I got contacts

[zoebartlett]

My eye doctor set me up with a pair of contacts for my wedding today (for free, as his wedding gift!). I had a thread going a while back about wearing glasses or not during the wedding, and I decided that I''d at least try them out. For all the contact wearers out there, how long did it take not to feel like, well, like you had something in your eye? It''s driving me crazy already and I''ve only had them in for just over an hour.

These are just a temporary pair to get me through the day (hopefully), so I shouldn''t be wearing them all day or anything up until the wedding. My eye doctor told me to wear them for 4-5 hours a day for a few days or so before the wedding. I figure I''ll give it a week or maybe a little longer before the wedding -- maybe I''ll build up a tolerance for them. It''s so hard not to rub my eyes right now!

I''m nervous about the combination of contacts and makeup for the wedding. If the contacts and makeup alone bother my eyes, how much could they potentially bother me when I have both contacts AND makeup? Any tips?

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Don''t have tips, but I wanted to say that''s really nice of him and you''ll have to update us in like a week on how it''s going! I have an appointment to get mine on June 23 I believe, so I want to see what I''m in for.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Zoe - That''s fantastic. How thoughtful of your doctor!

No worries. I know they are really irritating at first but, believe me, you do build a tolerance for them.

I got my first contacts about 2 years or so ago and I''m fine with them now. As your doctor suggested, you may wish to start out wearing them only for a few hours each time and before you know it, you''ll be able to wear them for longer without irritation.

I have the Acuvue Daily Moist ones and I love them. My eyes don''t feel dry and I love the fact that I don''t have to mess about with solution and cleaning them etc. When I feel like wearing contacts instead of glasses, I just pop them in. Wear them all day and then take em out and chuck ''em. No fuss, no muss.

Good luck! I''m sure that you''ll be really happy you got them on your wedding day. I remember feeling such a feeling of empowerment when I first got mine because I was no longer beholden to my glasses. Glasses just feel like such an encumberence when you get to experience the freedom that contacts provide ... once you get used to them, of course.

 

[ladyciel]

As for the combination of contacts and makeup, put the contacts in first before doing any eye makeup. That way there''s less chance of catching some shadow or mascara on your contact as you put it in, and you also won''t mess up your makeup by tugging on your lids. I hope it goes well for you!!

 

[julabean]

The first day I had contacts in, I couldn''t stop rubbing my eyes, either! It will get better over the next few days, though. If your eyes are feeling really dry, I''d get a travel size bottle of eye drops or something that you can carry with you as you get used to them.

 

[Sabine]

Yay! I hope they work out well for you! I''ve been wearing mine for so long that I don''t remember what it was like to first have them, but hopefully you will get used to them soon. Just make sure to put them in WAY before doing the makeup so that your eyes have a chance to get over the irritation and any excess solution dries.

 

[kimberlina13]

Congrats on the contacts! The only advice that I have is to build your length of wear gradually. I remember when I first got contacts, I was given instructions to wear for no more than 4 hours for the first day or two and then just increase by an hour every day after that. Also, if you have dry eyes or irritated eyes, rewetting drops will be your best friend. Maybe your eye doctor can give you some samples instead of buying a huge bottle.
As far as the makeup, just make sure your person or you or whoever is doing your make up works with new or almost new brushes, and the same with the makeup. When I got mine, my doctor told me to buy new of anything that I put on my eyes or near my eyes.

 

[Harleigh]

Zoe,

I''m so proud of you for being willing to give the contacts a try! And how sweet of your doctor to provide them free of charge! I have worn contacts for years and some days I''m fine and other days they drive me batty, but I do think that if you try to get a bit more used to them, you may be okay for the wedding. Good luck, and try NOT to rub your eyes...if they are soft contacts, they can rip very easily!

 

[zoebartlett]

I''m just finding time now to reply.

Sarah, yeah, it was really nice of my eye doctor to do this for me. He''s been the only eye doctor I''ve ever had, and I''ve worn glasses for about 25 years or so (since I was in third or fourth grade). I''m sure he wouldn''t have done it for free if the contacts were more than just a trial pair.

Sparkalicious, I''m glad to hear that I''ll probably get used to them before the wedding. I have to deal with the cleaner/solution but since they''re only temporary, I don''t think I''ll mind. It''s funny you mentioned empowerment because I actually felt a little self-conscious with them in. I''m so used to glasses that they don''t really bother me. They''re just part of me. Plus, I kind of hide behind them, if that makes sense. I feel naked without them. Yeah, really. So it will take some getting used to. That''s part of the reason I hesitated to even get them.

Ladyciel and Sabine, thanks for the tip! I would have thought that it would be better to put the contacts in after getting made up but your reason for doing it the other way makes sense.

Thanks Julabean! I''ll remember to have drops with me, just in case.

Thanks for the tip Kimberlina!

Thanks Harleigh! Yeah, they''re soft contacts. I''ve already been warned to be careful when I handle them, since I have longer nails.

 

[somethingshiny]

Hi. I worked in the optometric field for several years, so I thought I''d share some tips.

Firstly, I hope your doctor MEASURED you for the correct fit and didn''t just hand you any old pair. All contacts, even soft, have base curves and diameters that your specs need to fall within in order to wear them comfortably.

We''ve always instructed our patients to wear the soft contacts "as long as they''re comfortable" for the first several days. For some, that''s only an hour or so, for others it''s 8+. If you''re experiencing discomfort, you should remove them and try them again tomorrow.

Also, depending on the solution you''re using, the "wanting to rub" could be from the chemical composition of the solution and how you''re reacting to it. I can only use 2 brands of solution without irritation. If you''re just trying to get used to the contacts for your wedding, you may be able to get by with a simple saline solution because it will decrease the discomfort if it''s the solution that''s bothering your eyes. *Most* soft contact disposables are designed for a two-week wear, once that time passes, the lenses will start to deteriorate. Some people can wear them longer depending on how their body reacts to the "foreign object", but in the same manner, some can''t even wear them 1 week. If they become bothersome after you''re used to them, dispose of them and ask for a new pair. There''s no fun like a corneal ulcer!!

Good Luck!


btw- check to see that your makeup says "opthalmologist tested", if it does, you should be good!

 

[laine]

One more thought...make sure you have your glasses with you, in case the contacts bother you too much and you would rather take them out.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thank you Somethingshiny and Laine!

SS -- Yep, my eye doctor measure me for the correct fit, and he took a look once I had put them in as well. He said they look fine and they should get me through the day fine. I''l keep in mind the tips you gave. Thanks!!

Oh, and the makeup the salon uses is Aveda. I don''t wear makeup usually, and I''m not sure if Aveda products are opthamologist tested.

Laine -- yes, I''ll definitely keep my glasses with me. I can''t imagine not having them there. I may give them to my mom so they''ll be on hand close by in case I need them.

 

[noelwr]

another tip - not only put them in before putting on your make up, also take them out before removing your make up so that you can rub under and around your eyes well to get the mascara and eye line off without worrying about losing your contacts down the sink.

you probably won''t want to take them off during the wedding because in keeping your eyes open to take them out chances are you will smudge the make up.

you might actually get so used to them that you''ll keep wearing them beyond your wedding and the rest of your life. they are really helpful. you don''t have to worry about your glasses ever steaming up and they actually protect your eyes. I wear a contact in only one eye and I have noticed that when I have hay fever or am cutting an onion only the non-wearing contact eye gets irritated!

I also wear Acuvue by J&J (one last for 2 weeks) and highly recommend them compared to the irritating ones I used to have which would get all dry and itchy.