Contacts vs Glasses

[Stella-Io]

SO, recently I have broken my glasses frame and I need a replacement... again.

Rn I can't see for crud as my vision is horrible. I have no spare glasses either and all my old (intact) pairs literally do not help, I mind as well not be wearing glasses. I do have prescription sunglasses but obv I can't wear those to work.

At this point should I just get contacts? My worry is cost of money and the constant need to have to get new contacts like every week, which I'm not going out to the vision place every week. Plus, they just like, fall out. I feel like contacts can be good but overall will be more costly. With glasses yes they break but atleast it's a one time purchase until I need new ones, which I will procrastinate for atleast a year.

TL;DR
?How much more/less in cost are contacts vs glasses?
?Is one any superior to the other?
?If I get contacts, how does that work with my (prescription) sunglasses? Cause I really don't think I'm just gonna take out my contacts while wearing sunglasses.
?I really can't be driving to the vision place all the time to get new contacts. Maybe I can get them mailed?
?If contacts are better, should I still invest in spare glasses for when the contacts run out?

Literally never had/wore contacts before so any advice is appreciated.

 

[Chris]

•How much more/less in cost are contacts vs glasses?
A lot more. I pay ?35/month for my contacts and solution. Eye drops are a separate cost I don't keep track of. I wear fortnightly lenses so it's a little more expensive than someone who wears monthlies. Meanwhile my glasses and coating were approx ?120 (although I did have them discounted, they should have been more than double that) and will last at least 2 years. So glasses are the cheaper option.

•Is one any superior to the other?
Depends why you want them. I've been wearing contacts for aesthetic reasons for twelve years, but they also just so happen to be very practical for the climate I live in (wet, windy, etc.)

•If I get contacts, how does that work with my (prescription) sunglasses? Cause I really don't think I'm just gonna take out my contacts while wearing sunglasses.
You will not be able to wear your prescription sunglasses while wearing contacts.

•I really can't be driving to the vision place all the time to get new contacts. Maybe I can get them mailed?
I get mine sent via snail mail from my optician. They send me 6 months worth at a time.

•If contacts are better, should I still invest in spare glasses for when the contacts run out?
You definitely need to have glasses even if you choose to go with contacts. Many types of lenses can only be worn for a set number of hours so you would have to take them out overnight (some can be worn continuously but they're typically more expensive). There will be other times your eyes are irritated and itch/hurt and you will want to take them out. I take at least one rest day a week from my lenses anyway because it's good for the general health of your eye regardless of the type you wear.

 

[Lyraa]

It depends, when I wore my glasses I found myself cleaning them constantly and it just irritated me, I just overall don't like glasses so I swear by contact lenses. For the past 10 years of wearing contacts, my optician gave me monthly Air Optix, he gave me these because they allow more oxygen around your eye as the company started off making lenses so you can sleep in them, they do however do dailies too, ones you throw away after one use. My mum had tried Air Optix and couldn't get along with them, so it depends on you yourself. I can't get along with dailies, I feel them on my eye constantly despite them being thinner than monthly's.
I get my contact lenses delivered to me by post, it's just easier and more convenient.
100% still have your glasses. You can get headaches when wearing lenses for too long, so taking them out and putting your glasses on so you don't strain your eyes is recommended. If you contract conjunctivitis, it's recommended to not wear your lenses and stick to your glasses, same with if you somehow get a scratch in your eye, etc.
I take my lenses out every single night before bed and put them in in the morning, so my eyes get rest every single day of the week, lenses can stop oxygen getting to your eyes, also, your lenses will need to bathe in solution so they can be cleaned and so they don't dry out.

Talk to your optician about any concerns, they'll be able to provide all the information you need.

 

[SheepMareep]

So! I am a broke college student who cant afford glasses or contacts regularly despite being blind.
The BEST thing I have ever found was this site zennioptical. You input your prescription (including pupillary distance which is important for proper sizing!) And choose any frame you want. The frames alone are ~$5-20 and then it increases based on your prescription and what features you'd like (blue light protection, transition, bifocal).
My glasses by the end of it are only ~$50 and ship within a week or two c: they are also pretty good quality! Cant tell a difference between my glasses from the dr office and the ones I got online.

