Switching to glasses after 30 years of wearing contacts because of sensitive, dry, aging eyes?

[gourmetJo]

I have had allergy issues in the past as well with my contacts. My eyes would get very irritated. I'm dust allergic so I deal with it year round. I don't wear glasses because I find them to be uncomfortable. I now have a daily routine that has kept me free of issues. I take Zyrtec daily. I use Pataday eye drops before I put my lenses in and then I have a topical steroid lotion that I apply on my eyelid and under my eye. I also use the Acuvue Oasys lenses which I'm supposed to change every 2 weeks. If my eyes become irritated I generally will change them out sooner.

Of course now my close up vision has gotten so bad that I need to carry cheaters with me....but that's a completely different issue called getting older.

 

[cosmicplanks]

I’ve worn glasses full time since I was 8. I took a very brief sojourn into the land of contacts about 15 years ago because i was tired of fogging in my ski goggles. After losing a contact in my goggles while skiing, I gave up and have stuck with my glasses ever since. I’ve had the same style of glasses frame for nearly 2 decades because I know they fit into my goggles. Now that this particular frame style is no longer made, I keep recycling old frames when my lenses need to be changed.

The fogging issue is real and it is a PITA. There were multiple days last season where I gave up on my goggles altogether. Better to be able to see than not. I have tried various defogging methods. None have worked for me.

I may explore prescription goggles. I already have prescription sun glasses.

Have you considered dry eye therapy? A few optometrists are now offering this laser treatment. It’s a series of 4-6 treatments and it can be a little pricy but I had good results with my first treatment. I’m about to have the second one.

 

[skinnyfootskis]

We use SportRX inserts, single vision, in our ski helmets. I always had to ask someone to read the menu in the lodge for me.
I had Lasik in 2001, but wear glasses now and suffer from dry eyes. It's tough to carry an extra pair of glasses, but I do if I'm cycling and need to go inside someplace. Otherwise, I just wear a pair of transitions.

 

[Emms]

When I stopped being able to wear contacts for the length of a ski day for similar reasons I bit the bullet and got PRK which I had been considering for a long time. No regrets. My eyes are a bit dryer, but not even to the point where I feel the need to use drops. No more dealing with contacts or glasses and I was never able to get comfortable correction with glasses which was the real motivating factor once contacts stopped being an all day option for me.

Not the right solution for everyone obvs but it was for me.

 

[Pamtryingagain]

I've worn contacts since age 11. In more recent decades, I've dealt with sensitive eyes and bouts of allergic conjunctivitis. First I switched to daily disposables for many years, then a couple of years ago noticed bothersome dry eyes, so wore Oasys 1-Days for a year but those were relatively expensive, so then I switched back to a less premium pair, Precision 1 dailies. Those are not cutting it, I'm afraid. I had a stye in the late fall that took a couple of months to fully resolve. I feel like my eyes haven't been the same since. I finally went to an optometrist who diagnosed allergic conjunctivitis on top of dry eyes - so 2 weeks of prescription eye drops, back to a daily compress, and OTC eye drops in addition. At this point, this seems a bit ridiculous. I don't know if I want to try the latest recommendation, Dailies Total1's, which I just price checked at $750 AFTER the rebate for a year's supply, but not sure still how much of the daily compress/eye drop regime I could get rid of.

So, I'm now wondering if I should switch to glasses. One reason for getting contacts at age 11 was I didn't like the look of glasses, but a lot's changed in the last 30 years and that's no longer really a factor The other reasons I like contacts though are not having something uncomfortable on my face, more convenient for exercise (running, yoga, skiing, watersports), when it's raining, not having to switch from regular glasses to prescription sunglasses every time the sun came out, and being able to use a variety of sunglasses depending on the activity.

And I am also expecting any day now of needing progressive lenses/bifocals.

Any other Divas who are opthamologically challenged have advice?

I wear glasses because my aging eyes didn't like contacts and I need reading levels. I had cataract surgery and when they replaced my lens, they also did this procedure that corrected most of my astigmatism and inserted a lens to correct distance. None of it is perfect but good enough to ski as long as I don't need to look at my phone for anything. I take some old glasses in my pocket but also have goggles that support eyeglass temples, so they have a divit where the temple threads through to the ears if that makes sense. I like this setup but it required surgery of course. Not sure how old you are or if surgery is an option. I wear glasses off the hill and have some great cycling and sport glasses that block the wind, are no line bifocal and are transitions for sun. I bought them at Sport RX online and the quality is amazing. Not sure if any of this helps.

 

[Pamtryingagain]

I had conjunctivitis*. Had to avoid wearing contacts for 6-8 weeks. But I was ok after that.

*It might have been allergic. It was within a couple of months of acquiring 2 cats. Who are allowed on my bed, so...dunno, the ophthalmologist couldn't make that determination, but to me it just seemed too close to not be connected. Still have the cats, eyes are ok.

P.S. my glasses are photo-sensitive. Not as good as sunglasses, but good enough.

Off topic here. You have 2 cats? What do you do with them when you travel? I joined ski diva last year and want to do more trips but leaving the cat is stressful. Maybe I need to just get used to it. I have allowed her to keep me grounded but I am too old to ignore that my time is limited doing things like skiing.

 

[VickiK]

Off topic here. You have 2 cats? What do you do with them when you travel?

I live with my sister, so it's not an issue. When I lived alone, I would hire a pet sitter who'd come in to feed my cats (not the same ones as now) and clean their box. It was stressful when she moved to another state, so I understand how you feel.