Sometimes, it pays to be overly cautious

[gnomi]

I was 15 when I started wearing contact lenses. I've gone back and forth between wearing them regularly and wearing them very rarely. I'm currently in a "wear them regularly" phase; this phase started in the summer of 2005. I was in New York, and one morning my glasses broke completely unexpectedly (the left temple disconnected from the rest of the glasses in a way that couldn't be repaired). And for reasons I'm still not clear on, I'd packed my contact lenses as backup eyewear instead of my (previous prescription) spare pair of glasses. While there was a place around the corner from mabfan's mother's house where I was able to get my frames replaced (which, again, was unexpected -- usually, lenses to fit in one pair of frames will not fit into another set of frames), I kept wearing my lenses most of the time.

When I started wearing contact lenses, I was advised not to wear them for more than 12 hours at a time. I violate this regularly (inasmuch as I put them in at about 6:15 in the morning and don't usually take them out before 7 at night), but, just in case I need to take them out during the day, I carry my glasses wtih me. Every morning, I put my lenses in and put my glasses in my backpack. And until this morning, I've wondered if, perhaps, that was silly. But this morning, I was at my desk at work, and I started feeling a sharp pain in my left eye. I figured that perhaps I had something in my eye, so I took my lens out to clean it, intending to put it back in. But then I noticed that it had a significant tear in it. Aha! said I. This is why I carry my eyeglasses. I quickly removed my right lens, tossed both in the trash, and put my glasses on.

And, since I wear the lenses that are designed to be worn 14 days and then tossed (today was day 6 on this set of lenses), I'll just pull another set out of the cabinet when I get home, and all will be well for tomorrow.

Comments

[malkaesther.livejournal.com]

Isn't it great to find out that you were doing something for a reason? That is great that you had your glasses when you needed them.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Yeah -- especially since I'm blind as the proverbial bat without them. So working would be impossible if I hadn't had them.

[fynixsoul.livejournal.com]

Does the proverbial bat have sonar?

[michelel72.livejournal.com]

The need to carry backup glasses was one of the many reasons I gave up on contacts. I can wear glasses, or I can wear contacts and carry around glasses, lens cups, and cleaning solution. Too much work for me!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I understand that. I keep a spare lens case in my backpack and I have cleaning solution in my desk at work.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Very glad you had the backup! Any idea how it tore?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

No clue. I may have gotten something in my eye that tore it.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your eye wasn't scratched.

[aunt-becca.livejournal.com]

Hi Nomi,
I thought I had lost one of my contact lenses, turns out instead it was stuck to the inside of my upper eyelid for about a week! I felt an itch, rubbed my eye, and half a lens came out. Totally freaked me out, I didn't wear them for about a month. Oh, the trauma!!
Rebecca

my email is hrhberta@yahoo.com, feel free to email me. Or you can continue to harrass me in shul :)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Hey, Rebecca! :-)

I've never had a lens get lost in my eye for longer than about 5 minutes. I keep rubbing (though I know I shouldn't) until it either relocates itself or pops out.

I'll e-mail you the recipe this afternoon. This does not mean I'm no longer going to harrass you in shul, however. :-)