Contact lenses

[beren]

Thanks to genetics i have Myopia (short-sightedness) and for a while now i have worn contact lenses which have been great but the sort i have been using have a limited time span where they need to be taken out after say 10-12 hours to remain comfortable. This creates the problem where i push the longevity of a set of contact lenses {2-3 week life span} and the welfare of my eyes by extending there use by observing in the evenings after wearing them all day .Thankfully my Mum works as a optician dispenser so i have managed to trail a new type of contact lens {there have always been a number of types} that can be been worn for greater time periods . So far they have been great , no symptoms of discomfort at all , so if you wear glasses or even have contacts have a talk to a optician and check out the options {i think medicare covers a 3month batch of contacts once per year}.While i was in seeing my optician i asked about laser eye surgery and its potential side affects , he said problems can arise it the points of contact between treated parts of the cornea and parts not operated on , this can intoduce various abberations like flaring/coma/light sensitvity , It was pretty interesting .

[RapidEye]

Sept 2005 Sky & Telescope (US Ed) did a really good write up on eye health and observing. They had an entire section that discussed LASIK in detail, including the latest techniques and had interviews with various folks that have had it.

I won't reiterate it because its too good of an article for me to try and summarize.

My point is - if LASIK is a consideration for you, get your hands on a copy of that magazine :D

One other note...
I used to work for Bausch & Lomb at their solutions manufacturing facility. Two things I learned while I was there that have saved me a ton of money over the years:

B&L does "Private Label" solutions here in the US. So if you go into a big name drug store (chemist) they have all of the big name products, but right next to them, they also have a "house brand" or "generic" that is quite a bit cheaper. That cheaper version is usually made by one of the more expensive ones using the same formulas and equipment - it just has a different label on it. The easiest way to tell is to compare the date/lot code stamps on the outside of the boxes. Each company uses their own style and coding - once you match them up - you'll know who makes the cheaper one.
B&L got in big trouble about 10 years ago for misleading marketing. They had two types of soft lenses: the type that you can wear for a year and the disposables that you wear for a week. The annual ones cost about $100 a pair and the weeklies were about $3-5. Somone figured out - they were the SAME LENS from the same manufacturing line!!! So I buy and wear the disposables, but treat them line annuals: take them out every night and disinfect them. I enzyme them once in a while, but once they get too cruddy - maybe after 4-6 months, I toss them. I picked up a "one year" supply of disposables that have lasted me 5 yrs so far :whistle:

[beren]

Thats interesting ill have to see if i can get the mag , explains a recent active thread at cloudy nights about the subject. Im fortunate with the solutions i get a mountain of free samples which are mostly all in one where no rubbing etc is required for cleaning . The previous type of contacts and the ones now are disposables , its cool i had the new set on now since fri morning {no sleep last night}and no discomfort whatsoever .