Post by DugFinn on Nov 29, 2007 16:00:28 GMT -5
Just a bit of this and that about Contacts...
Disposables:
These are the type that you throw away after wearing them. They have daily disposable types that you throw away daily, weekly, and even monthly (the monthly are... the old types and are not very popular anymore because they have a higher risk of infection). Disposables are great because they remain cleaner and newer so there is less chance of infection since you replace them often. That alone is reason enough to get disposable types. Another thing is that they are more comfortable because there is less chance of putting in contacts that you may have accidentally damaged when you took them out previously. This happened to me once. I took out my contacts and accidentally tore one in the center (somehow?) and the next day I put it in and for that whole day it felt like something was pinching my eyeball slightly. But I was at school so I couldn't do anything about it. Later that day when I got home I quickly took them out because my eye was all sore and red and I discovered the tear and yeah, it had been scratching my cornea all day - which sucked greatly. Think of contacts like clothes. You can wear the same shirt a few days in a row, but after about a week it really starts to smell funky, so that's why you change shirts daily. I personally recomend disposables - either dailies or weeklies.
Soft contacts:
Most of the contacts you see sold today are soft contacts. They fold and bend and conform to your eyes. They are GP (gas permeable) than their hard contact predecessor and are cheaper too.
Non-disposables and Hard contacts:
I don't even think they sell these anymore...
Theatrical lenses:
These are the cool Halloween type you see advertised. They are not as comfortable as regular disposables, and last up to about 6 months after you open the package. (It actually states on most of the boxes to throw them away after 3 months, but... Meh.) If you keep them properly disinfected and well cared for they can easily last waaaay longer. (Also, they are way more expensive, so I refuse to throw them away until I at least wear them to two or three cons!) Besides, good quality theatrical lenses are built like the old fashioned non-disposables so they can really last a long time.
Care:
You'll need three things to care for the lenses.
1. a lenses container. they cost about $1 and you can buy them anywhere.
2. Cleaning solution. Buy the good stuff because the cheap stuff burns sensitive eyes, ugh. Get the kind that says "no rub" and then rub anyways because you want those buggers clean!
3. the lenses themselves.
4. (optional, but recommended) Moisturizing drops. The longer you wear contacts, the dryer your eyes will become, so these are useful if you plan on going past 8 hours wearing them.
5. (also optional, but a freakin' life saver at school and at cons) A portable emergency kit. Basically, two fresh pair of contacts, an extra container, and a small to-go vial of cleaning solution. It's in case you suddenly decide to sleep over at a friend's house or get stuck on the road till the next day... Or feel like your freakin' contacts are pinching your eyeball at school (<-- learned the hard way). If you have this "emergency kit" in your backpack or glove compartment box, you can take care of the situation right then and there.
It's really easy to care for them. Basically, you put one lens in the palm of your hand and spray some of the cleaning solution on it, GENTLY rub the top of the contact, flip it, rub the bottom. Drip cleaning solution on it again to wash off the crap you rubbed off and then put them on.
FYI: Not many people know this, but you're only supposed to wear contacts 4 to 6 hours max (which no one ever does!), it even says so in the instructions. Failure to do so may cause your eyes to become swollen, red, and increase the chance of possible infection. Well, I've only ever gotten red eyes after wearing them for 8 to 12 hours (so I deserved it), but I've known people that have gotten infections. But - If you clean your contacts correctly, this is almost completely reduced - So clean them properly!
After you take them out, put them in your palm and spray with the cleaning solution, rub, flip, rub and then put them in the lens holder container thing. Fill the container with new clean solution and close it tight. In the morning, repeat step all over again.
Clean the lens holder weekly at least (more often is better). Simply rub the insides of the container with water and then cleaning solution.
If you forget or can't put the lenses in cleaning solution, put them in water and go buy more cleaning solution. If you leave them in water for more than a few days, throw them away. To many germs by that time. Also, if they dry up because you forgot or couldn't put them in cleaning solution or water, they are now ruined and you'll need to throw them away. (I used to collect my old violet disposable contacts and had this huge mount of shrived up dry lenses... Why the hell did I just type that..?)
