Well, I promised to post about this a while back so here goes. So I've been using Paragon CRT contact lenses for about 6 months now. (The Link )
Here's how it works - you put on the contact lens before you go to bed at night. They "shape" your cornea to the correct prescription for nearsightedness. It's exactly like laser surgery, except this is temporary. In the morning, you take them out and you can have 20/20 vision for about 36 hours. Some people can go days with 20/20, but I'm only good for about a day and a half. If you stop putting your lenses in at night, your eyes eventually go back to their original prescription.
First off - they are AWESOME. Just like laser except for my little ritual at night and in the morning. And those times when I'm spending some "quality time" with the wife, we're cuddling and I have to get up to put in my lenses. Yeah that sucks. But otherwise, I no longer have to shut my eyes when I wipe out surfing. I can nap during the day without that crusty soft contact in my eyes. It's great.
How do they feel? I'm told they feel just like rigid lenses, but since I've only worn soft, they took a little while to get used to. By the 3rd night, I had no problem. It's not painful at all with one caveat - it you have a bit to drink. More on this later.
Compared with laser? This is temporary, so laser is better. This is 1/5 the cost (about $980 for me) so this is cheaper. The actual lenses only cost about $100 each, but you have to work closely with a doctor to get the right prescription. You try on many different lenses until you get the right one, and then they custom make lenses if there aren't exact fits. That's what they did for me. It actually took about 4 weeks of trying on lenses before I get the right prescription. The lenses should last 2 years, but I'm hoping with proper care they will last longer. Anyway, $200 is not that much for a replacement and my original $980 included a pair of replacements.
Other advantages? Well, laser surgery is great but it's not perfect. There are still instances where things go wrong. Although rare, it's scary. But the big advantages are that it's temporary. I can quit anytime I want and it's like it never happened (providing I continue to clean the lenses). And 5 years from now, there could be some huge breakthrough in laser surgery. In the meantime, I can ski and surf without worrying about contacts.
Disadvantages? Putting them in at night. Really, this isn't a problem except for one big thing - if you drink, it will be difficult and it will be painful. I just realized this. Last night, I had a little too much wine and something happens to the shape of your eyes when you drink. It might have something to do with blood pressure, I don't know. One of the lenses got off kilter and I had to get up in the middle of the night and take it out because of the pain. So I have perfect vision in one eye and slightly blurry vision in the other. This is the first time this has ever happened. But usually, if I'm out drinking I'll just not put in the lenses and live with slightly blurry vision for a day.
Also, you're supposed to have perfect vision with the lenses on. This is true some of the time for me, but not always. See, since the lenses aren't exactly in the shape of your eye, there often will be a gap of space between the lens and your eye. That gap causes a blur.
Another disadvantage is if you stay up all night, you can't just put them in. They won't work because they need your eyelids closed to work. I tried it and it was like not wearing them at all.
Any questions?
Here's how it works - you put on the contact lens before you go to bed at night. They "shape" your cornea to the correct prescription for nearsightedness. It's exactly like laser surgery, except this is temporary. In the morning, you take them out and you can have 20/20 vision for about 36 hours. Some people can go days with 20/20, but I'm only good for about a day and a half. If you stop putting your lenses in at night, your eyes eventually go back to their original prescription.
First off - they are AWESOME. Just like laser except for my little ritual at night and in the morning. And those times when I'm spending some "quality time" with the wife, we're cuddling and I have to get up to put in my lenses. Yeah that sucks. But otherwise, I no longer have to shut my eyes when I wipe out surfing. I can nap during the day without that crusty soft contact in my eyes. It's great.
How do they feel? I'm told they feel just like rigid lenses, but since I've only worn soft, they took a little while to get used to. By the 3rd night, I had no problem. It's not painful at all with one caveat - it you have a bit to drink. More on this later.
Compared with laser? This is temporary, so laser is better. This is 1/5 the cost (about $980 for me) so this is cheaper. The actual lenses only cost about $100 each, but you have to work closely with a doctor to get the right prescription. You try on many different lenses until you get the right one, and then they custom make lenses if there aren't exact fits. That's what they did for me. It actually took about 4 weeks of trying on lenses before I get the right prescription. The lenses should last 2 years, but I'm hoping with proper care they will last longer. Anyway, $200 is not that much for a replacement and my original $980 included a pair of replacements.
Other advantages? Well, laser surgery is great but it's not perfect. There are still instances where things go wrong. Although rare, it's scary. But the big advantages are that it's temporary. I can quit anytime I want and it's like it never happened (providing I continue to clean the lenses). And 5 years from now, there could be some huge breakthrough in laser surgery. In the meantime, I can ski and surf without worrying about contacts.
Disadvantages? Putting them in at night. Really, this isn't a problem except for one big thing - if you drink, it will be difficult and it will be painful. I just realized this. Last night, I had a little too much wine and something happens to the shape of your eyes when you drink. It might have something to do with blood pressure, I don't know. One of the lenses got off kilter and I had to get up in the middle of the night and take it out because of the pain. So I have perfect vision in one eye and slightly blurry vision in the other. This is the first time this has ever happened. But usually, if I'm out drinking I'll just not put in the lenses and live with slightly blurry vision for a day.
Also, you're supposed to have perfect vision with the lenses on. This is true some of the time for me, but not always. See, since the lenses aren't exactly in the shape of your eye, there often will be a gap of space between the lens and your eye. That gap causes a blur.
Another disadvantage is if you stay up all night, you can't just put them in. They won't work because they need your eyelids closed to work. I tried it and it was like not wearing them at all.
Any questions?
