To: bovik@k Subject: contact lenses Date: Tue, 06 Sep 88 10:51:55 EDT Message-ID: <17275.589560715@A.GP.CS.CMU.EDU> From: Amy.Moormann@A.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Gas Perm's Date: Tue, 30 Aug 88 11:35:25 EDT From: Richard.Edahl@ARNO.EDRC.CMU.EDU Amy- I personally have found gas perm's preferable to soft contacts. The vision is better and the lenses last longer with gas perms, but also I find them to be more comfortable. With soft lenses, after about 4 hours of wearing, my eyes would dry out and the lenses would feel as if I had small particles in my eyes, and I would always take them out as soon as I got home. With the gas perms, I have no trouble wearing them all day, and almost never 'feel' them in my eyes. (The eye drops didn't help that much for the soft, and I find I rarely need them for the gas perm's) Rick Edahl i ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: RE: opthalmologist/contact lens recommendations? Date: Tue, 30 Aug 88 12:13:47 EDT From: Carol.Novak@IUS1.CS.CMU.EDU Amy-- You asked for opinions and experiences, so here is mine: I wore hard contacts for 5 years before my eyes got "tired" of them. My optometrist said I should switch to gas-permeable. I tried, but I just couldn't get used to them. My optometrist tried me on several different kinds but none of them were comfortable, even after weeks of wear. I gave up. Fortunately, I didn't pay for them beforehand, and never did. A couple years later, I tried soft lenses from a different optometrist. They felt fine, although after 7 months I got fed up with them too since they became uncomfortable due to permanent deposits (and I cleaned the *#$%! things religiously) and I didn't feel like spending the money to replace them (they were quite expensive and there was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn't happen again). As you may have guessed, I am fed up with contact lenses altogether and wear my glasses all the time. My mother and sister both wear gas-permeable lenses, with only some success. My sister complains her eyes feel dry all the time, and my mother, who has been wearing contacts for over 25 years, can only wear hers for a few hours a day. I think they must be less fussy than I am to put up with their lenses at all. Anyway, my recommendation to you is not to pay for gas-permeable lenses without a guarantee that you can get your money back if you don't like them. It is possible that your eyes, like mine a few years ago, simply will not tolerate hard lenses, even gas permeable ones. According to what I have read, the only thing doctors can prescribe for this is, "Let your eyes rest for several months." --Carol ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 88 13:14:36 EDT From: Brad.Myers@A.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: contacts I had hard lenses then soft lenses and now gas perm and these are the best. They are even more confortable than the soft ones, and I can see a lot better. They are also better than hard because I can see out of glasses after taking them off (with hard lenses my eyes used to swell so I couldn't use glasses). I got my contacts from Fred Smith in Squirrel hill who is an optomatrist. You probably don't need an opthamologist: I have had good and bad lenses from both, with no apparent corrolation. Brad ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 1988 13:50-EDT From: Ellen.Walker@IUS1.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Re: opthalmologist/contact lens recommendations? Message-Id: <588966647/elw@IUS1.CS.CMU.EDU> In-Reply-To: Amy.Moormann's bboard message of 30-Aug-88 10:59 1) I go to an optometrist, so I can't help you there. 2) I have been wearing gas permeable lenses for about 4 years (Boston II, then Boston IV) and have been very happy with them. Before I switched to gas permeable, I wore ordinary hard lenses for about 10 years. With the gas permeable lenses I seem to get less eye irritation, and I can go for longer without taking them out. (Hard lenses used to bug me after about 18 hours; I have worn my gas permeable lenses for over 24 with no problems -- good for quals and pre-demo all-nighters!) If I can give you any more info, let me know. Ellen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 1988 23:02-EDT From: Michael.Witbrock@F.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Re: opthalmologist/contact lens recommendations? I can heartily recommend Hugo M Cerri Suite 1010 1501 LOCUST STREET PITTSBURGH PA 15219 391 6625 I have had two years of trouble with contacts after I destroyed my first pair (of strange NZ ones) on the way here. Dr Cerri correctly diagnosed the problem (which the nasty mall optometrists here didn't detect) after discounting an initial suspicion of allergy. He is also friendly and doesn't talk down to patients. He seems to like students - I got a cut rate on my fitting and on a replacement lens when I tore one. --- About gas permeable lenses - I had these for 6 months before switching to daily wear soft lenses. I'd never go back ... soft lenses are a little harder to keep clean, but A LOT more comfortable. The extra effort is well worth it. Don't get extended wear soft contacts - they are dangerous (I don't think Dr Cerri will prescribe them). michael