Getting used to lenses...

[Neil McDonald]

Look, I know this is a tiny thing compared to most people on the forum - hydrops, grafts etc but I need a bit of guidance.

I was given my contact lenses on tuesday - they are a lens with a soft outside and hard centre.

On tuesday I was fine, no probs apart from taking them out - so to my first point - is there a good strategy for getting these things out?

Wednesday to Friday no probs - getting better. Then on saturday I thought leave them a day - not going out or doing anything e.g. driving etc. And so to today - arghh! My eyes hurt, they watered and I felt pants and to top it all when I thought s*d it! And took them out, I think I may have mixed up lenses! (Point 2 - anyone know a way of finding it which is which? - I think I got it sorted though?)

On a final point, I feel I am getting through my lens cleaner faster than I should - I don't think it will last a month until my next appointment anyway? Any ideas or comments gratefully recieved.

[Lynn White]

Neil..

First of all, this is entirely normal for any contact lens wearer, regardless of KC!! The whole caboodle seems like a mystery you'll never crack - then one day it'll all fall into place!

Tell me how you are taking them out and what is causing the problem and I'll try and help.

Theris no obvious way to tell they are in the wrong eyes other than by the feel of them and the vision.. and it seems like you have sussed that one! Try always to put in and take out the same one each time.. ie always start with the right lens for example...reduces the number of wrong eye/lens days!

As for solutions, you do get through them faster than normal the first month as you tend to have to have several goes at putting in and the extra rinsing gets you through it faster. I'm not sure where you are getting it from - you may have to buy some top up from an opticians or chemist etc to tide you over if you get your lenses at hospital.

Lynn

[Neil McDonald]

Thanks - I did the thing of one lens at a time however I discovered one lens at the far end of the towel I was leaning over and figured it must the right - then tried forever to get the left one out only to discover a lens at the bottom of the towel?

To remove them I was told a good technique is to pull the eye lids back and then force them down to lift the lens out - hurts like heck. Then again I spent 5 mins doing this without a lens!

[Andrew MacLean]

Neil

No need to apologize. I guess your problem is one that lots of folk will recognize.

How long are you wearing your lenses each day? I am wondering whether you might have been better building up your wear time more slowly.

How do you take them out?

Try irrigating your eye before you put the lenses in.

There are lots of good brands of eye lubricators. Systane is popoular here, I use hyoermelamose and have used carbomber.

I used to get my lenses mixed up all the time, so I got them to make them is slightly different shades of blue. right was darker and left was paler.

All the best with your lenses.

Andrew

[Lynn White]

OK Neil..

Andrew is right... you sound like you need to put in some lubricant before you remove the lens - you also may be over wearing.

Gettign the technique you describe just right takes time and it sounds like you are pressing way to hard if it hurts that much. Make sure you are firm but gentle abnd that your fingers are actually on the lid margins and you press directly against the eye just above and below the lens. If you are even fractionally ON the lens you will just make it stay in! And err, yes it does help if you realise the lens is actually out!

If its any consolation, I did exactly the same thing when I was learning and I am an optom! As I said,.. its all down to practice and experience!

Lynn

[Andrew MacLean]

Neil

I used to keep trying to take lenses out that had already left my eye. Then I'd call my wife who would come with a little mag light to see if she could locate the lens in my eye. Soemtimes it was there and had moved. She would say "five o'clock" or even "nope, not there!"

next we'd start trying to locate the absent lens. Sometimes it was on the towel I was leaning over, but not very often. It usually turned up. The great thing about lenses is that they always seem to loand 'open side up'. There is an aerodynamic principle at work here, which you can test by taking little cake cases and holding them upside down, drop them. I predict that they will always land open side up.



Andrew

[jayuk]

Neil

I am assuming you are using the SoftPerm Lenses?

Remove these is an art....especially if they are a semi-tight fit...and they have been in for most of the day. The best way I could remove them was as follows

a) drop some saline in my eye
b) using my thumb and first finger, I would lower my bottom eyelid; I would look stright and aim to pinch the SOFT OUTER skirt of the lens.....thsi would then unsetlled the fit and presto!


Hope that helps

J

[Asif]

I did the same thing as Jayuk to remove my softperms. Make sure you put in some lubricant before taking them out. Dont over wear them aswell, even though it may feel comfortable as after a few days of overwearing (>10-12hrs) your eye will feel sore for a few days. I used aquify artificial tears during the day which helped alot when wearing softperms.

[Andrew MacLean]

Asif

The whole thing about irrigating the eye before you handle the lens seems to be critical. Was this something you learned for yourself or were you told by the fitter.

Andrew

[GarethB]

My lenses have a blue tint, so I always have a white towel.

Even with poor sight, if my nose is near the towel, I can see the lens.

Same if it is dislodged, the blue stands out.

I can tell if my lenses are in, if a shine a light (small torch) at right angles to my lens, if everything goes white, lens is in, if nothing, lens is somewhere eles.