I prefer contacts over glasses 100%. However I get the dailies since I dont like the idea of using the same pair for months at a time... so it can get expensive. Usually I'll buy enough for a year or half a year and alternate using my contacts vs my glasses. Usually contacts I'll use when I'm going out and glasses are daily

 

[Stella-Io]

Oh, I forgot that contacts are daily use or (news to me) monthly use.

If I were to get contacts, I would mainly use them when going out or to work. However because my vision is so bad sometimes I have to wear glasses around the house to be able to see what I'm doing, like if I'm drawing, reading or sometimes eating. So from what I've read here I would still need glasses as a backup, so I could just put those on around the house for casual use. I work 5 days a week so 5 days a week I would be wearing contacts (if out of force of habit I don't put on my glasses).

I made this thread cause I have an issue with breaking my glasses (this is the fourth time my glasses have broke, 3 times were not entirely fault thou) so I want to see alternatives incase this (inevitably) happens again.

 

[LadyDestani]

So I wore contacts almost exclusively for over a decade and I wear glasses almost exclusively now. I used to think contacts were far superior to glasses, and there are still a lot of reasons I would prefer to wear contacts, but they started irritating my eyes so badly that I had to stop wearing them. I think it has less to do with the contacts, though, and more to do with my own increased allergies and lack of sleep.

Contacts are generally more expensive but it can depend on certain factors. My insurance pays a little bit more to cover the added cost of contacts and with glasses I have to pay out of pocket for extras like high index lenses, scratch and glare-proof coatings, and nicer frames. So they run about the same for me in the end.

You definitely cannot wear prescription sunglasses while wearing contacts. It will over-correct your vision and make it difficult to see.

You shouldn't have to pick up contacts weekly. There are lots of different options: daily, weekly, or monthly disposables or non-disposables that last until your next prescription change (or until you lose/tear one). Even if you choose disposables, you should be able to buy them in bulk to last 6 months or a year. You can also have them mailed to you.

You will need a back-up pair of glasses if you get contacts. Unless you sleep in your contacts (which I don't recommend) or put them in as soon as you wake up, you'll probably want glasses to go about your morning routine. It's also nice to take your contacts out a little before bed and wear glasses instead to let your eyes rest. If I wasn't going out, I wore my glasses instead of contacts. Also, if you injure your eye in any way or have an eye illness like pink eye, you won't be able to wear contacts until your eye heals. And if you lose or tear a contact and don't have a replacement handy, you'll need glasses.

As far as which is superior, it's really subjective but these are my pros and cons.

Pros for Glasses:
- Cheaper (maybe)
- More convenient
- Less strain on your eyes
- Less likely to get lost
- Lets you choose your style

Cons for Glasses:
- Annoying! (Smudges, pinching, slipping down your nose, getting knocked out of place, etc)
- Acne (I break out worse where they rest on my nose.)
- Water spots on the lenses when it rains or when my eyes tear up
- Can break or get scratched

Pros for Contacts:
- Don't have to constantly clean them throughout the day
- Put them in and forget them
- Better if you like the way you look without glasses

Cons for Contacts:
- Can be lost or torn (which is why I switched to disposables so I always had a back-up)
- Can be difficult to put in some days
- Can dry out or irritate your eyes
- Can slip out of place and move under your eyelid or pop out (kind of rare but something to be aware of)

When I asked about contacts, my optician gave me a lot of information and even let me try out a sample pair to make sure I could put them in correctly and test how they would feel. I suggest checking with your optician if you're still on the fence about it.

 

[Stella-Io]

Thanks to all who responded so far, everyone has been quite informative.

I see people mention costs. When I get glasses I usually get two pairs (one main and one spare, but this time I got one main and one sunglasses) which usually are 400$USD, give or take. I used to put an anti-glare coating on my main glasses but not anymore. I do have astigmatism as well, so I'm not sure if that affects my costs any. I have no insurance so I always pay out of pocket for whatever I get.

At work I had a regular compliment me saying I look nice without my glasses. However I'm always wearing them when I go out, so hardly anyone dies see me without them. I think I do look a little better without my glasses as well, but I always where them when I go out shopping or to work.

