Is the focus day and night contacts really the most comfortable brand?

[Myoptic33]

Is the focus day and night contacts really the most comfortable brand? Those seem to be pretty popular with several of my friends wearing them, some even sleeping in them. I asked my optometrist about them a while back and he said oh no they are very bad for your eyes, my patients come all the time with infections and complications! I researched online and its true. Sleeping in contacts indeed wrecks havoc on your poor eyes. Can I use those contacts as a daily wear? Ill remove them each night. I know they dont go well with any presbyopia but if I ask my optometrist for an undercorrection, I should still be able to see OK from near and not be functionally blind from distance. Another option is take full power but be dependant on reading glasses. I have gotten samples and they all dry my eyes and irritate them. I wonder how some people appearently say they dont feel a thing. Do they just have a high tolerance for discomfort or are so used to them they dont know what it feels NOT to have contacts? I wish to reduce my dependancy on glasses yet find contacts that dont cause discomfort.

[QDO1]

Is the focus day and night contacts really the most comfortable brand?

No, just like I would say my car seat is the most comfortable, many patients will sy that theier current lenses are the most comfortable. Comfort depends on a number of factors - some phisiological - to do with you, some physical - to do with the lens

Those seem to be pretty popular with several of my friends wearing them, some even sleeping in them. I asked my optometrist about them a while back and he said oh no they are very bad for your eyes, my patients come all the time with infections and complications! I researched online and its true. Sleeping in contacts indeed wrecks havoc on your poor eyes. Can I use those contacts as a daily wear? Ill remove them each night.

that lens is designed to be slept in, but as I mentioned before - the suitability will be very dependant on the phisiology of your eyes, and the make up of your tear film. Fit these lenses to the wrong patient - and you will have problems, fit them to the right patient and there will be few or no problems

I know they dont go well with any presbyopia but if I ask my optometrist for an undercorrection, I should still be able to see OK from near and not be functionally blind from distance. Another option is take full power but be dependant on reading glasses.

there are a number of ways to crack the presbyopia egg, ranging form a spectacles soloution, to various contact lens soloutions, to a combination of the two. One thing is for sure... as each year goes past, your presbyopia will need more and more attention, and a higher correction, so sort it now, because you will have to in the end, and you might as well get your head round the idea, whilst the effects are smaller

I have gotten samples and they all dry my eyes and irritate them. I wonder how some people appearently say they dont feel a thing. Do they just have a high tolerance for discomfort or are so used to them they dont know what it feels NOT to have contacts? I wish to reduce my dependancy on glasses yet find contacts that dont cause discomfort.

they might not suit your physiology. to be frank, i wouldnt as a practitioner let you make the lens choices in the first instance - i would be recommending a few designs based on your eyes and tear film, and take it from there. some people do have different tollerations for discomfort, and they also have different tear chemistries, which will have a bearing on the way the lens dries out on your eye, and folowing that, your level of discomfort

[Happylady]

The Day and Night lens allows more oxygen to reach the eye then any other lens. I wear it and find it very comfortable however not everyone does. If you are used to wearing a different lens some people find this one feels uncomfortable until your eye gets used to it.

The doctors I work for usually tell people to give it two weeks. It is always best to remove contacts at night but if you are going to sleep in contacts this is one of the best choices. Lots of people wear it as a daily wear lens.
If you can't wear this lens then there are other very good choices out there.

I have my left non dominant eye under corrected to allow me to read without reading glasses. It is called mono vision. I can still use that eye at distance but it is about 20/40 or 20/50. The other eye is fully corrected. There are also mutifocal lenses available that work well for many people. Both are compromises. You and your doctor need to experiment to find what works best for you. Mono vision can take time to adjust to it and it works best with lower amounts of presbyopia.

I find what works best for me is to not correct my left eye for near as much as my progressive glasses do. I under correct it about a -1.50. I need to use readers if the light is poor or what I need to see is very very small but that is only a few times a week.

[chip anderson]

The most comfortable brand or type of lens is the one that fits the eye upon which it rests. Obviously Focus does not offer an infinite variety (nor does any soft contact) of sizes, radii, thicknesses, powers, etc. No one brand or type of lens can be the "most comfortable" for every case.

Those who fit contact lenses need to take a few courses, apprentice under someone who is experienced and find out what they are doing from someone other than manufacturers, add men, bean counters, little reps in miniskirts and even the gurus at seminars (sponsored by whomever will pay the bill).

