Contact lens stories
Boots Opticians
Opticians
Reading time: 3 minutes
Posted in Contact lenses
Last updated 04/08/2022
Joe & Carol try out life in lenses – & you can, too!
It’s totally normal to be nervous about ditching your trusty frames and trying out contact lenses for the first time. Having something on your eye that helps you see can be a bit daunting at first, especially if glasses have been your go-to for so long. You’re bound to have a million and one questions from when and where you can wear contact lenses, to taking them in and out. That’s where we come in. We’re chatting with Joe and Carol about their first-time nerves, and helping them on their way to frame-free vision.
Will I have to touch my eye?
Joe is thinking about switching to contact lenses but is worried about having to touch his eye. “Contact lenses remind me of salad bowls because they’re completely clear, but they have that shape to them that when you put them on your eye they do just fit,” he says.
“I think the main thing I’m scared of is poking myself in the eye – my eyes are squishy and I don’t want to feel that every day when I'm putting my lenses on.”
Good news for Joe and for those of you wanting to try lenses, your finger doesn’t need to touch your eye, because contact lenses feel like a drop of water when you put them on (no, really!). They sit directly on the surface of the eye, meaning that wherever you look, your vision stays in focus – fab. It can take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll become second nature.
Can I lose a lens in my eye?
Joe’s also worried about losing his lenses behind his eye. “Keys, wallet, phone. They’re the normal things I lose in day-to-day life!” he adds. “You hear about people losing their lenses in their eye, but I don’t know where they could end up.” Rest assured, it’s physically impossible for them to get lost behind your eye. That’s because a membrane covers the white of your eye and connects to the inside of your eyelids, meaning there’s no way for a contact lens to get to the back of the eye.
I'm too old to wear contact lenses, right?
Carol is in her forties and has been struggling with not being able to see things up close. Like Joe, she wants to try contact lenses for the first time. “Starting to wear lenses now would be like taking up karate or something like that, I feel too old to try something new,” she tells us.
“I have trouble reading the labels on the backs of jars and I struggle focusing my vision when I’m taking a photo on my phone, or scrolling on a webpage.”
Sound familiar? If you think you’re too old for contact lenses, think again. Presbyopia is a normal change in the eye that happens with age, and multi-focal contact lenses can help give you the freedom to see near, far and in-between – how good is that?
Are contact lenses comfortable?
Carol also wants to know if wearing contact lenses is comfortable, as she’s worried they may irritate her eyes if she starts wearing them regularly. “They’re in your eye all day rubbing your eyeball, would that cause red, itchy eyes?” she asks. The answer is no and that’s because contact lenses are soft, comfortable and flexible (what a trio!). They can be worn throughout the day too. When our expert optometrists fit people with contact lenses, we always make sure they fit the eye comfortably.
Embrace the benefits of all-round vision
Did you know almost all eyesight prescriptions can be corrected with contact lenses? There are loads of benefits to wearing contact lenses, just see for yourself! (See what we did there?).
Rain or shine, changes in weather or temperature won’t bother you when you wear contact lenses, so playing sport in a downpour or cooking up a storm in a steamy kitchen (no more fogged up glasses) is a doddle. And for those times where you don’t want to hide your eyes behind your trusty frames, contact lenses give you the freedom to switch up your look.
Sound good? We know it does! Contact lenses can make a big difference to the way you see the world. Visit your local Boots Opticians to start your frame-free journey today.
