[HN Gopher] You've got to hide your myopia away: John Lennon's c...
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       You've got to hide your myopia away: John Lennon's contact lenses
        
       Author : geox
       Score  : 102 points
       Date   : 2024-08-13 15:14 UTC (7 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
        
       | melling wrote:
       | Paul has a funny story about John trying to get by without his
       | glasses.
       | 
       | https://www.today.com/video/paul-mccartney-says-john-lennon-...
        
         | pimlottc wrote:
         | It's mentioned in the article, great to hear Paul tell it
         | though!
        
       | sschueller wrote:
       | I am amazed what soft contacts can do. I have a myopia greater
       | than -14 on each eye and the contacts I wear are as thin as any
       | other regular set.
       | 
       | In comparison the glasses I have even with the most advanced
       | glass is extremely thick and only a small area doesn't cause
       | color shifting.
        
         | j45 wrote:
         | Lennon was wearing the best shape for high prescriptions.
         | 
         | Small, and round. Both will make the highest prescriptions very
         | thin since the flaring out of the lens doesn't happen. Most of
         | the mainstream optometrists don't specialize in frames like
         | these.
         | 
         | Lenses are also available in 1.7+ high index in plastic lenses
         | or even higher if you don't mind glass. Glass lenses while
         | brittle at high index, can be additionally hardened as well.
         | 
         | It's helpful to find a frame manufacturer that can hide higher
         | prescriptions in the thickness of the frame.
         | 
         | Companies like OGI, Anne Et Valentin have suitable frames for
         | high prescriptions, which include adjustable nosepads to get
         | the lenses right, and also a hybrid frame where the lenses
         | might be wrapped in a combination of metal and plastic.
        
         | SoftTalker wrote:
         | I have astigmatism, and have worn rigid gas permeable (RGP)
         | lenses starting over 40 years ago. I have tried various types
         | of soft lenses a few times but could never see as well with
         | them.
        
           | sgt wrote:
           | Astigmatism here too. I have soft lenses for sport use but I
           | can't really read with them easily. Things go out of focus
           | often and I have to wait for eyes to re-focus etc if at all
           | possible.
           | 
           | But for sport use it's fine. For every day use I use glasses
           | and it's perfect. Except of course for the inconvenience of
           | wearing them!
           | 
           | Do you think RGP could be worth trying out for me ?
        
             | quercusa wrote:
             | I've used RGPs for 45 years (now -6.5) because I've been
             | told multiple times that they provide the clearest vision.
             | They only times I have any issues with comfort is grass
             | allergy season but antihistamine drops work great. They
             | tend to be a bit more expensive up front but they also last
             | for years.
             | 
             | My understanding is that even non-toric RGP lenses can
             | correct some degree of astigmatism.
             | 
             | Once thing that you can do with contacts is so-called
             | Monovision [0], where one lens is slightly under-corrected
             | and your brain figures out which to use. I'll put on
             | reading glasses for close detail work but otherwise go from
             | driving to working at a computer without any focus
             | troubles.
             | 
             | [0]
             | https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/monovision
        
             | SoftTalker wrote:
             | RGPs are initially not very comfortable, it's been a long
             | time but when I first got them I would only wear then a few
             | hours, then I slowly worked up to wearing them all day. But
             | now I rarely notice them, unless I get a bit of dust or a
             | loose eyelash under one of them (that can be _really_
             | uncomfortable).
             | 
             | The nice thing is that they last pretty much forever and
             | care is pretty easy. Just clean them daily and soak them
             | overnight in disinfectant/conditioning fluid.
        
         | 13of40 wrote:
         | I wear soft contacts and one of my eyes has astigmatism. I've
         | never understood how a symmetrical lens can correct an
         | asymmetrical eyeball. Another strange thing I've seen is that
         | after having put these things in my eyes about 2000 times at
         | this point, I think I can tell that they vary in thickness,
         | sometimes even in the same pack, but it doesn't seem to affect
         | their performance. It all seems a little magical, so I guess I
         | should find some time and go down the youtube rabbit hole that
         | probably exists.
        