There are books, there is the CLSA, there is CLA0, etc. Try a little study, it won't hurt. Never think that the word "new" is synonymous with the word "better."

Chip

[Myoptic33]

Reguarding the presbyopia deal, I could take a half diopter undercorrection in each eye. I have enough accomodation to see fine from intermediate and down to about a foot with a -.5 undercorrection. Itll be a strain to see from close for more than a minute but good enough to read the ingrediants or look something up. I also want a 2nd set with a -1.25 diopter undercorrection to be worn around the house so I can use the computer fine. I dont take well to monovision but I get by fine being undercorrected. I can either choose distance or near vision. Me and mom tried multifocal with poor results. My mom does get by pretty well with monovision. she sees 20/30 in the fully corrected eye and 20/100 in the undercorrected eye. Your 20/40 to 20/50 in the undercorrected eye is close to my BCVA! But then you have a 20/15 BCVA to mine(and moms) 20/30.



I think ive tried a sample of those acuvue hydraclear contacts. They are quite thin and more comfortable than some brands but after an hour they dried my eyes and could be felt. I guess maybe im just one of those with mild dry eyes and a general intolerance to contacts. I did get tested for contacts before and the optometrist said they wont work out well for me due to presbyopia among other conditions. Contacts bother some people more than others, my mom included but she puts up with discomfort.


Theres another thing worrying me is I may get contacts too strong as it has happened to my sister and a number of people I know. My sister's glasses pescription is -2.5 with -.75 cylindar yet she got -2.75 contacts but could easily accomodate the overcorrection. Her eyes did get worse rapidly though. I wont see a thing from near and ill be accomodating at all times with any overcorrection. Due to vertex distance, contacts should have a lower minus than glasses.


Netherless, I will see my local optometrist for another opinion and see what he says. If contacts dont work out for me, I will be looking into intacs. Thanks very much for your replies. Look for my thread about intacs in the Ophthalmic Optics forum.

[Happylady]

You are right, not everyone can wear mono vision. There are lots more brands of contacts out there, even with mild dry eyes you might be able to find a comfortable pair. You might need to do part time wear.

Have you tried eye drops? There is a new prescription available that helps increase tears. The name escapes me right now. You could ask the doctor about it.
If your sister is a -2.50 -.75 then contacts that are -2.75 is not over correcting her. It is true that with a minus correction if the prescription is strong enough that the contact rx will be less then the glasses rx. However with a -2.50 it is not so strong that the contacts will be a weaker rx. The doctor was trying to compensate for her cylinder correction. This is pretty standard. Sometimes toric lenses are used with a -.75 astigmatism, also.

[ilanh]

I'm a big believer in either Extreme H2O or Proclear lenses for dry eyes. They may not have the DK values of Focus Night and Day or O2 optix but they do work very well for dry eyes. I have not been overly impressed with focus night and day as it is a relatively stiff lens with a palpable edge. I have had several patients who were unable to wear them. Most of my patients have been very comfortable with extreme H2O which also keeps their eyes moist. Give it a try.

[culland]

As a non-optical professional you have to trust your optometrist and his ability in fitting you with the correct power. Your sister was in no means overcorrected. She had astigmatism and the doctor appeared to be attempting to correct that with a spherical lens since it was on the border of being fit with a toric lens probably. By him fittting her with a sphere power of -2.75 he was using her "Spherical Equivalent". And if you don't understand what that is than you shouldn't be doubting/questioning his decision. Also at a -2.75 there isn't going to be a power difference needed in order compensate for the vertex distance, the rx isn't stong enough to warrant it. Don't doubt the doctors, definately ask questions but don't come on here and say that your sister's doctor was overcorrecting her and improperly fitting her when you don't know the facts about fitting or various ways of correcting astigmatism with contacts etc...

[Myoptic33]

I looked on the web and this is what I found:


Spherical soft lenses are used primarily when a spherical refraction or a comparatively low amount of refractive astigmatism is present (i.e., -3.00D -0.50D x 180, where the 0.50D of astigmatism is less than 1/4 of the spherical component). When low amounts of refractive astigmatism are present, a practitioner may prescribe the contact lens power as a Spherical Equivalent (adding half of the cylinder power to the sphere power). All contact lens powers greater than 4.00D must be vertex corrected for the corneal plane.



2.25 times 1.25=2.81
.75/2=.38+2.5=2.88
-2.75 times 1.25=3.44
overcorrection=+.56 diopters.

