okay so I have desperately been wanting contact lenses for a while now, because glasses are just plain annoying when you ride, and i would love not having to worry about breaking them. i've had glasses since 2nd grade (i know, it sucks). however, i have the most difficult time putting my finger near my eye! about a year ago i went to the eye doctors place to get fitted for contacts, and i was soo senstive and spasy that i just couldn't get the contacts in until they put numbing drops in my eye. i've been trying to practice opening my eye (like i was going to put in a contact) every night, but i was just wondering if there is ANY advice that could help me get used to putting something in your eye and desensitize your eye!!!!
thank you everyone in advance!!!

in a way, you kind of just get used to it. it took me a while at first two. now i just pull the bottom lid down and stick those suckers on. I found that looking away (like to the side) really helped me get over the initial, EWWW I'm touching my eyeball feeling.

For me, I tried to get contacts when I was younger but I COULD NOT for the life of me touch my eye. Even when the doctor put the contact in for me, I couldn't get it out. So that ruled that option out lol. But when I was older, around 17 I guess, I tried again and had a much easier time. I don't know how old you are, but maybe waiting a couple years would help like it helped me, although I'm sure you'd rather not wait lol. As far as advice goes, when I put my contacts in, I don't actually look at my finger putting the contact in. I look away and towards the side or kind of past myself (it's hard to explain) so I don't see myself directly putting the contact into my eye. Contradictory I know, but try it!

I've been wearing contacts for a few years now and I have to say from experience that they first few times are awkward and slightly disgusting, but honestly, you'll get over it pretty quickly. I think that everyone finds it difficult the first week or two getting them in or out, so i think that if you want them badly enough you'll be able to deal with it pretty easily. Let me just say that getting contacts was one of the best things I did. They're definitely worth almost touching your eye!

I was trying to get contacts a while ago, and it probably took me a year to get to the point where I could get them in and out without taking hours. When I was a kid, I had to get those dilating eyedrops like once a month for some reason, and I think it traumatized me. When I was first trying to get contacts in, I'd just start crying, and the whole ordeal was terrifying.
Get a sample set of contacts to practice with at home. Non-RX ones are sometimes smaller, depending on your rx, and easier to start off with. Then just practice a lot. Once you get them in, they aren't bad, and its really easy to get them out. Just be fast and don't worry, you're not going to blind yourself or anything.


I wish I could get contacts now. I have a really bad astigmatism, and for some reason, maybe the tilt of my eye or something, contacts just DON'T work. I've tried every brand out there, and some are better than others, but they make my vision worse, especially in one eye. It's a pain to wear glasses, I can't wait until I'm old enough to get lasik.
Has anyone had problems with their vision in contacts?


Oh, and you may not want to ride in them. Depending on how sensitive you are, it might not be a good idea since dirt and all kinds of little things seem to end up lodged behind contacts.

it took me about a month for me to actually get the contact in my eye. now i can poke and prod all i want. i got them when i was like 12. they are amazing most of the time, but when allergies come they are horrible for me!


but basically keep trying. you have to try for likea few minutes give your eyes a rest because then you'll just get frustrated.
try, try again.

It is kind of wierd when you first get them, but you get used to touching your eye. It took me a couple weeks to finally be totally used to my contacts, but I first tried hard contacts and there is NO way I would have ever gotten used to those things. It's like having rocks in your eyes. But soft lenses are really nice and definitely worth it.

You know what actually really helps to desensitize your eyelids about stuff like that? Eyeliner. Practice putting on eyeliner a whole bunch, especially on the lower lid and stuff. You'll react the same way you do when you go to put contacts in. At least, I noticed that after I got contacts, putting on eyeliner was a lot easier, and vice versa. Maybe I'm just weird like that, but it's a similar experience. I don't know how old you are/if your mom would freak out if she found you globbing on the black eyeliner, but you can get a subtle color and do it before showering if you don't want to wear it out. Mascara would work ok too, but it's not quite the same.

That, and when you put contacts in, use a mirror, and focus on your eye in the mirror as you place the lens on your eyeball, then look up, and then down, to make sure it doesn't catch on the eyelid before you close your eyes. If you have the right amount of solution and your lens isn't scratched, you should be fine.

I didn't get contacts til pretty late (senior year of high school) but I didn't wear my glasses a whole lot before then, mostly just for class and for driving. My vision kept getting a little worse though, so finally I thought it might be easier to be able to see all the time. It takes a while to get used to, but I don't remember having much trouble within a week or so (maybe I'm misremembering, but I don't think it was that much of a struggle beyond the first few days) now I can take them out without a mirror, sometimes I'm slick enough to get them in without one too, but that's rare.

i tried contacts when i was in middle school and hated them, couldnt get them in easily and would freak out. sr yr in high school i tried again, and they worked out great. i have the night and day kind that you can leave in for 30 days without changing. they are amazing, i dont have any problems with them, and my eyes never get dry even when i wake up in the morning after sleeping all night. i would suggest getting those

When I first got my contacts it wasn't hard for me to poke my eye, but the wierdest thing for me was the feeling of the lens whenever I blinked. It tok about a week for me to get used to it. I would suggest you buy some eye drops and practice putting them in without having to FORCE your eye to stay open, and then with clean hands just start putting your finger on the sclera (white part) Once you do get contacts, keep a bottle of refreshing drops, preferably oil based, handy, becuase riding in a dusty arena or keeping htem in all day your eyes will get dry and scratchy.

This is probably pretty obvious, but I definately didn't catch onto it for awhile, but put your contacts in BEFORE you put mascara on... it hurts something awful if you get a spec of mascara stuck between your eyeball and the contact.

As for practice, I tried to touch only the whites, as you don't have the boatload of nerve receptors there like you do with the iris and pupil. And when I put in my contacts, I tend to look (just my eyes) to the side while I put the contact in. The most painful thing for me was watching myself touch my eye; I don't know why. If you're getting contacts, I also reccomend a cheap but decent looking pair of glasses. I really only wear my contacts for nights out and sports. I would much prefer to just slip my glasses on; however, downside to glasses--for me personally, I get zits on the side of my nose from the frames, despite cleaning of both glasses and skin. Good luck with contacts though! I love mine for riding.