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contacts...only the village would understand

1K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Luv2BeFrugal 
#1 ·
I am starting to look for a new job. My current job has wild hours and poor pay so I have been wearing only my glasses and my contacts have been sitting in the bathroom for um...over a year.

They have been in the disinfecting solution. They are rigid permable lenses and I can see that they are still under the fluid. The container is sealed. (It is a clear vial for spinning the contacts.

I am more than willing to re-disinfect them for three times, cleaning them with protein cleaner between times. I know the procedure to start wearing them again.

But I can barely afford for the lenses, I can't afford a contact lense exam and new contacts. But I have VERY poor vision (something like -12 in both eyes) and wearing my glasses doesnt' give a good impression for interviews. And if I could get that regular hour job, I could wear them all the time and have self-esteem again.

Of course, my crappy vision is better than losing my vision entirely...so does anyone know? I feel that if I called my eye doctor the answer could be financially motivated on his part. I have already spent my eye insurance money for two years for my glasses (and an extra $300 to boot because of the severity of my script)

So, does anyone know?
 
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#3 ·
I would not put them in your eyes till you call a doctor or eye vision place first for advice.
I used to wear contacts for awhile, but I am no way up to speed on them anymore. A year in the solution without doing anything to them seems a stretch to me.
 
#5 ·
glasses look better than red teary eyes that took the "chance"

I would go for the glasses if the Dr says not to use the contacts.
 
#6 ·
I can no longer wear contacts. I have worn glasses since 4th grade. I do NOT believe that your glasses are giving a poor impression when interviewing. Contacts are a want; not a need.

Get a better job, save your money, and get new contacts if that is what you really want. Sorry if this sounds harsh!
 
#7 ·
I completely understand being blind as a bat! I wear a -9.5 contact lens, so my glasses are super thick, too. I am super self conscious of wearing my glasses outside the house, too, as they are so thick and make my eyes look tiny. But truthfully, my vision is SO much better with contacts.

A thought is that eye doctors almost always have samples in their offices for you to try. Even in my prescription they have samples for me to try. I would call and see if they have something on hand. You may have to pay for a contact lens doctor fee, but you may not. It depends on the clinic. Walmart charges $50 for the exam, but they always have free samples.

It can't hurt to check. I've been there, I know what you're going thru! Let us know how it goes!

-Vanessa
 
#9 ·
I don't have the same type of lens but as long as they haven't dried out.......and the container hasn't been opened.......I would try them..........due to the $ situation.......if you had the $ to go for appt. I would say better safe than sorry. You have to sometimes just pick your priorities...........

I wear the soft stig. lenses.........so not sure about your type.

I have horrible allergies, so unless it is some special occ. I don't wear my lenses much..........they will sit for MONTHS but I don't let them dry out and change the fluid once a month or so.
 
#10 ·
Hmmmm

Want/Need
In some ways you are right, this is a want. Clearly it is not a need in the same way that rent or even some form of vision correction is (for me). But it is not a want in in the same way that eating out or cable is. My hours at work are giving me migraines (I switch from days to nights every week and irregular sleep is trigger for me) and I have gained twenty pounds while working this schedule. While it is well known that working nights can encourage weight gain, this is a bit more in my control than the migraines. I could ask my job to take me off nights but currently my night shifts are about 60% of my hours and hours are _not_ garaunteed. I could go through several weeks of maybe 30 hours a week (by picking up a few extra shifts) before being regularly assigned enough hours to replace those nights.
So I feel like I am caught between a rock and a hard place.
And the job market is competitive. No one would ever say that glasses would make a difference in an interview...it would be discrimanation. But as one person posted...my glasses make my eyes look very small and beady. Enough that I feel like it prevents good eye contact with an interviewer. And difficulty reading my facial expressions.
When I bought my glasses last year my eye doc said that he would not suggest on-line glasses for me because I require progressive lenses and the clinic would have a more recent development in thinner/lighter which at least makes the glasses not painful to wear. And I don't feel self-concious about the edge of my lenses as I did thirty years ago in my teens.
I have never, ever gotten found a doctor or clinic who had my script immediately available. Not the "Glasses in an hour" or "Glasses in 24 hour". And they always show me the fine print of deals and offers which says that not all scripts are covered. I have had some difficulty woth soft lenses but now I see that some of the disposables look more like rigid ones so maybe...
I will pay for the contact lense exam where I can get a "free sample pack" of disposable lenses which would be enough to get me through the interview and then I hopefully with a raise I can afford to get replacements or order RGP lenses.
Hmmm....
 
#11 ·
That sounds like a better plan than trying to clean your year-old contacts. No sense in possibly getting an eye infection or worse.

Try not to let wearing glasses at an interview make you feel inferior for whatever reason. Try practicing in front of a mirror eye contact and smilling while talking. May help you gain more confidence.
 
#12 ·
i wouldnt say contacts are a want and glasses are a need .

i dont tolerate glasses well-
i get dizzy wearing glasses because the fact i can see over and under and the glasses moving on my face as i move . i cannot understand how people can run up steps and even run in them . its like being on an amusement ride to me .

i dont drive well in glasses because i am so use to contacts so the releflection messes off my depth perception at night -


that said i wouldnt play with a year old pair of contacts

there has been plenty of time for bacteria to grow in there and sit on the lens.

Just curious Why do you need the rigid gas type i know they can be alot more .

only time i wear my glasses are at night before bed or early AM or when i am sick . because i cant sleep in my contacts .

so for me contacts are a medical need- they correct my eye sight in a way thats safest for me .

i wear dailys a little more $ but i have alot of protien build up and alot of sensativities to cleaners.

my dd needs contacts - both did - they are/ were competition cheerleaders cant do that with glasses ( for those un aware of the difference between reg cheer and comp cheer) theres a lot more tumbling flipping being thrown about or catching people - cant do it without corrected eye sight . even glassed strapped on probably wouldnt stay on well and have a chance of being banged onto your face or someone else .
 
#13 ·
i understand the glasses making your eyes look smaller-it can look a little odd - mine look smaller when i have glasses on to - but i am 99% of the time home- make up off etc so no worries for me. when i would try to get a pair as back up for my contacts just in case i had an eye issue etc i remember always thinking how small my eyes looked.

BTW no dr is going to say yeah go get them online - they would lose money for sure .

so even though $$ you may be able to find a discount if you can get the proper measurements that go with it .
 
#14 ·
Being someone who also has a pretty strong Rx (-6.5) I understand that uncomfortable feeling wearing glasses. Heck, I didn't get contacts until I was 18 and I didn't *realize* what the world fully looked like with NO glasses rims and the wonderfulness of peripheral vision!!

Can't hurt to ask your doctor if you can wear the old ones, but I wouldn't put them in until you get a go-ahead from him/her.

If you believe it'll help you get a good job and can squeeze it out of some part of your budget (commit to eat ramen for 2 weeks kinda thing), I'd say go for it. Having a large degree of added self-confidence in an interview could help you get a great job. Good luck to you! :)
 
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