Contact lenses without ophthalmologist's prescription

@milen

I doubt anything will go wrong and am assuming you are getting the same results as you are with your glasses. Have you worn the same prescription for 15 years or is it more current? You have to be careful of any online outfit who is providing the contacts. Just get your eyes checked regularly and perhaps order contacts through your ophthalmologist to be on the safe side. I wore glasses for many years and switched to contacts for many more but had cataract surgery in both eyes and now only have to wear RX glasses for driving.

I wore small hard lenses at that time which can irritate. Todays are better. My daughter in law and 2 grandsons both wear disposable contacts. My DIL does complain about irritability from time to time.

It will get easier to pop them in and out faster. Just be careful that you are not irritating your cornea and remove them at night ……
don’t ever sleep with them. Get yearly exams and stop wearing them if you notice any vision changes or if they feel gritty or get bloodshot. Keep your glasses handy all the time.

Enjoy the view
FL Mary

It's the most current prescription, which has stayed the same for a while. I am getting the same results although it seems like I need to make a conscious effort to blink more often. It feels uncomfortable/unnatural at times, but I am guessing it's a matter of getting used to the foreign body.

Thanks a lot!

I’m surprised you were able to obtain the contact lenses without a prescription. Every place I’ve ever bought contact lenses from has required a copy of my lens prescription, which is a different format than an eyeglasses prescription. My optometrist is very meticulous about the fit and visual acuity of mine. My prescription is different for each eye. One eye sees distance and one eye sees up close. It’s quite amazing how your brain and eyes work together to make that possible.

When the contacts are in, you should not be able to feel them. Yes, sometimes/often there is some irritation. But that’s usually caused by dry eyes, some tiny foreign body on the lens, or you could have the lens on inside out, which is easy to do. But if they fit correctly, they will not feel like a foreign body in your eye.

If you’ve obtained lenses without proper instruction on how to care for them and your eyes, please be very careful. You can get nasty infections that cause blindness. Clean your hands thoroughly before handling, don’t use tap water to clean them or get tap water in your eyes while wearing the lenses. Don’t sleep in them. Always make sure you’ve accounted for both lenses when you take them out. A lens can get lost up in your eyelid and you won’t be able to feel it, so you might just think you’ve dropped it somewhere. I have a friend who recently had a terrible infection and had to have a cornea transplant, which has not gone well. All because she had a contact in her eye that she didn’t know was there.

@milen

@mosaics has good advice for you. I had a contact slip behind my eyeball and it was a struggle to get it out without scratching the cornea. Are you using lubricant drops on the lens before inserting. You should as it will help cushion them….not sure what type of lens you have. Also there are eyedrops for contacts that will help make them more comfortable. You can use the drops while the contacts are in. Wear sunglasses outdoors to stop any debris from getting in. They are more high maintenance than glasses. They take getting use to.

FL Mary

Oh, my. There are many types of contact lens materials. I’ve worn contacts for over 50 years, from hard lens to gas permeable to soft. Each change was prompted by my optometrist who checked my corneas. One time, they gave me extended wear as I was going to Africa and uncertain about daily wear. You can damage your eye without proper follow-up, even though you believe you have the right RX. There is so much more to eye care! Please see an optometrist (different than an ophthalmologist).