FYI: NEVER use the same dirty cleaning solution. Always pour new cleaning solution in the lens container. Using the same solution is what leads to infections.
Warning: NEVER go to sleep with contacts still on. The longer the contacts are in your eyes, the more dry they become. If you sleep with them on, they'll actually adhere to your eyes - like freakin' glue! and you might even have to have a doctor or something remove them (worst case scenario? Permanent damage to your eyes.) ---- They do have special weekly contacts that you can actually sleep with though. They are special made and are more expensive and well... Again, the issue of possible infection with longer wearable ones. Meh. The best in my opinion (and most doctors) are the daily disposable type.
Zero/Plano vs. magnification:
Zero or Plano means it has no prescription. They are the cheapest contacts out of the two and are meant for cosmetic effects, AKA: color contacts and theatrical contacts.
Magnification can usually only be bought with a prescription (unless you get them from shady stores - *cough* not that I ever have *cough*cough*) and are more expensive because they must be ordered in that prescription. So, all you cosplayers out there that wear glasses, sorry, but if you want prescription theatrical contacts... Oh man, prepare to dish out lots of money - Frankly, you might as well just get Lasik done instead and then buy the cheaper zero contacts.
Eye Exam:
When you go to get an eye exam, the eye exam for glasses and the eye exam for contacts are two completely different procedures so, you can not use your glasses prescription with ordering contacts - you can only use a contact prescription with contacts and vise versa. Which is annoying, but, oh well.
At the eye exam for contacts, the doctor will actually show you how to put them in and how to care for them. He'll also give you a trial pair to practice with in the doctors office. At first, you'll take like 20 minutes to do it and your eyes will water like the great oceans, but after doing it for a few weeks you'll put them in in like 30 seconds.
Also, there are a few "problems" that can change your prescription and your ability to use contacts. Some people have weird shaped eyeballs, or astigmatism, and need special contacts such as Toric (am I spelling it right?) or GP (gas permeable) lenses (which are awesome breathable type contacts that are healthier for your eyes. Unfortunately, most theatrical lenses are only generic normal type and thus you might feel slightly uncomfortable wearing them It's perfectly fine for a con weekend, but you will NOT want to wear them daily or weekly or anything like that. You'd need to buy the special contacts if you have problems like that, but the doctor doing the exam will let you know.
Lasik:
Yes, you can still wear contacts even if you've had Lasik or other surgery type things done on your eyes. You'll have to wait awhile (like half a year) and the contacts must be zero (which is great because they're the cheapest and most common theatrical type, whoohoo!).
Aaaaand... I can't think of anything else to type. Um... Common prices?
Pricing:
Contacts used to be expensive, but they're pretty cheap now. Regular zero basic colors like blue, green and hazel should only cost about $15 to $25, anything more and you're being overcharged. You can even buy them at some beauty supply places in the ghetto for $10 (but you'll have to pay cash and it's all done under the counter *sweatdrop* And they may or may not be expired... But they're still good... *cough* ... and it may or may not be technically illegal *sweatdrops again*).
Theatrical contacts are funky in pricing. Mass produced theatrical contacts should only cost between $30 to $50, anything over that and you're being ripped off. I usually buy my Testament blood red contacts for about $35 and my Wesker Banshee for about $45 (I'm including tax and shipping in all of these prices by the way). Sclera contacts will cost waaaay more though. Sclera are contacts that cover your entire eye surface. They look wicked awesome but are horribly uncomfortable, hard to put in, impair your vision slightly and are super expensive. In other words, they're good for photoshoots, but well, so is photoshop, so, meh. Custom or hand painted contacts cost $100+ (usually per contact) and are well, in my personal opinion, a waste of money if there are perfectly good cheaper ones out there.
Buying contacts:
Always check the shipping prices! And make sure that what you're buying is two lenses. For some retarded reason, lots of places sell contacts individually instead of in pairs (because lots of people have only one eye I guess? *shrugs*), so read the fine print. Make sure the price you're paying is for two lenses, not one.
Hope this helps. Any other questions or clarifications, send them my way.
