I am currently wearing contact lenses. The type that is disposable on daily basis. But I actually use them for more than just one day to save me some cost. What I do is to treat them just like the contact lenses that can last longer. So every night I take them off and place them in small cases made for contact lenses, and then fill them with disinfect fluid made for cleaning contact lenses. I also use the same disinfection liquid to clean my own eyes before and after putting on the contact lenses. Now the problem is, how am I going to restock such items (contact lenses and the disinfect formula for it) in an aftermath of disaster? Especially in post apocalypse? Just how people with poor eye sight in general can deal with the situation? Broken glasses, or run out of contact lenses?
It would depend on the type of eye problem I guess. My vision is such that in a pinch, I can get by with reading glasses. The distance vision is not too bad yet. I can get reading glasses at Dollar Tree for $1.00. They do break though, so might be good to stock up and have them in some kind of case that could not be crushed, like a tackle box. Maybe good to stock a variety of strengths too.
I have a problem reading fine-print. I utilize reading glasses to alleviate this problem and it works very well for me. Reading glasses are very cheap so it would be very easy to stock-up on a reasonable amount of them. I am not for the contact lenses because of the risk of eye infection which can be developed from usage. Another problem is that that in adverse conditions the handling of the contact lenses would probably not be an easy task. The reading glasses would be easily cleaned and ready to wear.
Get yourself a pair of spectacles, they have been in use for centuries. This is my reproduction pair of 17th century spectacles. Built to last. Keith.
@ Keith, These things do not look very comfortable. As long as you take them off on daily basis before go to bed, and use disinfection solutions, there is no problem at all. I have been using contact lenses for the last 6 years with no eye infection at all. Even on the occasion when I have used a single pair of daily disposable ones for months, it is not a problem as long as you wash them with the solution every time before put them on.
I'm with you on the contacts, Vash. I'm actually pretty blind and cannot see much more than nebulous clouds of color when I'm not wearing my contacts or glasses. So, if there ever is a time when I run out of contacts, I'm kind of sightless. If my spare glasses break, I'll be SOL. Fortunately, I have an excellent kinesthetic sense. Even with my eyes closed, I can often navigate a room or the woods well enough.
I wear glasses, I have ever since I was about 10. whenever I get new glasses I NEVER throw the old ones out, keep all the spare pairs you can-you will need them all post apocalypse. I keep a spare pair in the car in case of breakages, the rest are packed away in my stores.
I am long sighted, so I don't need to wear glasses all the time. Sight not quite as good as it used to be, but well enough to hunt, & I can identify animals at distance by the way they move. The spectacles I carry are for reading, writing, medical (i.e. seeing wounds & cuts well enough to treat them) & in case I have to make any repairs to my equipment. My 17th century style spectacles are very comfortable, & more practicle than using a reading glass. They are also useful for making fire if needs be. Keith.
A good method of using contact lenses is not to use them in places where they are unduly exposed to rough surfaces like hanging branches. Keeping them in a leather case is fine and then place them on a shelf. They should be regularly cleaned with turpentine to remove grime and use a microfibre cloth to remove scratches on the surface.
Am I missing something here? WHY would anyone want to wear contact lenses post shtf? Is there an advantage over wearing spectacles? Seems to me that anyone wearing spectacles is far better protected than someone wearing contact lenses. or do spectacles attract zombies?! If contact lenses are worn for aesthetic reasons, who are we trying to impress post shtf?! Keith.
I have never worn contact lenses but don't you have to remove them on a daily basis and you still need spectacles when they aren't in? in a SHTF context this would seem like doubling up.
Can't really argue with a good pair of glasses. I have them with me all the time, and they are great. They can even transform into sunglasses when the I am outside, making the glare of the sun a thing of the past. I think glasses need to be sturdy enough to survive being dropped, scraped, mishandled, sat on, etc; that is why when it comes to glasses, you shouldn't skimp on price, as price = quality. Quality means durability, and you would want something you own to last for more than a few months after purchasing it, am I right?
As someone who has been using contact lenses since 2010, I have never used any micro fiber cloth to clean the contact lenses. It is totally unnecessary as the disinfect solution is for "no rub". Just a few drops of it will clean off anything on the contact lenses without the need to touch it. I have also never seen any contact lenses having "scratches". If they are scratched, they need to be discarded to avoid further worsen your eye sight. Even if they are durable enough to be unbreakable and unscratchable, you can still accidentally drop them and lose them in the case of rock climbing, swim across a river, etc. I think it is a good idea to use rubber band to secure them on your head. What do you think?
