear Care. It is hydrogen peroxide based. The platinum disc neutralizes the hydrogen peroxide over the 6 hours leaving just a saline solution. And I was told, yes, it must be at least 6 hours, not 5 hours and 45 minutes. And I guess I am having a problem with solutions. As I mentioned earlier, my new contacts were soaking in the Pure & Moist and my problem with my left eye returned. When I used the Clear Care that night, the next day, the left eye was fine. But I really need to find a soaking solution for RGP lenses that my eyes can tolerate in case I need to travel with the lenses in their case or I have a less than six hour time frame. Never had this problem before.</p>
<p>I thought that I was the only one who had problems wearing contacts all day. I too take them out around the 8 hour point. I have relatives who wear their contacts all day and hardly ever wear their glasses. </p>
<p>I am very nearsighted. I had no problems when I got progressives, I didn’t even notice so I guess I am lucky that way. Rockvillemom, I have a -12 prescription. With the high index lenses and the right frames (not too big, plastic frames) you can not see the thickness. You can not tell I wear thick glasses. They are quite fashionable :). </p>
<p>Monovision here. I wear the Air Optics (night and day, formerly) for a month without messing with them, usually. I have driving glasses for. Ishtar that take the close up eye out to a distance eye. The other lens is just glass. This seems to be working for me.</p>
<p>That’s an interesting idea, MOWC - driving glasses. My problem would be that I couldn’t read the speedometer or any other items on the instrument panel. Is that a problem for you?</p>
<p>@2106BarnardMom—your last paragraph completely summarized my experience. I had one pair of progressives for a few years and wore them with clip-on sunglasses. Yes, I know, NOT stylish at all! So then I finally went and had new progressives made up as regular glasses and as sunglasses. The sunglasses are fine but the regular glasses are just as you describe. I can’t glance in the side view mirror of the car w/o feeling disoriented. No peripheral vision. Am very frustrated and ready to have the RX made up as distance only, but do worry as @kitty56 said about seeing the speedometer. The joys of aging….</p>
<p>I still don’t know how to quote to just pasting comment here:
“I keep trying to get to used to the progressive lenses but I just can’t stand how small the area for distance is. I can’t drive in them at all. I have to hold my neck in a really odd position to see my laptop at work and at home and it makes my neck hurt so bad. And, to be honest here, my ears are uneven. Glasses always look a little cockeyed on my face. I don’t think the progressive lens is hitting the right spot on the right side because of that. I need the distance part higher on that side or something. And not having peripheral vision. I don’t know, I just feel like everything swims around except out of that one right spot.”</p>
<p>@kitty56 Yes, reading the panel is a problem. You have to sort of slide the glasses down your nose a little to see the panel. It’s still worth it to be able to see better to drive. The glasses weren’t that expensive, either. I didn’t care what the frames looked like, since I just put them on at night in the car and leave them in the car. Got cheap frames and only 1 prescription lens.</p>
<p>I have worn contacts for 25 years. I HATE glasses, absolutely despise them. I love having peripheral vision at all times and with glasses there’s always the side part of the glasses and you have to tilt your head and look straight at your focusing part. I also have some weird face and look awful in glasses. I lived 23 years, 6 am to 10 pm, in CooperVision Pro Edge III lenses and of course, they quit making them. Great soft lense, lasted 3 months. In CooperVision Biomedics38 now. Still a polymacon lense, but not nearly as comfortable.</p>
<p>Unbeknownst to me, my eye dr. switched me in the early years to monovision. Not happy he did that without asking and I’ve never been happy with my clarity–especially distance. I gave up and recently put my “close” eye into stronger contacts. Computer and distance are great. I do have trouble now with close, fine print. Very aggravating since if I take my contacts out, I can see perfectly to read. Of course, then I can’t function past 10"! I bought a $6 pair of readers at Walmart. Working fine except they are too strong.</p>
<p>Love these threads to learn more. I am thinking of trying multi-focal contacts but I’m the worst person ever with change, and I hate the multiple trips to the eye dr. “trying” things out. I like to find one thing and stick with it…for decades. :)</p>