           | kvgr wrote:
           | Its not symetrical, one part is heavier and turns in the eye.
           | What optometrist told me.
        
           | UniverseHacker wrote:
           | Astigmatism correction requires toric contacts- you should
           | have a small line you have to orient upwards to align it
           | properly, which myopia only contacts don't have.
        
             | foldr wrote:
             | Hmm, I have astigmatism and have never had to worry about
             | the alignment of my contact lenses in order to get good
             | correction. Perhaps they are somehow engineered so that
             | they automatically settle in the correct orientation.
             | 
             |  _Edit:_ Answer here, by the looks of it:
             | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41237519
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | It is much more likely that your astigmatism is very
               | mild, and your optometrist decided not to correct it, and
               | corrected only the myopia. This is common because toric
               | contacts are more expensive, more difficult to put in,
               | less breathable, and fall out easier.
               | 
               | As a longtime user of toric contacts, I have tried a
               | dozen brands and every single one has the exact same
               | mark. The shape will keep them from moving out of
               | orientation, but it isn't enough to put them back into
               | orientation if put in wrong, at least not quickly.
               | 
               | Care to share exactly what contacts you are using? Do you
               | have astigmatism in one or both eyes? If it is toric and
               | for astigmatism it will say so on the box- many people
               | have it in only one eye, so the boxes will be different,
               | and only one will say toric.
               | 
               | If you really are using toric contacts, but not aligning
               | the mark, I am willing to bet you will be able to find
               | the mark, align it properly, and your vision will be
               | remarkably better.
               | 
               | Edit: One reason you absolutely need the mark is because
               | the optometrist also needs to be able to tell if they are
               | staying in orientation like they're supposed to, by
               | visually checking the alignment mark. It needs to point
               | straight upwards (vertical). If not, they can prescribe
               | you one that is made pre-rotated to compensate.
        
               | foldr wrote:
               | No, my prescription is for astigmatism, and my contacts
               | are contacts specifically for astigmatism. In my
               | experience, they orient themselves (and indeed I have
               | never had to worry about their orientation).
               | 
               | I have never previously thought about this in terms of
               | rotation (as I was not even aware that the contact lenses
               | were asymmetrical), but I do normally have to blink a few
               | times after inserting the contact lens before I have
               | sharp vision. But in my experience it takes a few seconds
               | for this to happen and does not depend on inserting the
               | lens at any particular orientation.
               | 
               | I have glasses too, so I would notice if the contact
               | lenses were giving me significantly worse vision!
               | 
               | The brand is '1 Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism'.
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | It might be different for different people, but if I
               | don't align mine, it takes more than a few blinks to
               | align them. I think they will eventually but it could be
               | a very long time (hours?)
        
               | therein wrote:
               | I have astigmatism and toric lenses never worked well for
               | me. I could feel them rotate in my eye and they would
               | never settle perfectly. This was back in 2006, though.
               | And they weren't bad contacts either, they were ordered
               | from Switzerland, allegedly custom made etc. I tried for
               | a few weeks, they never worked well. Every ten blinks or
               | so I'd get blurry vision.
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | You should try again, I've been wearing them since before
               | that time, and they are much better now than they used to
               | be.
        
               | Scoundreller wrote:
               | Probably just need a fitting with a different brand.
               | 
               | A lot of times your local distributor doesn't carry many
               | of the astigmatic lenses because they can sit on the
               | shelf for a while (it can 100x the available
               | combinations) so they special order. I doubt they're
               | specially manufactured per order for soft lenses.
        
             | 13of40 wrote:
             | That's good to know - thanks! My astigmatism one is
             | definitely special, because it takes an extra two or three
             | weeks to get it from Costco, but I didn't know there was an
             | orientation mark on it. I'll take a look.
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | I'm blown away that apparently lots of people on here are
               | using toric contacts but their optometrist never
               | instructed them on how to use them ??!!?!? That is
               | horrible.
        
