When do people give up on wearing contact lenses?

[camfused]

I have been wearing (gas permeable) contacts since age 19. Lately, about every 3 or 4 days, I have a glasses day, and not bother with them.

So, my question is, at what age do you think people give up on contact lenses and just wear glasses?

Yeah, I know that if I have cataract surgery some day, they may can fix my vision. And, I am chicken (and too cheap) to get the laser correction.

 

[erkevin]

I've been wearing contacts since 1979. I typically wear my glasses early in the AM and late at night. Having a "glasses" day is good for your eye health and should be done by all contacts wearers. Will I quit wearing contacts? (actually only have one as I had cataract surgery on one eye and had a toric lens implanted). Don't know when I will quit, although I believe that at some point, I will.

 

[Rianne]

I gave up contact lenses around 10 years ago, I'm 65. I wore them for maybe, 40+ years. I got tired of make-up, mascara chipping off into my eyes. My eyes got dry as I got older. And I like glasses. There are so many cute frames. I remember getting these green-tinted contact lenses. They were so cool. But I'm over that now.

BTW, I have an appointment for a cataract consultation next week.

 

[Jeffman52]

My vision started going south at about 40 years old. I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years. I have never worn contacts and have no desire to do so. I have thought about getting laser surgery but... the company I w**k for gives me a free pair of prescription glasses (Usually I select Oakley frames and lenses) each year.. hard to justify paying for laser surgery when I get free glasses.


My wife wore glasses and contacts since she was about 6 years old. She did have to take a break now and again from contacts but continued to wear them until she had cataract surgery and we paid the extra to get the total package of vision correction. Funny its been months and now and again I still catch her reaching for her glasses on her face only to realize she isnt wearing any. Just a motor skill built up over years.

 

[pacergal]

I wore contacts starting at age 14, beginning with the old hard ones. Then switched to the gas permeable, then soft. My eyes got to the point where they just were not comfortable anymore over time and kept getting irritated. Ophthalmologist thought maybe I was allergic to something, even though I used hypo allergenic solutions.
I switched to glasses for a trial, to rest my eyes from the contacts and never went back.
I was in my 40's. I like the ease of use with glasses, the ability to change up the frames for different looks.

I tried the daily disposable ones "just to see" a few years ago. They were comfortable for a few hours, but then my eyes started itching like crazy. And since I have tri-focal lenses in my glasses, I was never able to get really good vision, I tried various kinds.

Are you having difficulties with your lenses?

 

[MuirWannabe]

I wear scleral contact lenses. Take them out overnight, but wear them every day. I’ve wondered similar question as OP. But my hope is I can always wear them cause glasses cannot work for me. My vision and astigmatisms just cannot be corrected well at all by glasses alone. They require the lens sitting directly on the eye to help shape it properly.
I’m 60 now and have no issues with wearing them every day. In fact, the scleral lenses are quite comfortable. But I’m not sure what the future holds. How many 80 year olds wear contact lenses?

 

[HenryD]

I quit wearing mine around 45, after about 20 years of daily and extended wear use. I mostly quit them because I couldn't focus perfectly on a computer screen with the lenses vs progressive bifocals.

I looked into LASIK but got scared off by the dry eye and night vision horror stories along with the under-reporting of bad outcomes. I understand that needing daily moisturizing drops for the rest of your life is not considered a bad outcome. That said, everyone I know personally who got the surgery loves the results.

 

[Amethyst]

I am 65 and wear toric disposable lenses for astigmatism. I so miss the crisp, 20/15 vision that the old hard lenses could provide, but eye dryness becomes an issue with age. I don't care for glasses; progressive lenses never worked for me.

As for 80-year-olds, I imagine many who grew up with contacts still wear them; then again, I haven't asked. It's a good question for one's eye doctor.

 

[W2R]

I loved wearing contacts! My optometrist refused to let me continue with them due to "overwearing syndrome". I didn't overwear them, either, and wore them exactly as told. But I guess he didn't believe me because he said he saw some damage to my eyes. So, I had to go back to glasses. GRRRRR This was 20 years ago at age 54, give or take a year.

But then, 7 years ago I had cataract surgery and what a miracle! With Medicare and BCBS secondary it didn't cost me one red cent, and I don't need glasses any more for distance (my choice!). I just wear readers for close up vision, which I don't really mind wearing.

 

[mpeirce]

I gave up on contacts in my 30’s. I got LASIK. Wonderful.

After maybe 15 years or so my vision started needing correcting again. I didn’t bother with contacts.

My vision is good enough that at home I don’t usually wear glasses in the morning. I don’t need them to read the computer, but I do need them to see the TV across the room. Also to drive.

Even wearing glasses after LASIK is a huge improvement for me since before I had very thick glasses and now the glasses are much thinner and lighter.

 

[Freedom56]

I stopped wearing them after I had issues reading under dim lights. I didn't want to wear reading glasses nor did I want to wear only one contact lens. So about 10 years ago I stopped wearing my contacts. My prescription was L -3.25 R -2.75 at the time. Since I stopped wearing my contacts, my eyes have become stronger and stronger. We went for our annual eye check-up this past week and my prescription today is L -1.00 , R - .50 which is a dramatic improvement from where I started. My vision is at the point where I only wear glasses at movie theaters and driving at night. I don't need reading glasses.

