Question regarding contacts and astigmatism

[puncho]

Hi, I have pretty bad astigmatism, and according to my optometrist I can't get contacts...

I wanted monthly ones so that I can play sports, so I'm wondering if this is absolutely true. Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JennyW]

Hi, I have pretty bad astigmatism, and according to my optometrist I can't get contacts...

I wanted monthly ones so that I can play sports, so I'm wondering if this is absolutely true. Thanks.

It depends on what your definition of bad is. Most astigmatism can be corrected with contact lenses, but not always your traditional disposables. For astigmatism that's "really bad" often times a custom made soft lens, or a hard lens is the best option. If you have any idea what your prescription is, post it, and we can probably steer you in the right direction.

Jenny

 

[cpw]

totally agree with Jenny on this one... post your Rx so we can see how high "bad" is 🙂

 

[puncho]

This is my latest prescription (1.5 yrs ago).

O.D.

sph - 500
cyl - 180
axis - 180

O.S.

sph - 600
cyl - 150
axis - 170

PD

Distance/Near - 64mm

Of course I don't know what all the terminology is 🙂

 

[cpw]

if the cyl is in the 1.00 to 2.00 range (which is appear it is unless you wrote it down wrong) you should definitely be able to get into disposable contact lenses.. assuming you don't have any other problems which mean you can't wear contact lenses.

 

[Tony.]

Hi, I have pretty bad astigmatism, and according to my optometrist I can't get contacts...

I wanted monthly ones so that I can play sports, so I'm wondering if this is absolutely true. Thanks.

hi.
this has nothing to do with anything but,
I wear the Focus Night and Day contact lenses ( my eyesight isnt that bad -1 for OD and -2 for OS)
anyway! I know it says that i can wear the lenses for up to 30 days blah blah..i only wear them for 3 weeks and then chuck em' out; by the last week, they get too dry and annoy me.

just thought i'd let you all know! thankx! 👍 like anyone cares! and have a wonderful day!

 

[drbizzaro]

This is my latest prescription (1.5 yrs ago).

O.D.

sph - 500
cyl - 180
axis - 180

O.S.

sph - 600
cyl - 150
axis - 170

PD

Distance/Near - 64mm

Of course I don't know what all the terminology is 🙂

get toric contact lenses... you can get them free at most optometry schools (when they want you for a study) (ie. they want to test out a new brand,etc)

 

[samwY]

I have -1.75 astigmatism and are using the 66 Toric Lens.

disposable every month

 

[omaralt]

heey guys, just say this post. i also have severe astigmatism and the only contacts i can wear are either the sunsoft Division II multiples or the hydrasoft div II cooper.

my problem is that they are sooooooooooooooo expensive. somebody mentioned that you can get them for free from optometry schools??!!! where??! i'll come anywhere and get them!

and if anybody knows a cheap, good, respected place where i can get them it would be appreciated. the cheapst i found is 1800CONTACTS and they want like almost 300 for one pair, which lasts like a year. thanks guys

omar

 

[drbizzaro]

heey guys, just say this post. i also have severe astigmatism and the only contacts i can wear are either the sunsoft Division II multiples or the hydrasoft div II cooper.

my problem is that they are sooooooooooooooo expensive. somebody mentioned that you can get them for free from optometry schools??!!! where??! i'll come anywhere and get them!

and if anybody knows a cheap, good, respected place where i can get them it would be appreciated. the cheapst i found is 1800CONTACTS and they want like almost 300 for one pair, which lasts like a year. thanks guys

omar

the reason they are free at most optometry schools is because you first have to be a study subject (ie. you need to be available for the day to try on contacts, and they test your reactions to them), therefore they are getting something in return for your free contacts. it works out!

 

[cpw]

that's only if they HAPPEN to be doing a study based on the contacts you need. Currently UHCO is doing studies on non-toric lenses only (no astigmatism). They're also doing some studies with keratoconic lenses and contact lenses for children. That's it. you cannot walk into an OD school and say "gimme free contacts" it does NOT work that way.