               | cwmma wrote:
               | not all of them work the same, only some of them need to
               | be line up, others will line up on their own
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | I think they are pretty much all the same (I've tried
               | almost every brand of them over the years), but will
               | orient themselves... however at least for me it can take
               | a long time, and vision is pretty bad while that is
               | happening. I can't imagine skipping the extra few seconds
               | required to have them perfectly aligned from the
               | beginning.
        
               | Arelius wrote:
               | Interesting! I have always worn symmetric contacts when I
               | (rarely) wear contacts, because I can't get astigmatism
               | contacts them to sit comfortably in my eyes and not pop
               | out. I wonder if I were to align them first if they would
               | be comfortable enough to wear. I'll give it a try next
               | time I'm at the optometrist.
        
               | UniverseHacker wrote:
               | Even when they fit properly, they are slightly less
               | comfortable and pop out a little easier, but they have
               | gotten leaps and bounds better in the last few decades.
               | If they didn't work for you a while ago, it's worth
               | trying again.
        
             | BlueGh0st wrote:
             | Toric lenses align themselves, the mark is for visual
             | inspection by the doc while in the eye.
        
           | JoeyJoJoJr wrote:
           | I have tried contact lenses, but it seems they keep rotating
           | around slightly and don't match the angle of my astigmatism
           | exactly, causing my vision to become blurry. I don't know if
           | it was a bad fit, but my optometrist told me it is because
           | astigmatism correcting lens come in 15 degree increments, and
           | the angle of my astigmatism falls right in the middle of
           | these increments. I have never heard of anyone else having
           | this issue and would have thought that surely it would be
           | more widespread. Has anyone else had this issue, and have
           | they corrected it?
        
         | tehlike wrote:
         | Have you considered LASIK?
        
           | saghm wrote:
           | Not OP, but I'm a lifelong glasses wearer with a strong
           | prescription who has started considering LASIK in recent
           | years; have you had it done, and would you recommend it?
        
             | password4321 wrote:
             | Consult the HN hive mind here (mind the timestamps):
             | 
             | https://hn.algolia.com/?query=Lasik
        
             | SoftTalker wrote:
             | I've only heard from others but the people I've talked to
             | all had some issues post-op which they seemed to
             | rationalize and claimed that it was a net improvement, but
             | I've ruled it out as something I'll ever have done.
             | 
             | It would be really nice to have 20:20 vision without
             | contacts or glasses but some of the stuff I've heard
             | (extreme dry eye feeling, distortions, glare/dazzling at
             | night) just don't sound worth it.
        
             | MR_Bulldops wrote:
             | I had it done 2 years ago and started taking it for granted
             | about 4 days after the operation. I have perfect sight with
             | no complaints and almost never think about it.
             | 
             | I was 30 years old and wore -4.0 lenses.
        
           | sgt wrote:
           | LASIK is scraping away cornea, not recommended for high
           | myopia
        
       | xyst wrote:
       | Was LASIK surgery experimental back then? Would have alleviated
       | the issues John experienced on a frequent basis with those pesky
       | rigid contact lens.
       | 
       | I think I had similar diagnosis of myopia and astigmatism as John
       | and its worked wonderfully for me. Fortunately this was
       | completely recently where the techniques have been
       | perfected/improved with technology.
        
         | jrimbault wrote:
         | I also had a great success with LASIK, but it wasn't invented
         | before his death.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK#History
        
         | pmarreck wrote:
         | LASIK wasn't a thing until starting around the late 80's/early
         | 90's.
        
           | Mistletoe wrote:
           | Before that it was radial keratotomy which my Mom had. Maybe
           | it is apocryphal but she told me they discovered it when a
           | Russian someone got exploded glass in their eye and it
           | improved their vision.
           | 
           | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_keratotomy
        
           | xyst wrote:
           | Makes sense, ha. I only briefly read it was invented in the
           | 50s. But 90s for mainstream adoption and approval sounds
           | about right
        
         | deelowe wrote:
         | I've met so many people who've had issues with Lasik at this
         | point that I've decided I'm not going to risk it unless
         | absolutely necessary.
        
