[2i30s]

like most people now days i wear glasses full time,anyone use contacts instead of glasses?  are they cost affective compared to glasses,what are the good and bad sides of using contact lenses?  at present i use multi focal lenses that help me see distance and the lower part of the lens helps me read.    also can you have contacts for distance but put on glasses to read.    last bit of info i need is how bad can your eyesight be before contact lenses can be used?   

[mjt57]

like most people now days i wear glasses full time,anyone use contacts instead of glasses?  are they cost affective compared to glasses,what are the good and bad sides of using contact lenses? 

Ah, been there, done that.

Up until last week I had really strong glasses, because of myopia and astigmatism. Then, thanks to the marvels of cataracts, surgery and toric lenses I'm now specs-free, except for reading.

I had contact lenses, but I couldn't get "multifocal ones". Apparently you can get different lenses, one for shortsightedness, the other for longsightedness. Not sure how that'd work.

Also, because of the strong prescription I couldn't get multifocal glasses, either.

As for the lenses it depends on your prescription. I wanted extended wear ones but I couldn't get them. So, I had the pleasure of a morning and nightly ritual of cleaning them putting them in/taking them out. And always had a bottle of eye drops to re-wet the lenses.

There's also the problem with dust, nothing more painful than getting a bit of grit between the lens and the eye... And it means that you need to carry a lens container and cleaning solution with you.

In the end I gave them up. They cost me something like $600. And I still needed glasses for when I wasn't using the contacts.

Personally, I'd stick with the multifocals.

Good luck.

[2i30s]

at the moment its costing me over $700 for a work pair and an out of work pair of glasses,and that's every year. thanks MJ. 

[Doggie 1]

Doesn't your health fund cover them?
I got two pairs for ten bucks after the health fund had put their bit in.

[Phil №❶]

My late friend had contact lenses and he tolerated them quite well. I have multifocal glasses and although a pain, I wouldn't go for CL's. There is always an increased infection risk.

[2i30s]

Doesn't your health fund cover them?
I got two pairs for ten bucks after the health fund had put their bit in.

we don't have private health cover.    we would be lucky,or unlucky to have to visit the doctor once in 18 months.    for what private health cover would cost us each year its not worth it. IMO. 

[Doggie 1]

Fairy Nuff. 

[2i30s]

we've got ambulance cover. 

[Doggie 1]

we've got ambulance cover. 

No good if you can't see the ambulance coming though.
You might get run over. 

[2i30s]

 

[Phil №❶]

I've had more than 50k in ops in the last 10 years, wouldn't be without health cover.

[agentr31]

we don't have private health cover.    we would be lucky,or unlucky to have to visit the doctor once in 18 months.    for what private health cover would cost us each year its not worth it. IMO. 

i know how you feel...

ALTHOUGH... its very border line for me...

err 2i30s your work should pay for the work glasses... doesnt everyone else get safety glasses when they ask for them? hit the union up and see where you stand!

mabey hit them up for a 50-50 thing at the minimum... even my work pays for glasses(im very grateful for it too, 2 pairs a year FTW) and im working under contractors for them!

[2i30s]

I'll try and hit them up,50/50 sounds good. 

[mjt57]

at the moment its costing me over $700 for a work pair and an out of work pair of glasses,and that's every year.

I was in the same boat. However, I have private health. Even so, max it pays is $120 each year. So, I'd get the work specs in December and the private ones in January. Work subsidises up to $200, til I arced up because my specs cost similar to yours. So I just wore my normal ones at work til they compromised and paid for the full cost (minus health benefit rebate).

Anyway, now I just wear the work provided safety glasses at work. Got a fairly good selection to choose from, too including clear and tinted plain lenses. Unlike prescription safety specs which was limited to two frames, no sunnies-type safety specs.

[agentr31]

I'll try and hit them up,50/50 sounds good. 

dont forget to claim them back on tax!!

[kittikat]

This could be a long post. 

I have worn contact lenses for probably twenty five years. Never had a problem with them.  As I got older I had multi focal lenses (both glasses and contacts), with few problems.  Now I wear contacts for long vision, glasses with them for reading and multi focal glasses to wear by themselves.

I have no problems with my contacts, in fact I wouldn't be without them,  I actually get better long distance vision with them than I do with my glasses. 

At the risk of having most of you guys faint, my multi focal glasses cost me around $1200.  Because my vision is fairly poor (-4 in one eye and -2 in the other with an astigmatism) I have to have really high quality lenses or they are like bottle bottoms.

I would recommend the contact/reading glasses combo because I find it works well for me. 

And that, gentlemen, is my considered opinion.   