This is .07 diopters too weak which is way below the threshold of being able to distinish any blur. I did the math and she should have gotten -2.25 contacts instead of -2.75 contacts.


"I'm a big believer in either Extreme H2O or Proclear lenses for dry eyes."


will mention this to my optometrist next appointment.


"if the prescription is strong enough that the contact rx will be less then the glasses rx. However with a -2.50 it is not so strong that the contacts will be a weaker rx."


There still is a vertex point difference but its quite small. I have a guy with a -2 glasses pescription and -1.75 contacts. I have tried -2.75 contacts, -3, -4 testing monovision and I can tell you from personal experience as a patient that the vertex distance of 1.25 times applies for any power. -2.75 contacts(-3.5 glasses)-3 contacts(-3.75 glasses)-4 contacts(-5 glasses) the -4 contacts were multifocal and I was seeing the 20/30 line quite clearly. Just as clearly as with my -5 glasses. If you disagree, feel free to point it out. I am only stating what I saw with my own eyes and what my friend's glasses and contact pescriptions were.


edit:


Q: Is an eyeglass prescription ALWAYS higher than one for contact lenses? If yes, is there any difference if the contacts are soft or RGP? — O.A.H., Maryland

A: Eyeglass prescriptions are higher than contact lens prescriptions because contact lenses sit on the eye, whereas eyeglasses sit in space in front of the eye. We call this the vertex distance.

The closer a lens sits to the eye, the less strength is needed to focus light on the retina. And the stronger the prescription, the more the power adjustment. This is true for both soft and RGP lenses. — Dr. Dubow

[chip anderson]

Eyeglass prescriptions and contact lens prescriptions are usually the same for prescriptions less than 4 diopters.

For prescriptions over 4 diopters the contact lens precripdtion will usually be less for myopes (minus prescriptions) and more for hyperopes (plus precriptions).

Some lenses (mostly rigid but one or two stiffer soft) require and allowance for the shape of the tear layer under the lens, this can also account for differences in refaction and actual lens power.

Chip:cheers:

[Happylady]

If your sister wears a -2.50 -.75 in her glasses then a -2.25 will be too weak in contacts. Her distance vision will not be as clear as in a -2.75.

I read in another post of yours that you have an irregular astigmatism. Is this the reason that you can't see better then 20/30 with correction? Gas Perm lenses can mask irregular astigmatism. There are some really good ones out there that are even approved for extended wear. You might ask your doctor about it.

[culland]

You're still way off. And I'm not going to continue to sit here and argue with a non-professional about proper fit and power. I know that you may think you know everything about this because you found websites, but you don't. As Chip stated vertex compensation usually isn't used until around 4 diopters. Your calculations are wrong. I can't believe that you think that you can do some internet research and two simple math problems and tell everyone that a Doctor was wrong is his prescribing and fitting of her contacts. Even if you did the vertex compensation calculations you'd realize that someone with -2.25 fitted at 13.5mm would be around -2.19 at the vertex distance for contacts. Thats not enough of a difference to drop her to a -2.00 and you have to take her cyl power into consideration -0.75 is enough to where she would notice it uncorrected. She was NOT overcorrected and you need to quit pretending that you know more than people that have done this all their lives.

[shellrob]

Culland, you said exactly what I was thinking. I'm sure every doctor wishes they could punch some buttons in a computer and out pops the answer to fitting a lens to a patient. If only it were that easy. Come on now, we all know the internet is good for some things and not others. This is an example of when to NOT use the internet for this type of information. Trust in your doctor and they will fit you with the best possible lens for your needs. Quit seeking for a reason to be unhappy....it seems to be what you're after considering topics of your other threads.

[Myoptic33]

"If your sister wears a -2.50 -.75 in her glasses then a -2.25 will be too weak in contacts. Her distance vision will not be as clear as in a -2.75."


That was not found out back then. She told me the optometrist did not even test her using minus or plus lenses over the contacts. Incidentally, your a -2.5 in glasses, what power contacts do you wear? -2?


"Is this the reason that you can't see better then 20/30 with correction"


I have posted my topographies in other forums. I can post them here in the ophthamogic forum for others to evaluate. Ive been told I have inferior steepening in the right eye and an asymetrical bowtie shape in the left. Sometimes at night when my pupils get huge my vision in the right eye is 20/40 and I see some ghosting, doubling. I have been looking to intacs to improve my uncorrected vision and possibilly my BCVA.


"Gas Perm lenses can mask irregular astigmatism."