           | xyst wrote:
           | What types of issues? I understand there are a wide range of
           | issues that would exclude a person from being a good
           | candidate (ie, persistent dry eye, uncontrolled diabetes,
           | age, other eye conditions). But any good surgeon would
           | clearly explain that to a patient and not recommend the
           | surgery if it wasn't ideal.
           | 
           | In my case, the only possible complication was dry eyes prior
           | to surgery. If it wasn't resolved, then would be canceled.
           | 
           | but fortunately was mitigated with over the counter and some
           | prescription eye drops applied liberally.
           | 
           | I too was skeptical but I think the key is finding a good
           | surgeon with a looong history of doing these surgeries.
        
             | dhosek wrote:
             | I can't keep my eyes open for the glaucoma test. I'm pretty
             | sure that LASIK Would be impossible for me (unless they
             | have _A Clockwork Orange_ -style devices holding the
             | eyelids open).
        
               | pjerem wrote:
               | > (unless they have A Clockwork Orange-style devices
               | holding the eyelids open).
               | 
               | That's how it works yes.
        
               | sgt wrote:
               | Remember the Space Quest zombie?
               | 
               | https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtY3nJ2WptU/VUt7x1dPTQI/AAAAAA
               | AAC...
        
               | xyst wrote:
               | I'm not sure if it's the exact device depicted in that
               | film. But the lids are forcibly held in an open state
               | during surgery while you hold your head still on a table
               | and focus on a green light.
        
             | ryanwhitney wrote:
             | I was something like -8, -9.5 before getting LASIK at about
             | 21.
             | 
             | My eyes couldn't focus beyond a reading distance
             | afterwards. No lens could get me to a legal driving
             | eyesight.
             | 
             | Surgeon had no idea why. He re-lifted the flaps afterwards
             | and flushed beneath them on the hunch that it might be from
             | slight ripples. Horrible experience, didn't fix it.
             | 
             | Hard contacts worked, but a second surgeon advised against
             | having anything in my eye while we figured it out.
             | 
             | After about a year, it healed enough that eyeglasses could
             | refract me to good vision again.
             | 
             | So I still wear glasses, but my vision is much better
             | without them. (-2ish range these days.) Pretty awful
             | experience, but I like glasses and it was a big improvement
             | from where I was before.
        
               | xyst wrote:
               | Shit that's terrible. Wonder if your eye was still
               | undergoing changes. 21 is relatively young.
               | 
               | My surgeon requested vision history from my referring
               | optometrist. And did his own work up at the office. Took
               | 2-3 months of follow ups and "adjustments" (ie,
               | prescribing eye drops to fix dry eyes) to ensure vision
               | was stable and dry eyes wouldn't impact outcome.
        
               | ryanwhitney wrote:
               | I think there was some guidance around waiting 2-3 years
               | since your prescription changed, which I met--though
               | that's obviously imperfect.
               | 
               | There was never any clear cause/effect. My best guess is
               | that it was from being super tense during the surgery. I
               | found it extremely uncomfortable and intense to be fully
               | conscious, knowing it would be bad news if I moved my
               | eyes during the procedure. (They're holding a flap of
               | your eyeball open during it, etc--super fun.)
               | 
               | Would have requested a little higher dose of Valium if I
               | could do it over again. :) And maybe crossed a border to
               | a high-volume specialty shop instead of my local
               | ophthalmologist.
        
           | JohnFen wrote:
           | Me too. It's why I won't even consider such a procedure at
           | this point.
           | 
           | Glasses work well for me, so a permanent surgical solution is
           | only something I'm willing to consider if the risk of it
           | adversely affecting my vision is very close to zero. Right
           | now, that's not the case (as evidenced by the fact that I
           | know multiple people who have had adverse effects in the
           | longer run).
        