That sounds like a practical solution. That odesn't mean they won't be damaged and destroyed eventually, so perhaps it would be wise to keep several spare pairs? or at least lenses for replacing the ones in your current glasses, since it's the lenses that get damaged first, usually.
To keep from accidentally dropping your glasses, you can put a band on them that wraps around the back of the head. Even better, you can buy prescription goggles that are already banded. I wear goggles for playing sports. I used to wear contacts until my eye doctor recommended I stop because my wearing contacts for so long after the proper disposal date created a ridge on my eyes. My contacts were damaging my eyes. I now wear only glasses and have a pair of prescription goggles for activities in which my glasses could fall off.
In a true post apocalypse world, I'd think it will be hard enough to carry all the necessities with you. Extra a few pairs of glasses will just take extra space and put more weight on you as you travel on foot. Yes, one pair is not enough, but too many pairs also mean more trouble in my opinion. Really? I have long been using contact lenses way passed their disposal dates. My daily disposable contacts are very comfortable though. I tried 7 different types of contacts and finally settle on the ones I am using now. At first I was throwing them away every day. Then every two to three days. Later after a friend told me that he had been using 15-day contacts for 7 months, I started to use mine for longer too. I haven't had any infection whatsoever, because I take them off every night and soak in the disinfect solution.
Lol contact lenses. They are a pain to deal with, it takes a while to accustom and if you don't keep them isolated and disinfected into a case, your eyes are going to suffer a legendary irritation. That happened to me once with contact lenses, my eyes hurt so bad due to a harsh irriation caused by contact lenses that I had to endure it for an entire day, not even eye drops relieved the pain. In a survival, I would drop them and leave behind. I'm not willing to deal with more troubles that I already have in those circumstances.
I've used progressive lens so far. They have been serving me very well for 5 years. Contact lens are such a pain in the ass that you got to be wary of eye infection or an allergy all the time. Less luggage more comfort is what they say. So, in a difficult situation, I would like to keep my accessories to a minimum and not make my life cumbersome.
Until now my eye sights are okay. I am not wearing any contact lens or glases. However, sometimes when I sit before the computer, read books, or stare at my hand held devices for long, my eyes get watery. In the situations like these I use eye drops. They say looking at green color, especially the nature also imporves eye sights. However, I have not experienced this.
I wear spectacles for driving & reading. I really don't need them for driving accept to read road signs at a distance. I exercise my eyes by looking at a spot in the distance, & then I focus on something close to my face. With older people the problem is apparently the calcification which effects the focusing. I can actually see long distance now better than several years ago. I don't need to wear glasses in the woods. I carry a copy of late 17th century spectacles in my waistcoat pocket when in the woods for close up work, such as cleaning a wound, removing a splinter, writing in my journal or in case I need to work on my gun lock. Keith. More here: http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au/search?q=spectacles
I never worn a contact lens ever since because I heard and weigh the pros and cons of it. I never regret wearing an eyeglass though but since it also has a cons in it, I seldom wear it since I'm near-sighted. Two years ago, I read about an eye massage to improve vision and I always try it every time my eyes are tired.
As of now, I'm still denying my self to wear prescription eye wear because I still can read on my own, hard but tolerable. I don't want to wear one so I've made a few light readings about taking care of my eyesight. I saw a site that tells you to make carrot juice. It will revive your eyes. I can't find the source right now but I'll do a follow up on this post.
I wear spectacles and every time I get a new pair I do not throw my old ones away, I pack them away in my stores, you never know when you will need a spare pair.
I have sight problems. I can't see much when it comes to long distances. My near sight is fine though. I wear glasses every day, all day. The only time that I take them off is when I sleep. When I was younger, I tried the contact lenses and I wore them for around a year. What I've learned is: contact lenses can be pretty expensive here because you have to keep buying new ones. I had the one-month ones. Also, you have to buy the cleaning water and so on. Glasses are much easier and there are no constant extra costs involved. Also, contact lenses can cause eye issues - my eyes often hurt and got more tired. Like some members, I also never throw away any of my glasses frames. I once had an accident where my glasses literally broke in the middle (the actual frame) and I took it to the shop and they were still able to fix them. I currently have 3 different pairs of glasses just in case
I remember I saw somewhere where they have these contact lens you wear while you are resting (like when sleeping) and they change can the shape of your eyes so you have better eyesight the next day(or after a nap) . I do not know how they work, I have never tried them, but it sounds like a great idea.
