extended wear contact lens

[gardenmom5]

tell me your experience.  points if you have astigmatism.

 

ds wants to get monthlies . . .he has a very mild astigmatism.  he's a student, and would be footing the bill.  he'd like to get an idea of what's involved and what it would run.   he can  order them from costco if available.

[Lanny]

I tried contacts several times over the years and was not successful with them.  I had LASIK surgeries during November 1997, which were a miracle for me.  I would be concerned, and the concern would increase with the length of time extended wear contacts were in my eyes, about the possibility of an infection. Whatever your DS decides to do, I wish him GL with his choice.  I would suggest that he go to an M.D. who is a  Board Certified Ophthalmologist and  after a thorough examination, ask what, if anything, the Ophthalmologist would suggest and which lab(s) the Ophthalmologist  suggests the contacts be  made by.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Lanny

[Katy]

I have a mild astigmatism, that isn't corrected in my contacts, so I don't know if this is what you're looking for.  I wear them 90% of the time. They are much more comfortable than the regular kind.  They never feel like your eyes are peeling off if you sleep in them.  Most contacts are more comfortable when you first put them in.  The extended wear kind feel strange for the first 3 days or so.  I don't know how to describe it other than they are not as comfortable for the first few days.

 

My insurance covers them the same as ordinary contacts, and they are an option at my eye doctor that costs exactly the same over the course of a year as any other kind my insurance covers.  My eye doctor actually said he recommends them for EVERYONE that isn't a young teen because he says they are healthier for the eye.  He said some young teens can't be trusted to clean them properly when they switch to glasses for some reason, so for them he recommends dailies.

 

I get cheap glasses from Zinni, not only as a backup, but because sometimes I get headaches or allergies or allergy medicines that make my eyes watery or too dry for my eyes to focus properly with contacts in.  Somehow when I take them out my eyes focus fine with glasses. There is a slight adjustment period of an hour or so of wonky vision because the astigmatism is corrected in the glasses but not the contacts.  I think the doctor said there is correction available in the contacts but mine wasn't severe enough to go for it.

 

Not that I would recommend this for a teen, but I've found they last longer than a month as long as I am removing and cleaning them every couple of days.  When I wasn't doing that I found they would get uncomfortable - scratchy or something - after about 3 weeks.  Removing & cleaning when you wait that long makes them more likely to tear IME.  Also I always figured if I felt uncomfortable there was nothing wrong with switching them early.  I did discuss with my eyedoctor how often I remove and clean them and wear glasses from time to time, and with that information he seemed to think it was fine to wear them longer than a month.  They do tear slightly easier than the soft contacts I had years ago, but otherwise seem to last quite a while

[umsami]

I'm married to an ophthalmologist but would suggest you go to an optometrist who specializes in contact lenses.  Most ophthalmologists do not spend a lot of time in their residency learning to fit lenses, etc.  That is usually done by the O.D.s they work with.  The big companies (J&J, Alcon, etc.) all do trainings on their lenses, including how to fit the toric ones for astigmatism, for the ODs.  

As for extended wear, I used to wear them before I had LASIK.  I think disposable daily wear are better from a health standpoint (you take them out each night), but I was so blind -9.5 diopters in each eye, that I preferred sleeping in my lenses as I couldn't find them easily without my glasses. :)  Key is just to follow the replacement schedule, which I'm sure apps and such exist for these days.  Wash your hands thoroughly.  Use saline and appropriate lens disinfection stuff if you need to disinfect them.  Some people use saliva and such which is not a good idea.  The newer lenses (came after mine) are silicone hydrogels which allow a lot more oxygen to get to your cornea.  I'm sure there are even better lenses out there.

 

They actually may not include the astigmatism in his Rx if it's mild.  He may do fine with just "normal" lenses.   Most places will give you a free trial pair, so he can see how he likes them. 

