Glasses vs. contacts for IT?

I've searched and found some threads that make a mention to this topic, but can't find a clear answer. I go to the eye doctor this week, and am debating about glasses or staying with contacts. I'm up most days for 16-18 hours, and spend about 8 of those in front of a screen. Since I'm work at home, I can make things easier on my eyes than in a cube, but still notice dryness at the end of the day and irritation. i have a pair of Gunnars that I try to wear as often as possible, but they get in the way of headsets and don't help out as much as they seem to imply over time? Is there a different kid of contact I should be trying, something else? May also be a difference in going back to my old eye doctors (which is at the IU School of Optometry). They always did crazy thorough eye exams. Anyone with experience care to chime in?

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vanquish23

GUNNAR Optiks

GUNNAR Optiks - Advanced Computer Eyewear, Gaming Glasses, Prescription Eyewear

Not just for gamers, they also have them for people who are in IT and in front of the computer 8+ hours a day.

FloOz

I have the same issue with dryness in my contacts. I myself am considering going out and purchasing a nice pair of classes. I have not worn glasses since the 8th grade so it will definitely be an adjustment

Mrock4

I've been wearing my contacts in IT for nearly 10 years, and 18 of those months were in the desert, and to be honest with you- I never had issues with dryness unless my contacts were old (that was when I knew it was time to replace them).

I think I use the "Air optix" contacts which are supposed to be more breathable (and prevent dry eyes), and I'm not sure if the marketing hype is true, but I haven't had any issues. I would possibly try changing your brand of contacts, just a thought. And swapping them out when they're supposed to be replaced (I'm guilty of not doing this enough).

That being said, they've dried out before, but not at work..mostly if I fell asleep while watching a movie or something. I've also always had a bottle of eye drops handy which I use now and then to prevent dry eyes.

On a random note, I think anyone who wears contacts is definitely on the right track if they own a pair of glasses. Some days my eyes just don't want the contacts in, so having a pair of glasses handy is always a plus, just in case.

IndyLoveless

I had to switch to glasses, since then my eyes have felt soooo much better. Are you from Indiana?

SephStorm

Cpl.Klinger wrote: »

I've searched and found some threads that make a mention to this topic, but can't find a clear answer. I go to the eye doctor this week, and am debating about glasses or staying with contacts. I'm up most days for 16-18 hours, and spend about 8 of those in front of a screen. Since I'm work at home, I can make things easier on my eyes than in a cube, but still notice dryness at the end of the day and irritation. i have a pair of Gunnars that I try to wear as often as possible, but they get in the way of headsets and don't help out as much as they seem to imply over time? Is there a different kid of contact I should be trying, something else? May also be a difference in going back to my old eye doctors (which is at the IU School of Optometry). They always did crazy thorough eye exams. Anyone with experience care to chime in?

Any reason you cant go for surgery?

Xyro

Using contacts that have a higher water content (it's listed on sites & packaging) equates to a more comfortable experience.

As for surgery, not everyone is a candidate. It can damage eyesight in those who should not have the surgery & even in those who can, ideally, have the surgery... in the end the eyesight ends up worse than what you started with.

Get high-water content lenses & don't sleep in them (to give corneas a rest). This obviously means getting both contacts & glasses.

Cpl.Klinger

SephStorm wrote: »

Any reason you cant go for surgery?

I don't have that kinda scratch right now, and if I did I have more pressing things to take care of first. Hopefully soon I can make that happen though.

Cpl.Klinger

IndyLoveless wrote: »

I had to switch to glasses, since then my eyes have felt soooo much better. Are you from Indiana?

Yep, south central, in Franklin, to be exact. My allergies in the spring and fall can be pretty darn ferocious, more so if they plant soybeans near my house. Luckily the field at the end of the street is corn, but last year it was beans and the weeks after they took it in I wished for death, I felt so bad. Probably going to switch to glasses and maybe keep my options open. Some of the things I like to do make contacts easier, but by the end of the day my eyes feel so bad it's almost not worth it. I'm hoping the folks in Bloomington can set me straight.

Psoasman

I wore glasses until I was 26, the finally switched to contacts. Last year I had lasik and the results were awesome. no more dry, irritated eyes and 20/15 vision. I would get some samples of the newer lenses and see if that helps.

IndyLoveless

Cpl.Klinger wrote: »

Yep, south central, in Franklin, to be exact. My allergies in the spring and fall can be pretty darn ferocious, more so if they plant soybeans near my house. Luckily the field at the end of the street is corn, but last year it was beans and the weeks after they took it in I wished for death, I felt so bad. Probably going to switch to glasses and maybe keep my options open. Some of the things I like to do make contacts easier, but by the end of the day my eyes feel so bad it's almost not worth it. I'm hoping the folks in Bloomington can set me straight.