         | TeaBrain wrote:
         | LASIK hadn't even made it to the conceptual stage then. Early
         | trials for vision correction via radial keratotomy were ongoing
         | at the time of his death.
        
         | astura wrote:
         | A man who died in 1980, of course, couldn't have benefited from
         | a surgery that was FDA approved in 1995.
         | 
         | It's like asking why JFK didn't use the Internet.
        
           | sgt wrote:
           | Are you saying JFK didn't use the Internet?
        
             | settsu wrote:
             | Is there any empirical evidence that he did not??
             | 
             | /s
        
         | buildsjets wrote:
         | No. The first Laser did not even exist until mid-1960, so they
         | were definitely not in surgical use in 1963-1966. Even the
         | Soviets did not develop Radial Kertotomy surgery until 1974. RK
         | uses a physical scalpel to make small radial incisions around
         | the iris, and the scarring that occurs during healing causes
         | the eyeball to shrink and warp the lens.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_keratotomy
        
       | pmarreck wrote:
       | I had no idea about the Yoko Ono album cover of "Season of Glass"
       | featuring John's bloodied glasses... and I was 8 in 1980!
        
       | dhosek wrote:
       | It always startles me a little given how iconic the "John Lennon"
       | glasses are that he started wearing them so late in his career.
       | I'm guessing that the sunglasses he wore on stage at times when
       | the Beatles were still performing live were prescription lenses.
        
         | HumblyTossed wrote:
         | With his Rx, he would definitely need some correction.
        
       | slaymaker1907 wrote:
       | I think it's funny how many people really don't want to just wear
       | glasses. I love that I can completely change my look just by
       | getting some new glasses, though I'm admittedly fortunate to have
       | a low rx such that I can get away without wearing them sometimes
       | when I misplace them.
       | 
       | Another random comment: I just love that his contacts apparently
       | only fit because of ptosis from using weed.
        
         | bobbylarrybobby wrote:
         | For me, glasses get smudged and fog up, slip down my nose, and
         | are something to worry about during sports. Contacts "just
         | work".
        
           | loeg wrote:
           | Glasses are also absurdly expensive for what they are (maybe
           | this is a US thing). Contacts are also expensive, but you can
           | sort of appreciate the manufacturing challenge.
        
             | fsckboy wrote:
             | > _absurdly expensive for what they are (maybe this is a US
             | thing)_
             | 
             | It's actually a European thing. Luxottica, an Italian
             | company, has largely monopolized glasses worldwide.
             | 
             | https://www.forbes.com/sites/anaswanson/2014/09/10/meet-
             | the-...
             | 
             | from wikipedia: _Luxottica retails its products through
             | stores that it owns, predominantly LensCrafters, Sunglass
             | Hut, Pearle Vision, Target Optical, and Glasses.com. It
             | also owns EyeMed, one of the largest vision health
             | insurance providers. In addition to licensing prescription
             | and non-prescription sunglasses frames for many luxury and
             | designer brands including Chanel, Prada, Giorgio Armani,
             | Burberry, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Coach,
             | Miu Miu and Tory Burch,[8] the Italian conglomerate further
             | outright owns and manufactures Ray-Ban, Persol, Oliver
             | Peoples, and Oakley...In March 2018, the European
             | Commission unconditionally approved the merger of Essilor
             | and Luxottica.[14] On 1 October 2018, the new holding
             | company EssilorLuxottica was born, resulting in combined
             | market capitalization of approximately $70 billion.[15] The
             | merger with Essilor additionally gave Luxottica control of
             | Foster Grant and Costa Del Mar, sunglasses brands acquired
             | by Essilor prior to the merger_
             | 
             | Now, I'm not an expert on European regulation, but I do get
             | a lot of good information from Europeans here on HN, and
             | I'd guess that the EC approved the merger because the
             | company respects the GDPR
        
               | mportela wrote:
               | Freakonomics did a very good deep dive into this world
               | recently: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-do-your-
               | eyeglasses-cost...
        
