Can I wear Contacts?

[whimsicalgemini]

I was told my optometrist that contacts were not a good idea at my  age (61) because aging causes dry eyes and multifocal prescriptions don't work well with contacts.
I currently do not have dry have but I do have a brand new pair of custom made frames that I bought from the very chic boutique that located at the front of the optometrists office. From some the information that I have read, I am now questioning both the advice and my ability to say "I would like to think it over"
i simply don't like wearing glasses and I am hoping that you could give me some straight up advice as to whether or not contacts for me would be an option.  Thank You.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[allmymarbles]

Age is not necessarily a deterrent to wearing contacts. My husband is 73 and wears them (1-day disposables) very comfortably. But his eyes are very healthy. He has been taking eye supplements for a very long time and his prescription has not changed in 15 years.

[JodieJ]

Gas permeable contacts are hard contacts.  I would not recommend them for you.  It is much easier to get used to soft contacts.

Find an eye care provider (probably an optometrist) who specializes in fitting contact lenses.  After giving it some thought, maybe your best bet for success would be to start out with mini-monovision (distance vision in dominant eye; intermediate vision in non-dominant eye)  with 1-day disposable contacts.  Your likelihood of success with this option would be high.  You would still need readers for prolonged reading or small print.  If you wanted, you could try improving your near vision by adjusting the power of the contact in  your non-dominant eye.

If one brand of contact isn't very comfortable, try another brand.  

[whimsicalgemini]

This is great news!  I will look into all of your suggestions.  i had almost given up. I had also got some advice about looking into gas permeable lenses, which I had never heard of, would you please comment on this type of contact.  Thank you soooo much, I really thought I had no options whatsoever. Doadie

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[JodieJ]

I know people in their late 60's and 70's who started wearing a contact lens for the first time due to a retinal condition or in their unoperated eye following cataract surgery--and they adjusted just fine.  The soft disposable contacts currently on the market are SO much more comfortable then what used to be available.  So if you don't have dry eyes, you probably can wear contacts, too.

I got a free sample of a new brand of multifocal contacts last year from my optometrist.  On the positive side, they were very comfortable and my acuity (as measured in the office) was 20/20 for distance and near.  I had intended to order some multifocals to wear occasionally, but I never did.  I hated my vision with these contacts.  My distance vision was much better without them, and I felt that I had to strain to read.  My right retina is slightly damaged, so maybe your experience with multifocals will be better than mine.

But I have a better suggestion for you:  monovision.  (This is what Reagan did when he was two decades older than you.)  The medical literature says that about 75% of the people who try monovision can adjust to it, but allow at least two weeks.  If you can't adjust, then you could try a version of mini-monovision that would give you good intermediate vision and some near vision (and carry a pair of weak readers).

I think that the most comfortable contacts are the 1-day disposable ones (like 1-day Acuvue moist).  You'll probably need a magnifying mirror to insert them.  If your optometrist has a negative attitude, I'd suggest switching to someone who doesn't.

[whimsicalgemini]

Very sad to hear this advise as I hate wearing these glasses, I am a month or so in and still can't get used to them. I guess all I can do is hope a contact will be developed that would allow me this option  I thank your valuable time and for the quick response and straight up advice.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I would say, "that contacts were not a good idea at my  age (61) because aging causes dry eyes and multifocal prescriptions don't work well with contacts." Sound familiar? Save your time and save you're money. You've made it with glasses this far you can finish the course with them.

JCH MD