 

[omni550]

I've been wearing contacts for 53 years. I started with the original hard lenses and now wear RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses. I NEVER have regularly worn glasses. My vision is corrected to monovision, so I can see both near and far without supplemental glasses.

I wear contacts daily from the time I get up until the time I go to bed (typically 16-17 hrs). I find them extremely comfortable. My doc says that RGP lenses allow more oxygen to reach my eyes than while wearing soft lenses....so they are 'healthier' for my eyes.

Several times over the years, my doc gave me soft lenses to try. I never found them to work well for me. My eyes would become red after 10 hours, plus I never got the fabulous vision acuity with soft lenses that I get with RGPs.

I am slowly developing cataracts according to my doc. She thinks I won't need cataract surgery until I'm in my 80s. She hypothesizes that perhaps my very slow development of cataracts is due to the UV 'protection' my eyes received from having a contact lens sitting right on top of my cornea since age 19.


omni

 

[aaronc879]

It's completely a matter of personal preference. You don't have to give up contacts at any age expect potentially for health reasons. I have worn glasses since age 10. Never wanted contacts. Don't qualify for any surgery

 

[camfused]

Are you having difficulties with your lenses?

No, but because I am a tightwad, I get my lenses/frames from Zenni and they don't fit optimally. I have looked at YouTubes on how to adjust frames, but had had little success. Maybe next time I am at the eye doc, I will ask them to adjust them.

Also, I have slightly oily skin, so wearing glasses is kind of a annoyance. First world problems!

 

[Which Roger]

Age 60 and have been wearing soft lenese since I was in high school. Every time I think the end may be near, the technology improves and I am once again happy with my contacts. I have a fairly complex prescription and I don't have as many choices as the average wearer, but a few years ago they started producing one-day lenses that work for me, then they improved the technology for multi-focal lenses and I can see much better than before, and the lenses are a lot more comfortable. I've tried monovision and can't stand it, so multi-focal are a must.

 

[N02L84ER]

I started wearing glasses at age 7. I switched to contacts at age 22. I had RK surgery at age 35 and haven't had to wear glasses or contacts since. I am now 63.

 

[Walt34]

I've been wearing contacts for 40 years. Now at age 72 I only wear them a few days a week and then for only a few hours at a time unless we're out all day, which is rare. They don't bother me with that usage. I'm farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other so when I'm home I don't need glasses at all.

As for when to stop wearing them, the eye doctor said it's the same as retirement: when it's time, you will know.

 

[swakyaby]

I’ve been wearing contact lens for nearly 45 years. At age 61, I’ve needed correction for near and far and astigmatism for the last 10 years. The astigmatism was the main reason I couldn’t use multifocal contact lens, and had to carry reading glasses everywhere, unless I used monofocal lens for near and far. This year, I am trialing multifocal toric contact lens. (They’re pretty expensive!) The trade-off I’m realizing is that either distance vision or near vision is compromised for my eyes, and I’ll not get the ideal vision that I can achieve with progressive glasses.

So the day will soon come where I may give up on contact lenses.

 

[RobbieB]

I gave up at age 10, when I got my first pair of glasses. Never wanted contacts.

The thought of sticking something in my eye...

Nah, not going to do it.

 

[bclover]

I'm 62 and still wear them about 2 days a week. Personally I love them especially in the summer when I've got 14-16 hours of sunlight, and can rock different sunglasses.

I also volunteer at various places where I have to still wear a mask. I hate wearing glasses with mask, they always fog up.

 

[Luvtoride]

I have been wearing (gas permeable) contacts since age 19. Lately, about every 3 or 4 days, I have a glasses day, and not bother with them.

So, my question is, at what age do you think people give up on contact lenses and just wear glasses?

Yeah, I know that if I have cataract surgery some day, they may can fix my vision. And, I am chicken (and too cheap) to get the laser correction.

Why would you “give up” wearing contacts?

I have been wearing lenses of various types for 40 years. A few years ago, I started needing reading glasses with my lenses as my near vision got worse.
I went to a new doctor who fitted me for multi-focal contacts. Got rid of all of my reading glasses and never “looked back”.

I still go to the eye doctor 2x a year to assure no issues with my eye health. I will need cataract surgery at some point but will decide if I want to go with the basic or the premium for full vision correction at that time.
Until then, I love wearing my daily lenses. I only wear glasses at night when I take them out or occasionally when I give my eyes a break from the lenses.

 

[Time2]

I'm 67 and still wear contacts, I should say, over wear contacts, I never take them out. I change them if I have any irritation, it is often that I where them for 30 days. It's been like that for 25 years. YM is probably less!

 

[Koolau]

I was early 50s and had gone from regular hard contacts to gas-perm and finally to soft. At the point I couldn't get enough oxygen through even the soft contacts I gave up - just about the time I got my first cataract surgery. No real need after that though the doc gave me 20:40 on the first one (against my explicit directions) so that I could read without glasses.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I have worn glasses for the past 17 years, never wore contacts. My DW wore contacts from her 20's through about age 45. She quit when I refused to fish a contact lens out from behind her eye for the thousandth time. (That's so gross.) She was tired of the hassle too.

 

[bloom2708]

I made it to upper 40s. Once I got progressive bifocals, then I just wear my glasses.

If I run or do something physical, I can go without glasses.

My eyes were just too dry with contacts at the end and the reading thing still required cheaters.

My wife has tried bifocal contacts, but her close vision with them in is not good.

I think "you will know" when the sand has run out.