Why a change is as good as a rest for your eyes

I’ve worn glasses for a number of years and when I went through a phase of swimming a lot, I decided it was time for a change.

While wearing glasses for swimming is possible, it’s not really practical.  There’s also that thing of not being able to see, meaning you can’t hear properly (does anyone else find that?!).  I found this disorientating with the acoustics and echoes of being in the pool.

Back then I tried contact lenses but found them to be uncomfortable, so I soon reverted back to glasses full-time.  I say ‘full-time’ because I do wear them all the time once I’ve put them on for the day.  I can get away with not wearing them all day but as soon as I drive (by 8 am weekdays), I feel much more comfortable (and safe!) with my glasses!

A change is as good as a rest

The opportunity arose to review some contact lenses and I fancied giving them a go again.  Let’s face it, we never get a new pair of eyes and we don’t get to rest them much (well I don’t anyway!) so a change is as good as…  And as it happened, my eye test was due too so it all seemed like the right time.  Aside from the unpleasant puff of air into your eye, I’m a person who actually enjoys having my eyes tested.  Perhaps it’s knowing that it’s a bit of an MOT for me and therefore reassurance.  Opticians can tell so much about your general health by examining your eyes and with a history of glaucoma in my family, it’s double important to show up for regular checks.

So when they told me that my presciption had changed and my eye sight had improved, I was surprised!  I use a screen far too much: I use the internet for blogging and down-time.  So you can see that I use a screen a lot!  I was really pleased to be told that my eyes were still suitable for contacts and excited to try out contact lenses.

What about the lenses?

The contact lenses arrived packaged well and it fit easily through my letterbox.  They were in clever little strips of 7 sections per strip.  Handy because you can easily separate each section which contains a single lens.  If you need to, you can pop a packaged lens in your bag, perhaps for travelling, overnight stays or in case you want to wear them later in the day.

A top tip from me is to label your lenses according to your left and right eye.  My prescription is easy.  Because of my astigmatism in my right eye, the label actually says ‘astgimatism’ on the correct lens package but otherwise, I’d definitely label them L and R.

As I peeled back the top, it came away easily and I expected a little of the solution to spill over the sides but it was all contained, which is really helpful.  Why?  Because it’s best to have dry (and clean!) hands to put your contacts in.  This is because of lifting your upper and lower lids.  From experience, if your hands are slippery, it’s very hard to do this!

The lenses are very easy to get out of the solution once you’ve got it ‘hooked’ on the fingertip of your index finger.  A swift separation of my upper and lower lid, a quick fix of the lens on the surface of my eye and a few blinks, the lens was correctly ‘seated’ on my eye.  It only took a minute or 2 for my eye to adjust to the feeling of the lens to give me crisp vision.  So along with all day comfort, they don’t dehydrate your eyes but keep them hydrated and comfortable instead.

After a couple of hours of wearing them for the first time, it was time to take them out.  I didn’t feel like I needed to but took them out anyway.  It was quite tricky ‘sliding’ the lenses off and out of my eyes but a couple of tries and they were out!  So it was back to my glasses for the rest of the day.  Each time I used the lenses, the process of removing them got easier and slicker.  Each time, my eyes were getting more used to the lenses.  These lenses were so comfortable that a disadvantage is forgetting you’re wearing them!

As with any lenses, there’s a slight blue tinge to the outer edge of your iris which is the lens itself.  I don’t think you can really notice this though.  What I love about these contact lenses from Vision Direct is that you can order them on next day delivery so if you suddenly find you’re running out (or have run out!), you don’t have to compromise back to glasses for long!  What’s more, you can order the amount you need, when you need them.  No having to remember to collect them, no parking to pay (though a cheeky cafe stop is always good!)  Straight through your letterbox for your ease and convenience.  Job done!  Thanks Vision Direct!

How about you?  Have you ever tried them?  Do you wear contacts?  What did you think?  I’d love to know. 

Comment below or tweet me @AllSortsHere .  Thanks!

Written in collaboration with Vision Direct.

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