 

[Guest]

Even though they are "extended wear", this does not mean you sleep in them. Daily cleaning routine. They are not as expensive to replace as a permanent lens but you don't leave them in 24/7

[MyLittleBears]

I wear extended wear and never sleep in them. I tried to once and ended up with very dry red eyes the next time. Cleaning is very important, as well as throwing them away when they become uncomfortable. This can happen prior to what the label says. I have monthlies but change them every two weeks or sooner if I find they gunk up. I just order a double supply for the year. I also try to have a new lens case every time I change to new ones.

[Shelly in IL]

My son has had astigmatism. To the point of needing contacts made specifically for his eyes. He has monthlies and they work great. You need a very good eye dr to prescribe.

[umsami]

Even though they are "extended wear", this does not mean you sleep in them. Daily cleaning routine. They are not as expensive to replace as a permanent lens but you don't leave them in 24/7

 

No, that's exactly what it does mean.  You may sleep in them.  They are FDA spproved for extended wear (not being removed).  The older lenses (SUREVUE was one brand, made of etafilcon A, could be slept in for I want to say a week.)  The newer lenses (well new as in the past 10 years or so) up to a month.  They are a different material which allows more oxygen to reach the cornea.   Many ODs and MDs will say It is, in general, better not to, but they are actually designed to be slept in.  Would I do it for a full month? Personally no.  I'd probably remove them and disinfect at least weekly.  But, the studies submitted by the companies that manufacture them were around extended wear (continuous) wear.  Contact lenses are medical devices, and as such, the new products required FDA approval.   Daily wear means you take them out each night, disinfect, etc.  You can still do that with extended wear lenses.  There's nothing wrong with it.  But they are actually designed to be slept in.  Pretty much 99% of all lenses these days are disposable, which means you throw them away and replace with a fresh pair  either daily, bi-monthly, or monthly.  There are a few people out there who still wear hard lenses, but those are the exception. 

 

For an example, one brand is CIBA/Alcon's AIr Optix.  It says "AIR OPTIX ^® NIGHT & DAY ^® AQUA contact lenses are designed to be worn continuously, even while napping and sleeping, as determined by your eye care professional. The lenses are FDA-approved for daily wear and extended wear for up to 30 nights."

 

J&J tends to be more conservative with their wear schedule. I want to say they have an Acuvue Oasys which is a weekly extended lens.

 

 

[Shelly in IL]

Ok - disregard what I said, my son only wears monthlies in the waking hours.

[vonbon]

One personal experience comment about contacts...I've worn them for about 25 years now.  

 

My eyes have a ton of red blood vessels/veins that have grown over time due to lack of oxygen to the eye because of contacts.  I never wore them overnight and wouldn't--even with FDA approvals, new brands/types, etc.  Just a bad idea, IMO.  I've never worn them longer than they were approved for.  Hygiene (not using saliva, replacing cases more often, etc.) has improved as I've gotten older.  (When you're a teen, you're more likely to place them in water at a friend's house overnight because you forgot your stuff or to not wash your hands well enough if you're backpacking.)  

 

Contacts are a man-made object you place onto your natural eye, obviously.  I think overuse = courting long-term problems because the human body wasn't constructed to deal with foreign objects in the eye for prolonged periods of time.  

 

These contact materials allow varied levels of oxygen to the eye depending on brand, construction, fit, cleanliness, etc.  I wish I had tried hard contact lenses when I started out or just not worn my contacts so much over the years (like around the house, for example).  I love wearing contacts for sports, outdoor work, vanity.  I hate wearing glasses.  I have pretty bad vision and astigmatism.  I've had weighted lenses, lenses you change once a year (a long time ago), ones you use strong disinfectant with, ones you throw away often--  

 

I've developed some sort of sensitivity to contacts at this point and am considering LASIK because I can hardly wear them now.  My point is, I would use common sense and a lot of caution with the overnight or extended-wear concept, keeping long-term eye health in mind.   Some of the above advice is good.  

[Liz CA]

I have Accuvue Oasys and I clean and store them every night. Extended wear or not, monthlies or not, I'd clean them every evenig and store in the appropriate solution. if you are careful about eyes early on, you may have a better chance wearing them for a longer time instead of having to switch to glasses at some point in life when eyes get naturally drier.