Please note: I am not a doctor or Optician and have no medical knowledge whatsoever. Anything you find on this website is merely as a result of my own experiences. If you suspect you are suffering from any condition mentioned here please consult a trained medical practitioner.

My Experience

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Around 8 years ago I found that my night vision wasnt what it should be. A few near misses with kerbs made me decide to get an eye test. It turns out I have a slight Astigmatism in my left eye. Verified by 5 different opticians over the years. I never tell them until after they diagnose it. I just dont trust medical people whose wages are based on the severity of their diagnosis.

I was given spectatcles or glasses. Suddenly I noticed all the detail I had been missing. I think if your sight slowly degrades you dont really notice the changes. I could clearly see textures I didnt know I had been unable to see and other things such as leaves on trees, peoples faces, detail on televison pictures and even blades of grass. All now so much more defined. A few years later I tried Contact Lenses for the first time. After 45 minutes and a very patient opticians assistant I managed to get them fitted. Once they were on my eyes I couldnt feel them at all. Unfortunately my allergies meant that after a few days my eyes were so inflamed that I couldnt wear them. The lens was trapping pollen, dust etc iunderitself and causing irritation.

A few years later I tried contact lenses again. Same problem. I was resigned to wearing glasses. I dont like wearing glasses. They get in the way, they slide down your nose, if I suffer a blow to the face the parts that grip the nose would end up embedded in my skull. The legs always =loosen up and they mysteriously become misshapen and never seem to sit staright. And the little tiny screws that hold the glass in always seem to start coming loose once they are around a year old and fall off. They are so small its 50/50 whether you will find them again. Always an annoyance when you are on holiday in a rural area with no Optician for 40 miles. (fuse wire made a handy subsitute for a week)

About 3 weeks ago I bit the bullet and went to Tesco Opticians. They couldnt have been more helpful and correctly diagnosed the Astigmatism and suggested I try Contact Lenses. I was a bit apprehensive but gave it a go. Apparently the lenses I was given can be worn through sleeping. Well I had that first trial pair of lenses on for nearly 7 days 24/7. No irritation whatsoever. The only problem was they were not Toric Lenses for Astigmatism so my vision was slightly blurred in middle to short distance. Not a problem except for reading signposts etc.

Today I got a trial pair of Toric Contact Lenses. They are the same clear, almost rubbery or gel like, substance as the first ones they gave me. Very comfortable to wear. I cant even feel that I'm wearing them at all. Long and short distance vision is as good as with spectacles. I have some slight distorion when my eyes are resting but I am hopeful this will subside as I become used to wearing them.