I have a hard time tolerating soft contacts. The rigid ones would be much less comfortable. My mom used to wear those and they were a constant irritation!


"I know that you may think you know everything about this because you found websites, but you don't."


I have worn contacts before and tried different minus powers, including for monovision.


"As Chip stated vertex compensation usually isn't used until around 4 diopters. Your calculations are wrong."


Then explain how I am seeing 20/50 with -3.25 contacts but 20/100 with -3.25 glasses. Explain why im seeing very nearly as well with -3.25 contacts as -4.25 glasses. Explain why im seeing with -4 contacts as well as -5 glasses, both giving me my 20/30 BCVA? Tilting my -5 glasses to give it more minus power makes things from near more blurry and eventurally more blurry from far.


"Even if you did the vertex compensation calculations you'd realize that someone with -2.25 fitted at 13.5mm would be around -2.19 at the vertex distance for contacts."


Ok I am confused. Instead of arguing which I have no intention of, id like to know how the math goes. isnt it supposed to be proportional as in a fixed percentage as long as your glasses sit the same distance away? Such as -10 glasses and -8 contacts is proportional to -2.5 glasses and -2 contacts.


"and you need to quit pretending that you know more than people that have done this all their lives."


I am not saying I know more then those optometrist experts, I actually want to know why every contact I wore and tried was giving me a proportional vertex distance of 1.25 times more than glasses. My -2.25 contacts were giving me -2.75 correction, my -2.75 contacts -3.5 correction(I see clearer with those than -3.25 glasses) -3.25 contacts giving me very nearly the same vision as -4.25 glasses. I wonder why this is the case if some people disagree?

[cinders831]

Its been a long bad night, I am tired and irritated so please forgive me for my unfriendly candor, but Myopic you bug me. I swear just reading your know it all and you must be wrong posts drive me nuts...you said you post on other sights also. Don't you think, considering you know so much, that it might be difficult to diagnose online? If you want real answers, go to a Dr and let them look and evaluate and treat. If your unhappy after that go to another Dr and repeat, you cant possibly expect answers from people to be super accurate if they cant see your eyes. I appreciate your quest for knowledge but man your rants......

[Happylady]

-10.00 glasses and -8.00 contacts is not the same as -2.50 glasses and -2.00 contacts. Like other have posted it is usually only with a rx of -3.50 or greater that you need to reduce the power in contacts. If there is astigmatism and you aren't using a toric contact then the power is often increased a little. It isn't an exact science. That is why doctors fit trial contacts and have the patients try them for a week or so.

I don't know why you are having the problems with near that you are since you are so young. You need to ask your doctor about it.

My glasses rx is od: -2.25 -.50
os: -2.50 add is =2.00 ou


I wear in contacts -2.50
-.75

If I wear distance contacts I wear a -2.50 in both eyes.

[Joann Raytar]

As Happy Lady has posted we are getting into an area that you need to talk to your doctor or a contact lens fitter in person to explain.

The discussion can't keep going in this direction or it will have to be closed.

[culland]

As Happy Lady has posted we are getting into an area that you need to talk to your doctor or a contact lens fitter in person to explain.

The discussion can't keep going in this direction or it will have to be closed.

Shut it down. Shut him down. He's asking advice about intacs in the Ophthalmic Optics forum and which powers he thinks he should have implanted and asking for suggestions about what powers to have implanted. This is a surgical procedure!!! Go talk to your Ophthalmologist. I'm sick of it, he wants to argue about vertex distance calculations and knows nothing about the formulas involved just his consumer experience, but I must be wrong with my formulas I've learned and used over the years. Shut it all down. No more medical/contact lens information for this user. Surgical procedures and contacts should be discussed with his doctor. I think the intacs post should be watched as well. I'm done with this user!!!!

[milesdavis]

There are many choices in the very competitive contact lens market. Being the best is very subjective. It is always healthest to remove your contact lenses daily at least an hour before sleeping. This will allow your cornea to recover from the swelling that can occur while wearing contacts. If the reason for your questions about removing your lenses is simply due to laziness then opt for a 1 day lens

[Myoptic33]

Ok I will stop discussing vertex distance here(will take it to PMs) I still have alot of questions but what exactly am I allowed to say on this forum? Isnt this forum for asking questions about your eyes and things relating to it? I dont understand why my discussion isnt OK

[Joann Raytar]

You can ask questions. However, some questions can only be answered by a doctor or optician in person and some questions directly seek medical advice; we cannot answer these types of questions online.