I'm originally from Mooresville, live in Plainfield. Might want to try the School of Optometry on the IUPUI campus too (might be closer)

datgirl

Cpl.Klinger wrote: »

I've searched and found some threads that make a mention to this topic, but can't find a clear answer. I go to the eye doctor this week, and am debating about glasses or staying with contacts. I'm up most days for 16-18 hours, and spend about 8 of those in front of a screen. Since I'm work at home, I can make things easier on my eyes than in a cube, but still notice dryness at the end of the day and irritation. i have a pair of Gunnars that I try to wear as often as possible, but they get in the way of headsets and don't help out as much as they seem to imply over time? Is there a different kid of contact I should be trying, something else? May also be a difference in going back to my old eye doctors (which is at the IU School of Optometry). They always did crazy thorough eye exams. Anyone with experience care to chime in?

My situation is a bit more extreme....I wear glasses and a contact lens, and have had a corneal transplant in one eye. I actually will be seeing my eye care practitioners in a day or so to discuss a transplant on the other eye. I have worn hard, gas permeable contact lenses for over thirty years and they can be irritating with dryness and if a piece of dust or dirt gets under them. If I had my druthers, I would rather just wear glasses to improve and protect my eyes.

Mike-Mike

i had surgery years ago, it was expensive, but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worth, quite possibly best investment of my life

tpatt100

I wore glasses for most of my youth, young adult life then moved to contacts and never wore glasses again. A lot of times I find myself wishing I got surgery like times when I almost "lose" a contact when I am at work or something, you know the times where you blink and wonder if the contact is still there or hanging off your lash before it hits the floor lol. Those are the times I think I really should get the surgery.

sratakhin

I wore glasses till I was like 17 and hated them. They made me look like a nerd. I switched to contacts later they were so much better. However, after a few years, my eyes would sometimes get dry (not too often, but still). A few months ago I decided to do a surgery (PRK) and haven't looked back. I can now see better that I have ever been able to. Donated glasses and threw away the contacts

discount81

I wore glasses for a couple years but I found it extremely uncomfortable, I switched to contacts and tried a few different models, the ones I use now have been the best I've used ( B&L Pure Vision), my eyes never feel dry, I get the odd bit of dust or whatever that irritates me sometimes but that is inevitable.
Other models I had tried would sometimes fall out, or dry up.

instant000

Funny topic.

I wear glasses, but I'm married already. I have a couple coworkers, these guys didn't get married until after they got rid of the eyeglasses! Too funny!

Moon Child

I think it depends on the person. Some can tolerate contacts more than others. Some wear them to try to improve their looks, but for me it makes no difference. I absolutely hate them! It does nothing to improve my looks since I already have missing or damaged teeth from wrestling and getting into too many fights as a kid. I have a noticeable scar above my left eyebrow from when a kid hit me with a metal chain when I was 14 . I am at least 50+ lbs overweight. I am a hairy gorilla that can't seem to keep the hair on my chest, back, or arms from growing out of control. I started getting a receding hairline at 18 and in my mid 20's I already was missing most of my hair up there. Of course being short doesn't help for looks either. So for me wearing glasses or contacts makes little difference in my appearance. They really irritate my eyes and are easily lost so I always just wear contacts.

paul78

instant000 wrote: »

I wear glasses, but I'm married already. I have a couple coworkers, these guys didn't get married until after they got rid of the eyeglasses!

What?? I thought that the reason for this topic was that glasses made IT geeks look cool. Why didn't you post yesterday?

I read @vanquish23's post over the weekend and I looked at the web site. I was so intrigued that I bought myself a pair of the Gunnar's Steelseries Desmo glasses. They arrive on Wednesday and I was planning to wear them as a fashion statement - are you saying that I shouldn't?

Moon Child

Psoasman wrote: »

I wore glasses until I was 26, the finally switched to contacts. Last year I had lasik and the results were awesome. no more dry, irritated eyes and 20/15 vision. I would get some samples of the newer lenses and see if that helps.

I thought about lasik eye surgery years ago. A lawyer who taught both my business law and commercial law classes recommended the surgery. He had it and had fantastic results. Not everyone has a great surgery though. I know several people who had the surgery who had awful results. One woman I worked with permanently ruined her eyes from the surgery, she can no longer drive at nights and has some vision problems. I decided to just stick with the glasses and forget about getting the surgery.

SteveO86

I usually switch between contacts/glasses depending how I feel. I've gotten in the habit of carrying around some eye drops for if/when my contacts bother me.

tpatt100

Moon Child wrote: »

I thought about lasik eye surgery years ago. A lawyer who taught both my business law and commercial law classes recommended the surgery. He had it and had fantastic results. Not everyone has a great surgery though. I know several people who had the surgery who had awful results. One woman I worked with permanently ruined her eyes from the surgery, she can no longer drive at nights and has some vision problems. I decided to just stick with the glasses and forget about getting the surgery.

