Reply #36: I have been wearing contacts since 1976.

[davsand]

Yes, I really am an old fart. :P

Anyhow, how about a quick explanation of some of the terms thrown out here...

Hard (also called rigid) lenses are just that--they are hard little cupped bits of plastic that generally fit over the pupil (the black part of the eye.) They slide up and down just a bit when you blink and that pumps tears under the lens to keep the eye moist. They take a lot of determination to get used to, but they do a bang up job of correcting nearsighted vision. An added plus is they sometimes act kinda like a retainer, in that, they can slow down the worsening of nearsightedness. A newer version of hard lenses is called rigid gas permeable (gas perms for short) and they are made of a plastic that allows more Oxygen to get to the surface of the eye. They are more comfortable, and most eye docs that prescribe a rigid lens will probably go with them. The biggest plus for any rigid lens is they are pretty easy to take care of, and, as I said before, they do the best job of correcting bad vision.

Soft lenses are just that--soft little disks of plastic. They are floppy little things, but they are really easy to get used to, it takes a pretty short time to get to a point you can wear them all day. Soft lenses have to be sterilized with a solution every day. Because they hold fluids (which is why they are so comfortable) soft lens wearers can have infections in the eye unless they are careful to wash hands and keep lenses clean. Soft lenses are most often sold these days as "monthly" product, in that, you wear them for 30 days, then throw them out and open up a new pair. Soft lenses are not designed to wear when you sleep--you need to take them out a night. A newer version of soft lenses, (Extended Wear) is out there that allows you to sleep in them, you pretty much take them out to clean them and that is about it. An even newer version of soft lenses exists, and with those, you just get a new pair EVERY day. Those are the Daily Wear lenses people are talking about.

Dunno if that helps you with the lingo or not, but feel free to shoot me a PM if you feel like you want to ask more questions. This is your kid we are talking about and you are gonna feel a lot more comfortable if you have a handle on what everybody is talking about.


Peace to you.



Laura