Also, check out the "Where to get Contact Lenses" thread for sites on where to get cheap contacts over the internet!
Disposables:
These are the type that you throw away after wearing them. They have daily disposable types that you throw away daily, weekly, and even monthly (the monthly are... the old types and are not very popular anymore because they have a higher risk of infection). Disposables are great because they remain cleaner and newer so there is less chance of infection since you replace them often. That alone is reason enough to get disposable types. Another thing is that they are more comfortable because there is less chance of putting in contacts that you may have accidentally damaged when you took them out previously. This happened to me once. I took out my contacts and accidentally tore one in the center (somehow?) and the next day I put it in and for that whole day it felt like something was pinching my eyeball slightly. But I was at school so I couldn't do anything about it. Later that day when I got home I quickly took them out because my eye was all sore and red and I discovered the tear and yeah, it had been scratching my cornea all day - which sucked greatly. Think of contacts like clothes. You can wear the same shirt a few days in a row, but after about a week it really starts to smell funky, so that's why you change shirts daily. I personally recomend disposables - either dailies or weeklies.
Soft contacts:
Most of the contacts you see sold today are soft contacts. They fold and bend and conform to your eyes. They are GP (gas permeable) than their hard contact predecessor and are cheaper too.
Non-disposables and Hard contacts:
I don't even think they sell these anymore...
Theatrical lenses:
These are the cool Halloween type you see advertised. They are not as comfortable as regular disposables, and last up to about 6 months after you open the package. (It actually states on most of the boxes to throw them away after 3 months, but... Meh.) If you keep them properly disinfected and well cared for they can easily last waaaay longer. (Also, they are way more expensive, so I refuse to throw them away until I at least wear them to two or three cons!) Besides, good quality theatrical lenses are built like the old fashioned non-disposables so they can really last a long time.
Care:
You'll need three things to care for the lenses.
1. a lenses container. they cost about $1 and you can buy them anywhere.
2. Cleaning solution. Buy the good stuff because the cheap stuff burns sensitive eyes, ugh. Get the kind that says "no rub" and then rub anyways because you want those buggers clean!
3. the lenses themselves.
4. (optional, but recommended) Moisturizing drops. The longer you wear contacts, the dryer your eyes will become, so these are useful if you plan on going past 8 hours wearing them.
5. (also optional, but a freakin' life saver at school and at cons) A portable emergency kit. Basically, two fresh pair of contacts, an extra container, and a small to-go vial of cleaning solution. It's in case you suddenly decide to sleep over at a friend's house or get stuck on the road till the next day... Or feel like your freakin' contacts are pinching your eyeball at school (<-- learned the hard way). If you have this "emergency kit" in your backpack or glove compartment box, you can take care of the situation right then and there.
It's really easy to care for them. Basically, you put one lens in the palm of your hand and spray some of the cleaning solution on it, GENTLY rub the top of the contact, flip it, rub the bottom. Drip cleaning solution on it again to wash off the crap you rubbed off and then put them on.
FYI: Not many people know this, but you're only supposed to wear contacts 4 to 6 hours max (which no one ever does!), it even says so in the instructions. Failure to do so may cause your eyes to become swollen, red, and increase the chance of possible infection. Well, I've only ever gotten red eyes after wearing them for 8 to 12 hours (so I deserved it), but I've known people that have gotten infections. But - If you clean your contacts correctly, this is almost completely reduced - So clean them properly!
After you take them out, put them in your palm and spray with the cleaning solution, rub, flip, rub and then put them in the lens holder container thing. Fill the container with new clean solution and close it tight. In the morning, repeat step all over again.
Clean the lens holder weekly at least (more often is better). Simply rub the insides of the container with water and then cleaning solution.
If you forget or can't put the lenses in cleaning solution, put them in water and go buy more cleaning solution. If you leave them in water for more than a few days, throw them away. To many germs by that time. Also, if they dry up because you forgot or couldn't put them in cleaning solution or water, they are now ruined and you'll need to throw them away. (I used to collect my old violet disposable contacts and had this huge mount of shrived up dry lenses... Why the hell did I just type that..?)
