You may be a little surprised by this statement. I was talking to someone today and told them, “I got contacts this morning!” They were quite surprised, they hadn't ever seen me wearing glasses. Well, there's a simple explanation for that: I'm too vain to wear glasses, so I don't.
I love my contacts. I am one of those lucky people who can't even feel them. (Not that that is an entirely good thing, because a contact could fall out and I wouldn't notice.) I have trouble getting the contacts in and out, though. I'm scared to put a mascara brush near my eye, it is far worse to stick a contact straight in it.
The doctor made sure that I would never put my contacts in anything other than my contact solution by telling me exactly what would happen if I put them in various other solutions. I have them listed here:
Water – Water is the least harmful substance he told me about. Yes, there is some bacteria in water that could be harmful to my eyes, but it is far more likely that it will mess with the contacts so that they are no longer the right prescription.
Sarah's Hard-Contact Solution – Sarah could get away with rinsing her contacts in my solution. But if I put my contacts in her's, they will be coated in a sticky gum-like substance. If I try to get that out of my eye, it will probably take some of my cornea with it.
Saliva – Ew. Just ew. That is disgusting. I would never put my contacts in my saliva! But, apparently, some people might say, “Oh, it's fine! It works just as well.” That is true. However, it is also true that if I have even a tiny scratch in my eye, bacteria from my mouth could enter into my eye and turn my eye into a great ball of painful pus within 24 hours. That would likely result in a glass eye. Lovely.
As you may imagine, I don't really plan on putting my contacts in any of those substances.
It is so wonderful to be able to see without glasses on! Besides my vanity, there are some practical reasons I don't like glasses. They hurt the sides of my head, they get dark spots on the sides of my nose and they make it look like I'm looking out at the world through a little brown box.
It is so weird to be able to see through contacts! I have never been able to stand five feet back from a mirror and see what I look like without glasses. I keep turning around to find myself facing a mirror and think, “Wow! I had no idea I look like that!”
I should probably go now. Mom and I spent the whole day in Lethbridge and Sarah injured herself while she was babysitting so house is in shambles and I should help Mom clean.
I love my contacts. Goodbye.
Meg, I, too, never wore my glasses when I was your age for the very same reasons you listed. My dad decided it was silly for me to walk around blind all the time, and bought me my first year of contacts when I was sixteen. Such a great birthday gift!
ReplyDeleteI heard those cautions in person, and it still makes me queasy to read them. I love my eyes. Leave my eyes alone! (Covers face and whimpers in corner)
ReplyDelete