That is the stuff that scares me, I had a former coworker tell me how his wife got it done and a week later woke up and couldn't see much at all so they had to take her in to get it corrected. I know it's rare but surgery involving things like your eyes or your genitals make me think twice lol.

ajs1976

When you stare at a computer screen, you blink less so at the end of the day your eyes will be dryer then normal. I don't notice it as much with glasses, but with contacts i do. I over did it with contacts and have worn glasses for the last few years. Trying to switch back and looking into surgery.

Devilsbane

Glasses give me a headache (every pair I've ever owned), so I wear contacts as much as I can. If they get dry then I'll take them out.

I wore baush and lomb contacts for years with no problem (I have an astigmatism and toric contacts are less available). This last time she switched me to this new kind that are made out of a different material that supposedly lets your eyes breathe 70% more or something but I've been unimpressed. My eyes are dryer and the dang things are so slippery I have trouble getting them out probably once a week. Not to mention that they are only 2 week contacts. When I commented on how my old ones were monthly the eye doctor told me that they were actually also bi-weekly contacts but many doctors just call them monthly. I'm pretty confident that I got screwed over... pretty much all around. There must have been a nice commission on these new things. I'll take a look at the name when I get home.

I've heard good things about acuvue 2 lenses, I think they even have a toric for them now that I should try.

sratakhin

paul78 wrote: »

I was so intrigued that I bought myself a pair of the Gunnar's Steelseries Desmo glasses. They arrive on Wednesday and I was planning to wear them as a fashion statement - are you saying that I shouldn't?

Gunnar glasses look pretty cool. Regular glasses on the other hand... Well, geeky looks are uncool

Cpl.Klinger

Well, got back from the eye doctor, and the answer she gave was somewhere in the middle: I should use both. She said part of my problem isn't the time behind the screen, it's time in general. I'm usually up each day for 18 hours, contacts included, so that doesn't give my eyes too much time to rest. So, we're going for contacts and glasses, so I can give my eyes a break each day.

Psoasman

Moon Child wrote: »

I thought about lasik eye surgery years ago. A lawyer who taught both my business law and commercial law classes recommended the surgery. He had it and had fantastic results. Not everyone has a great surgery though. I know several people who had the surgery who had awful results. One woman I worked with permanently ruined her eyes from the surgery, she can no longer drive at nights and has some vision problems. I decided to just stick with the glasses and forget about getting the surgery.

I've been thinking about it for over 10 years and decided to take a chance on it. I found a doctor who had done over 75,000 and had an excellent reputation for good results.

SerphMx

I've been wearing contacts and eyeglasses around 5 years,switching between them. My doctor recommended me to wear the contacts for only 8 hours max and then switch to traditional eye-glasses. Months ago my contacts were drying really fast because of being for a long time in front of a screen and they felt uncomfortable sometimes so I had to use eye-drops or wash my eyes with shampoo for babies (that's a tip for dry eyes my doc gave me).

I also stopped using them for like,2 weeks and now looks like the problem is solved. I try to switch more often just in case,specially when I'm in front of my PC doing stuff. The eyes are my primary asset in my career...ha.

Cpl.Klinger

SerphMx wrote: »

I've been wearing contacts and eyeglasses around 5 years,switching between them. My doctor recommended me to wear the contacts for only 8 hours max and then switch to traditional eye-glasses. Months ago my contacts were drying really fast because of being for a long time in front of a screen and they felt uncomfortable sometimes so I had to use eye-drops or wash my eyes with shampoo for babies (that's a tip for dry eyes my doc gave me).

I also stopped using them for like,2 weeks and now looks like the problem is solved. I try to switch more often just in case,specially when I'm in front of my PC doing stuff. The eyes are my primary asset in my career...ha.

That's basically where I'm going with my plans. My doc said that with having them on so much and not time to let my eyes air out, that's causing irritation. I plan on maybe doing contacts during work, and glasses the rest of the time (the glasses mess with my headsets). That should help out some.

LarryDaMan

I had Lasik in 2005, best investment ever. Much cheaper now than back then too.

pamccabe

Here is another contact wearer that switches to glasses constantly. I think it might depend on what contacts you wear (as others have said) and if you have any eye conditions. I have an astigmatism, so there is an odd bump on my eyes. That is what my doctor said anyway, but I know nothing about eyes. She could have said I have unicorn tears and I'd have to believe it. Anyway, for my eye condition, I need 'torque' lenses. These contacts are heavier on the bottom so that they cover my eye, stay in one spot, and cover the bumps perfectly. The negative, is that I can actually feel the heaviness with them. They used to feel like pennies in my eyes. I've gotten used to them, but I've noticed they get dry very fast. I carry drops with me at all times. When I just don't want to deal with it, I put on my glasses and it is all fine. I'm married, so the wife went in with me to pick out fashionable frames. (Guess she didn't trust my decision lol) Glasses aren't all bad. When you are young and worried about being 'cool', or fashionable, you might be worried. With me, I just want to be able to see. That being said, I'm looking into lasik now.