FYI: NEVER use the same dirty cleaning solution. Always pour new cleaning solution in the lens container. Using the same solution is what leads to infections.
Warning: NEVER go to sleep with contacts still on. The longer the contacts are in your eyes, the more dry they become. If you sleep with them on, they'll actually adhere to your eyes - like freakin' glue! and you might even have to have a doctor or something remove them (worst case scenario? Permanent damage to your eyes.) ---- They do have special weekly contacts that you can actually sleep with though. They are special made and are more expensive and well... Again, the issue of possible infection with longer wearable ones. Meh. The best in my opinion (and most doctors) are the daily disposable type.
Zero/Plano vs. magnification:
Zero or Plano means it has no prescription. They are the cheapest contacts out of the two and are meant for cosmetic effects, AKA: color contacts and theatrical contacts.
Magnification can usually only be bought with a prescription (unless you get them from shady stores - *cough* not that I ever have *cough*cough*) and are more expensive because they must be ordered in that prescription. So, all you cosplayers out there that wear glasses, sorry, but if you want prescription theatrical contacts... Oh man, prepare to dish out lots of money - Frankly, you might as well just get Lasik done instead and then buy the cheaper zero contacts.
Eye Exam:
When you go to get an eye exam, the eye exam for glasses and the eye exam for contacts are two completely different procedures so, you can not use your glasses prescription with ordering contacts - you can only use a contact prescription with contacts and vise versa. Which is annoying, but, oh well.
At the eye exam for contacts, the doctor will actually show you how to put them in and how to care for them. He'll also give you a trial pair to practice with in the doctors office. At first, you'll take like 20 minutes to do it and your eyes will water like the great oceans, but after doing it for a few weeks you'll put them in in like 30 seconds.
Also, there are a few "problems" that can change your prescription and your ability to use contacts. Some people have weird shaped eyeballs, or astigmatism, and need special contacts such as Toric (am I spelling it right?) or GP (gas permeable) lenses (which are awesome breathable type contacts that are healthier for your eyes. Unfortunately, most theatrical lenses are only generic normal type and thus you might feel slightly uncomfortable wearing them It's perfectly fine for a con weekend, but you will NOT want to wear them daily or weekly or anything like that. You'd need to buy the special contacts if you have problems like that, but the doctor doing the exam will let you know.
Lasik:
Yes, you can still wear contacts even if you've had Lasik or other surgery type things done on your eyes. You'll have to wait awhile (like half a year) and the contacts must be zero (which is great because they're the cheapest and most common theatrical type, whoohoo!).
Aaaaand... I can't think of anything else to type. Um... Common prices?
Pricing:
Contacts used to be expensive, but they're pretty cheap now. Regular zero basic colors like blue, green and hazel should only cost about $15 to $25, anything more and you're being overcharged. You can even buy them at some beauty supply places in the ghetto for $10 (but you'll have to pay cash and it's all done under the counter *sweatdrop* And they may or may not be expired... But they're still good... *cough* ... and it may or may not be technically illegal *sweatdrops again*).
Theatrical contacts are funky in pricing. Mass produced theatrical contacts should only cost between $30 to $50, anything over that and you're being ripped off. I usually buy my Testament blood red contacts for about $35 and my Wesker Banshee for about $45 (I'm including tax and shipping in all of these prices by the way). Sclera contacts will cost waaaay more though. Sclera are contacts that cover your entire eye surface. They look wicked awesome but are horribly uncomfortable, hard to put in, impair your vision slightly and are super expensive. In other words, they're good for photoshoots, but well, so is photoshop, so, meh. Custom or hand painted contacts cost $100+ (usually per contact) and are well, in my personal opinion, a waste of money if there are perfectly good cheaper ones out there.
Buying contacts:
Always check the shipping prices! And make sure that what you're buying is two lenses. For some retarded reason, lots of places sell contacts individually instead of in pairs (because lots of people have only one eye I guess? *shrugs*), so read the fine print. Make sure the price you're paying is for two lenses, not one.
Hope this helps. Any other questions or clarifications, send them my way.
Also, check out the "Where to get Contact Lenses" thread for sites on where to get cheap contacts over the internet!