 

[drbizzaro]

that's only if they HAPPEN to be doing a study based on the contacts you need. Currently UHCO is doing studies on non-toric lenses only (no astigmatism). They're also doing some studies with keratoconic lenses and contact lenses for children. That's it. you cannot walk into an OD school and say "gimme free contacts" it does NOT work that way.

yeah, but as long as you have a friend in an optometry school, or someone you know on a forum like this, you can always find out when they are doing studies on toric lenses.

 

[Tony.]

I have -1.75 astigmatism and are using the 66 Toric Lens.

disposable every month

i dont know, i remember when i last went to see my optometrist, she told me that b/c I also have astigmatism, I can try Toric Lenses 'but the difference is minimal' thats what she told me, she suggested i try both regular lenses and toric lenses and see for myself if i see a difference, i personally stuck with the regular lenses and didnt even try the toric. i was happy with what she gave me in the beginning and stuck with that. if it aint broken, dont fix it. 👍

oh yeah, one more thing, if you have disposable every MONTH, then you need to get your eyes checked every 6 months and not every year or other year! this is what my optometrist told me. does anyone know why she told me this?

 

[samwY]

Hmm.

What are the differences between the Toric lenses and the regular lenses?
They are for astigmatism right? But what are the differences between Toric astigmatism lenses and regular astigmatism lenses?

I've been wearing Torics for many years, so its been the regular for me.

 

[chair]

i've got a question about contacts too

my friend has biweekly contacts and she only wears them occasionally for running

when contacts are for "biweekly," does that mean you should only keep it for 14 consecutive days, or does it mean you should could use it 14 times/days?

What I've noticed is that biweekly contacts actually last her about a month because she doesn't run everyday.

So, what do you guys think about this? Is what she's doing fine? Or will it cause some harm to her eyes?

Thanks!

 

[cpw]

if she only wears them occasionally to run she should be fine for a month... however, she needs to make sure the solution in her case stays current. 🙂

 

[Rosanna]

oh yeah, one more thing, if you have disposable every MONTH, then you need to get your eyes checked every 6 months and not every year or other year! this is what my optometrist told me. does anyone know why she told me this?

I don't know why your optometrist would ask you to come back every 6 months just because you have disposable monthly contact lenses. I can understand if they need a follow-up or to monitor something, but not just so you can reorder contacts (unless you had problems in the past).

Also, vision insurance companies will only cover an eye exam every year or every other year. Are you paying for a full exam every 6 months, a follow-up, or a CL fitting/evaluation?

Plus, usually a prescription for contact lenses expires in a year so you can just reorder if you run out. I wear frequency 55 torics and I usually throw them out after 2.5-3 weeks because I don't like how they feel.

Coopervision usually does toric lenses studies every year at my school so I received a full year supply of contacts last year. I'm not sure if this occurs at every school, but certain contact lens companies give extremely huge discounts to students who just want to order contacts through them. I got another year's worth of contact lenses for $10! The only thing is that you need to get a CL exam through the clinic (which is $5 for opto students). I was then able to apply my VSP discount to get new glasses. 😀

Best wishes,

Rosanna

Forgot one more thing, some schools will even pay for a pair of glasses (including lenses)! I know that 2nd year students here visit the VSP labs and get to choose a frame and mostly any kind of lenses and tints to add. I heard the frame selection is a bit limited but still a good deal. =)

 

[cpw]

we get year supplies of contacts at UHCO for free as students (for almost every brand) it's kinda nice 😉

 

[Tony.]

I don't know why your optometrist would ask you to come back every 6 months just because you have disposable monthly contact lenses. I can understand if they need a follow-up or to monitor something, but not just so you can reorder contacts (unless you had problems in the past).

I've only been wearing contacts for about a year so, she told me that since i'm starting with the Focus Night and Day (which i should change every 30 days) she told me that she wants to check how my eyes are doing every 6 months ( she told me that she wouldnt charge me extra just for checking me out and making sure that Im satisfied with them) i think its just to save her butt if any complications were happening to me etc.