[2i30s]

I'll try and hit them up,50/50 sounds good. 

don't forget to claim them back on tax!!

i claim everything possible to do with work,even laundering my work clothes. 

[asathorny]

I wasn't keen on my contact lenses and 14yrs ago got my eyes laser corrected, lazer correction of course doesn't cure old age so readers are still needed occasionally.  One eye is corrected to allow reading and one for distance vision.  I wanted both corrected for  distance vision but I got the geriatric quack who thought 'he knew best'  <sigh>

It might sound odd having both eyes set to different strengths but the brain soon accommodates the difference

[Dazzler]

Here's my 2c worth. I had soft contacts for a few years when I was younger (before I needed multifocals)

I was like Mike, I found them fiddly (especially if you came home late after a function or something and just wanted to hit the sack)

I remember going to Symmons Plains Race Track to watch the Touring Cars and having a hell of a time with the dust and grit 

Not taking anything away from Kittikat (horses for courses)

By the way I don't bother with health insurance but got 2 excellent sets of glasses (Stainless steel frames, one set tinted as sunnies) for only $500 (total) from... Specsavers in Launceston 

[2i30s]

wow,I'm getting excellent feedback on my querie.    geez Asa,you sound like the 6 million dollar man.    i thought about lases correction but was scared out of it by a story my old man told me.    a bloke at his work had similarly poor eyesight too mine and had laser correction only to find it didn't work,he now wears glasses like the bottom of beer glasses. 

[2i30s]

I've had more than 50k in ops in the last 10 years, wouldn't be without health cover.

i hope your all good now Phil. 

[Phil №❶]

So far, so good. 

[2i30s]

So far, so good. 

[agentr31]

One eye is corrected to allow reading and one for distance vision.

HA!! that's the same thing they wanted to do to me, for like $6000 when i was 18... expept they would just leave one eye alone...

i told them to get stuffed, I'm not carrying a monocle with me everywhere...

[FatBoy]

I don't need glasses (yet), but I was advised by my doctor not to get laser eye surgery until you see doctors and optometrists getting it done. None of his colleagues had it done due to the unknown long term effects of it.

From memory, the two main types are LASIC and LASEC. There is also one where the cornea is cut like a flap and the lens below lasered to shape it, and the flap is then placed back on the lens without stitching.

[asathorny]

I don't need glasses (yet), but I was advised by my doctor not to get laser eye surgery until you see doctors and optometrists getting it done. None of his colleagues had it done due to the unknown long term effects of it.

From memory, the two main types are LASIC and LASEC. There is also one where the cornea is cut like a flap and the lens below lasered to shape it, and the flap is then placed back on the lens without stitching.

Cripes I am glad I didn't read all these comments BEFORE I had it done, I wouldn't have had it done.   I had it done 14yrs ago and it's great, for me, I have better vision now than most of my contemporaries and life is in HD now unlike with specs where there will always be that inevitable film of dust on the lenses.  I have known quite a few whom have had the procedure and and they've all been more than happy.  If some dude is buggering up peoples eyes with a lazer surely there must be a medical protection body who would step in a disbar them,  in the UK the Medical disciplinary counsil would be all over them like a bad rash...   I have heard one or two apocryphal stories over here but never actually met a person in the flesh who was injured or damaged by the proceedure

It worked for me and my only regret is that it wasn't available when I were a lad, otherwise I would now be a retired cop instead of a retired nurse 

[agentr31]

thats the best thing ive heard about it! kinda makes me wish i had the money now to waste (like i did a few years ago)

i wonder if its worth me saving up for?

[mjt57]

thats the best thing ive heard about it! kinda makes me wish i had the money now to waste (like i did a few years ago)

i wonder if its worth me saving up for?

Depends.

I'm in my 50s and late last year the optometrist diagnosed cataracts. Very early stages, vison not affected, but deteriation unavoidable. So, the cataract surgery was done. Out of pocket expenses amounted to around $1500. Missus had hers done, total OOP was about $500.

My sister had laser surgery two weeks ago, about the same time as my second eye was done. All up it cost her $6,000 OOP. And she had nothing but misery following it. Sore eyes, poor vision (doctor reckons "it'll get better over time").

Anyway, with the toric lenses that I got my astigmatism went from -6 down (or up) to -.003 or something like that. Not perfect but good enough to throw away the hubble telescope lenses.

So, if anyone here is in their 50s, get the eyes tested (if you wear specs/contacts) and if there is the slightest hint of cataracts you get the surgery done for a better (and permananet) result.

Of course if you're not on private health cover then you'll go onto a many years waiting list unfortunately. But if OOP expenses are less than laser surgery then maybe it's still worth it to pay cash.

Not sure what the go in England or Europe is for this sort of thing, though.