- How long have you been wearing contact lenses/circle lenses?
- Well, I've started using contact lenses when I was in high school - that was around 8 or 9 years ago and I've been wearing circle lenses for 6 years already.
- What's the difference between a circle lens and regular or conventional contact lenses?
- Circle lenses make your eyes appear bigger. Circle lenses have many different designs and is more for cosmetic purposes than corrective.
- Circle lenses should not be used as a replacement for conventional corrective lenses since conventional lenses are made for daily use and to enhance your vision - but, I must admit that for the past few years, I've been wearing circle lenses almost daily and in some way it has replaced my conventional lenses. Though I don't recommend wearing it everyday, I have not encountered any problems with it.
- What's your eye prescription?
- My eye prescription is -4.25 for both eyes and I have astigmatism. For my astigmatism, I was prescribed toric lenses but after using it for more a month I find that it is the cause of my migraines and dizziness so I stopped using them. I use my regular myopic prescription which is -4.25. When ordering lenses, I sometimes order -4.00. I find little difference between the grade and I can see well with both prescriptions; -4.00 was my eye grade prior to -4.25.
- How long can you wear a circle lens?
- In a day it should not be longer than 8 hours though I usually wear mine longer than that (12-16 hours).
- Do not sleep on it! Circle lenses are not for extended wear. Even extended wear contact lenses should be taken off at night. I'm not gonna lie and say I've never slept with mine but sleeping with lenses on dries out your eyes, makes it prone to infection and other eye complications. Taking a nap with it is fine but not for more than 15 minutes. There are times when you can't help but sleep with it but make sure to hydrate your eyes and remove them as soon as you possibly can. Don't forget to thoroughly clean them and rest your eyes for a good couple of hours before you put them back on.
- How long does circle lenses last?
- Unopened lenses in their manufactured bottles mostly have a shell/shelf life of 3 years unless stated in their manufacturing stamps.
- If used regularly, they can be good for wear for 1 year. There are some lenses that is good for wear for 30days (like the Hana 30 Days Circle Lens), 3 months or 6 months. Always read manufacturing details before purchasing lenses so you would know when to dispose it.
- With proper care of lenses, they can be used for more than a year but, the longer the time it is was opened and used the lenses will get brittle and will be prone to wear and tear.
- Eye irritations?
- Most common problems would be drying and redness of the eyes.
- There are many causes of drying - exposure to air/wind, eye straining, temperature, water dehydration, etc. Bring a small eye drop bottle with a re-wetting/contact lens solution. Drink water too!
- Redness can also be cause by the same things as drying. Removing the lenses, re-wetting your eyes/putting Visine or some other eye drops and resting the eyes would be a good remedy.
- Painful eyes - two most common cause will be lints/fibers stuck on the lenses or eye infection
- Towel fibers and lint sometimes stick on the lenses and since they can be very fine and small, we often don't see them and feel them until after the lenses are already on the eyes. Once you feel that there is something caught in your eye and it becomes red in a matter of seconds, take the lens out, put eye drops on your eye, thoroughly clean the lens, soak it for few minutes and rest your eyes too. Before you put it back on, check the lens if its clean and lint-free and put it back on.
- Eye infections are usually caused by improper hygiene and care of eyes and lenses as well as sleeping on the lenses. Always wash your hands before putting on and removing lenses. Wash your lenses with contact lens solution. Even if the solution says "no rub" it is still better to rub the lenses for thorough cleaning.
- I've had eye infections due to this twice in my life already (back hen I was just wearing conventional contact lens) and it was not very pleasant. Eye redness will be the first sign and next would be the pain. Go to you doctor immediately for consultation so that he will be able to prescribe you meds.
- Uncomfortable lenses?
- Sometimes lenses may be uncomfy to wear if you put it on inside out. Place the lens on the tip of your index finger and check for the perfect bowl-like shape to ensure it is not flipped inside out.
- Lens is out of place - you are suddenly missing a lens. Chances are, it slid up the balls of your eyes. Close your eyes and gently massage your lids until they're back in place.
- Contact lens solution
- My personal preference is Opti-Free but there are lots of other brands in the market and are readily available at drugstores.
- Any tips on buying circle lenses?
- Look for a credible online shop and brand. Check out reviews first before deciding on buying a product.
- Check the site's return policy, terms and conditions before purchasing.
- Compare prices and have choices. It is always good to choose between shops and between different lenses. It gives you an idea of how much a pair of lenses is. Choose similar or different lenses of your choice and see which one you like best for it's price and convenience
- Have your eyes checked first before buying contact/circle lenses. You may be needing graded lenses.
I hope I've addressed these questions. I'm sorry if it is quite lengthy but I really hope this helps a lot. If you have any more questions, please leave it down in the comments.