Contacts are also more convenient since where I live it's rainy, so water smudges, and at work I have to go in the walk in freezer for about an hour at a time, causing my glasses to he fogged for a few minutes. But with poor vision, a few minutes isn't good. Smudges drive me bananas and, another thing, my face is crooked? Like back when I got my glasses they sat crooked on my face despite them being straight. We took them to the place to straighten them out but it's just my face, somethin about either my nose or ears makes straight glasses sit tilted on me.

I def do not want to sleep in contacts (people do that?) And when I'm at home I don't need my glasses unless I'm writing or drawing. If I did need them, I'd just put on my glasses cause I'm going to take them off later anyway.

Seems like contacts would be a good option for me, esp since I break my frames, so I'll have to look into it once I can schedule an appointment.

 

[G0DFlesh_88]

Glasses. Cheaper and Safer imo

 

[DJStarstryker]

In addition to what LadyDestani said, another con of glasses is that if you go from an air conditioned environment to a warm and humid environment, your glasses can fog up temporarily. It's irritating.

As for regular glasses versus prescription sunglasses - I've been using glasses with Transition lenses for years now. They darken like sunglasses when you go outside and protect your eyes the same way as sunglasses would. They used to take a little bit of time to transition back to clear when you went back indoors, but they're much faster than they used to be. Transition lenses cost more than regular lenses, but I think it's worth it. No swapping glasses, nor squinting from bright sunlight.

I'm a glasses wearer. My vision is not bad enough that I don't need to wear them all the time. I really just need them for distance. I did attempt to try on contacts at the optometrist once, but I couldn't get it in and the lady helping me wasn't really directing me. I ended up trying long enough that my eyes got irritated and dried out and then gave up and just got glasses again. I've never tried contacts again since.

 

[Flyffel]

I use monthly lenses. I hate how I look with glasses haha, they just don't suit me. On some people they are "subtle" but on me they like... completely change the perception of who I am? Surely that's not just my own perception... So wearing glasses in public is no option for me personally (if I just go to the market across the street I'll let it slide).

At home I usually wear glasses since they are easier on the eyes. So yeah, even if you get contacts you WILL need glasses for at home because you won't be wearing your contacts from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. There is a limit to how long you can wear contacts before they start irritating your eyes (maybe like 10+ hours for my monthlies but still, it also depends on the weather, air pollution etc.). Also it's just easier on the eyes to wear glasses VS long periods of contacts (the irritation) and surely you don't wanna go "blind" when your contacts start drying.

Something to consider is that if the air at your workplace is very dry (like at my university during the winter...), your eyes will dry quickly when you wear contacts, it's pretty much impossible to wear them in "very dry air" conditions. Beware.

Now there are these "fancy" (and expensive) contacts that you can wear while sleeping and you take them out when you wake up and you have "fixed eyesight" for the day. To be honest the idea of sleeping with "contacts on" creeps me out though. I don't trust that they won't do damage to my eyes in the long term.

I recommend either monthly contacts & cheap glasses for at home OR just glasses (maybe not the cheapest ones if you always wear them, like pay the extra for scratch protection etc., or just deal with it when you break them and replace cheaply I guess lol).

I don't recommend daily lenses unless you only want to wear them very seldomly for a change of pace. They are a lot more expensive than monthlies.

For reference I pay about 15€ (about $16) per month for my contacts + solution combined.

 

[LadyDestani]

I have issues with glasses sitting crooked on my face, too. It's my ears that are uneven. One ear is lower than the other to the point where I can visibly see the difference just from looking in the mirror. I always wear my hair down over one side to cover it up. With thinner metal frames, I would gently bend them myself until they sat straight because the optician would always make the glasses themselves straight and I wanted them to sit straight instead. I've had better luck with the plastic frames, though, because they stay straight and one of the ear pieces just sits up a little higher instead of resting on that ear.

And no, I don't think most people sleep in their contacts because everyone knows it's bad, but I have accidentally fallen asleep for short periods of time with my contacts in. When you wake up, even from like an hour long nap, they are so dry and painful. When my brother had contacts, he was always super lazy so he would fall asleep in them all the time. I don't know how he could stand it. But it's really bad for your eyes, so never do it.

