I began wearing glasses at the ripe old age of 8. I hated wearing glasses from day one. Kids are very mean to other kids who wear glasses. Worse than that was the dreaded day that they did eye tests at school. Even if I had just gotten new glasses the week before I could never read that darn eye chart. I remember standing in line waiting for my turn and trying to memorize what the kids in front of me were saying. Of course it never worked and I was humiliated when I couldn't read the chart and had to take a note home to my parents saying that I needed stronger glasses.
One of the best days of my life was when I turned 16 and was finally old enough to get contact lens. Back in those ancient day contacts were fairly new and they didn't let children wear them because they didn't think they were old enough to take care of them correctly until the magic age of 16. I wanted to wear contacts so bad that I became a pro at putting them in and taking them out in two days. In all my years of wearing contacts I've never lost a contact.
Fast forward years and years....the Doctor says that I can no longer wear my old hard contacts but have to get a new kind called gas permeable so that my eyes could breathe better. No sweat - they were just like the old kind but more comfortable.
Fast forward again to a few months ago. My doctor told me that I would have to change to soft contacts because they would be much better for my eyes. The plus side....he put me in monthly soft contacts so I only change them once a month. I love being able to wake up in the middle of the night and see and I love only having to change them once a month. The down side....I cannot change those darn contacts.
I have what my daughters call "small, beady eyes" and I have a very strong blink reflex. The entire strategy for putting soft contacts on and taking them off is totally different than with gas permeable contacts. After about 100 tries I can get my contacts on if I have to, but I absolutely cannot get them out.
Each month my two daughters have to change my contacts. It is quite a production. One has to "pry" my eye open while the other one takes the contacts out. It usually takes at least 20 tries with my youngest daughter yelling "big eyes mom, big eyes" before the mission is accomplished. By the time they get my contacts changed they want to take up drinking.
Last week I got a bad cold that was kind of in my eyes and one eye was really hurting. Since both of daughters live in the Boise area I couldn't have them take them out. I tried and tried and could not get my contact out. I finally went to Urgent Care because my eye hurt so bad. I had managed to get one corner of the contact folded under and scratched my cornea. No wonder it hurt! So now I am "one eyed" until it heals (did I mention that I don't even own a pair of glasses. I tried getting them once but they are like coke bottles and make me sick to my stomach").
I think my goal very soon is to get Lasik surgery. I guess this just validates the old saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Am I the only idiot out there who can't learn to change soft contact lens?
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5 comments:
Yeah Ganny:)
love your new blog:)
JUlia:)
I've been wearing soft contacts since the 1970s (my glasses have "coke-bottle" lenses, too.) They can be tricky because they are so flexible, like when I somehow get them inside out. As I've gotten older [and my eyelids have gotten more droopy :(] I had to change my strategy for putting in my contacts. I find I have to really stretch my eyelid open with my thumb and index finger--and hold it there-- when I put in, or take out a contact. I also use lots of contact solution, and I have some Visine drops for soft lens that I use if the contacts get too dry (if they get too dry, they really stick to your eyeball!)
Congrats on starting a blog!
Mary
I laughed hysterically reading this blog. You're right... changing your contacts DOES almost drive Suzi and I to drinking... but we do it because we love you. We'll change your contacts until the day you die (but hopefully you'll get lasik surgery and then we won't have to).
Hope your eye feels better soon.
OMG, haven't laughed this hard in a while, since you were here probably! Love the music!
Katie
Yeah, I am so glad to see that you have a blog! I can say that I witnessed you with Suzi and Jenny changing your contacts when we were all in Seattle, and boy, Lasik is sounding better and better. Keep the posting coming!
Miss you Ganny!
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