 

[Stella-Io]

In addition to what LadyDestani said, another con of glasses is that if you go from an air conditioned environment to a warm and humid environment, your glasses can fog up temporarily. It's irritating.

As for regular glasses versus prescription sunglasses - I've been using glasses with Transition lenses for years now. They darken like sunglasses when you go outside and protect your eyes the same way as sunglasses would. They used to take a little bit of time to transition back to clear when you went back indoors, but they're much faster than they used to be. Transition lenses cost more than regular lenses, but I think it's worth it. No swapping glasses, nor squinting from bright sunlight.

I'm a glasses wearer. My vision is not bad enough that I don't need to wear them all the time. I really just need them for distance. I did attempt to try on contacts at the optometrist once, but I couldn't get it in and the lady helping me wasn't really directing me. I ended up trying long enough that my eyes got irritated and dried out and then gave up and just got glasses again. I've never tried contacts again since.

I used to have transitions in an older pair (years ago, like, maybe 5 or 6 years ago) which made me switch to sunglasses when I got my new pair last year. They darkened but never ever enough to my liking, I was still squinting in the sun. I decide to not get the 'upgraded' version of transitions and get straight up sunglasses, which I like immensely better. Switching them out doesn't bother me, cause I'm usually wearing then when I travel, going in and out of places constantly so I dont need to switch, I just wear them inside. When I do have to switch I'm usually sitting down for a long period of time so I have time to easily get my regular glasses.

I work in a bakery, so I'm by ovens and it does get hot there. I also go in the walk in freezer alot too to get things out for customers. Where I live is a hit climate as well.

 

[Flyffel]

Yeah definitely DO NOT sleep with regular contacts in. Don't even nap with them in. If you anticipate falling asleep (like if you are travelling in a car but not driving) I recommend glasses or prepare stuff so that you can take out your contacts cleanly.

 

[Stella-Io]

I use monthly lenses. I hate how I look with glasses haha, they just don't suit me. On some people they are "subtle" but on me they like... completely change the perception of who I am? Surely that's not just my own perception... So wearing glasses in public is no option for me personally (if I just go to the market across the street I'll let it slide).

At home I usually wear glasses since they are easier on the eyes. So yeah, even if you get contacts you WILL need glasses for at home because you won't be wearing your contacts from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. There is a limit to how long you can wear contacts before they start irritating your eyes (maybe like 10+ hours for my monthlies but still, it also depends on the weather, air pollution etc.). Also it's just easier on the eyes to wear glasses VS long periods of contacts (the irritation) and surely you don't wanna go "blind" when your contacts start drying.

Something to consider is that if the air at your workplace is very dry (like at my university during the winter...), your eyes will dry quickly when you wear contacts, it's pretty much impossible to wear them in "very dry air" conditions. Beware.

Now there are these "fancy" (and expensive) contacts that you can wear while sleeping and you take them out when you wake up and you have "fixed eyesight" for the day. To be honest the idea of sleeping with "contacts on" creeps me out though. I don't trust that they won't do damage to my eyes in the long term.

I recommend either monthly contacts & cheap glasses for at home OR just glasses (maybe not the cheapest ones if you always wear them, like pay the extra for scratch protection etc., or just deal with it when you break them and replace cheaply I guess lol).

I don't recommend daily lenses unless you only want to wear them very seldomly for a change of pace. They are a lot more expensive than monthlies.

For reference I pay about 15? (about $16) per month for my contacts + solution combined.

I wear glasses with a noticable plastic frame, so when I take them off I look like a different person. I wish I could get the subtle wire frame ones but I'd def destroy those.

'Fixed vision's omg I cringe, what even?

16$ per month doesn't sound bad for contacts. All my glasses places here are expensive, so I'm sure contacts will be expensive as well. I don't really trust online ordering glasses. Because glasses are expensive here I can't always replace them when they break. I wore a broke pair for about a year before they broke on me for the 3rd time. My current glasses are glued together now, so I could use that as my spare. If I got contacts I could prob get by with the cheap wire frames. I always buy plastic cause, I have problems breaking my glasses.