             | slaymaker1907 wrote:
             | That's why I order mine online from Zenni. I've heard
             | reports of some quality control before and I've had one
             | pair come that was a bit off, but I've still saved an
             | ridiculous amount of money as someone who loses glasses
             | constantly. I just ordered a pair that was ~$50 and a lot
             | of that was just expedited shipping. I made no attempt to
             | find the cheapest frames/lenses either like a lot of the
             | ads for normal discount glasses show. Oh, and that's
             | WITHOUT insurance.
             | 
             | I have no idea why they're so expensive at most vendors. It
             | shouldn't be cheaper for me to order glasses without
             | insurance. That said, the cost breakdown I saw from Zenni
             | definitely showed that the major cost was for the lenses
             | and given that they seem to be the cheapest vendor, I
             | suspect they're actually telling the truth. Lenses seem to
             | be pretty complex as well to manufacture, even for simple
             | prescriptions.
        
               | callalex wrote:
               | They are expensive because they are run by the Luxottica
               | cartel.
        
               | loeg wrote:
               | My impression of Zenni / EyeBuyDirect is also not great.
               | Sure, they are inexpensive, but they are also flimsy.
               | When I tried them, the pairs I got caused pretty bad
               | discomfort, too.
        
             | tomcam wrote:
             | My wife used to make me get the "best" glasses from
             | boutique stores because average places like LensCrafters
             | never suited me. Average price from boutiques about $1300
             | in the 2010s. I have -4.50 vision and need bifocals.
             | 
             | Tried Zenni about 12 years ago. Best lenses ever by far.
             | Also the best style for me--$30/pair. My kid's glasses are
             | $9/pair but would be $7 without custom engraving.
        
         | simlevesque wrote:
         | > I think it's funny how many people really don't want to just
         | wear glasses.
         | 
         | In many situations they're not practical. Sports and sex to
         | name a few.
        
           | JodieBenitez wrote:
           | Agree about sports, or any outdoor activity, gardening,
           | lumberjacking, and more.
           | 
           | For sex I kinda like the blurred vision though.
        
           | bigstrat2003 wrote:
           | I wear glasses just fine during sex.
        
             | simlevesque wrote:
             | You can. But it's not as great to put your face in a pair
             | of boobs with glasses.
             | 
             | Glasses always create a distance between your face and the
             | world.
        
           | slaymaker1907 wrote:
           | I posted this in another comment, but I've found sports is
           | kind of a tossup. My current glasses are large aviators
           | because they do a great job at keeping gnats out of my eyes
           | that are all along my favorite trail right now. If I wasn't
           | wearing glasses, I'd want to be wearing goggles anyway. If I
           | want to go swimming, it's also a lot simpler with glasses
           | since I can just take the glasses off in seconds compared to
           | removing contact lenses.
           | 
           | I think this also extends to sex. With glasses, you can just
           | take them off once you're ready and then afterwards you can
           | just go to bed right afterwards if you want to. With
           | contacts, you need to make sure you take them out before
           | going to sleep.
        
             | bruce343434 wrote:
             | You don't pee after sex?
        
         | saghm wrote:
         | I have an extremely strong prescription (and have been wearing
         | bifocals since I was 16), so I basically need to wear them at
         | all times other than in the shower and in bed. I really don't
         | like not being able to see things without them if I want to
         | look at something while in bed (or worse, when I accidentally
         | drop them when trying to grab them after I wake up and then
         | can't find them easily due to not being able to see without
         | them), but contacts seem like they'd just make that worse by
         | increasing the effort needed to put them on. The eye doctor I
         | saw from when I was a kid until college apparently had laser
         | surgery and suggested that I should get it whenever my vision
         | stopped getting worse (which happened throughout my childhood
         | but would be expected to stabilize in adulthood). For me, the
         | motivation wouldn't be cosmetic, but quality of life; being
         | able to see without an external tool is just inherently easier.
        
           | astura wrote:
           | >I really don't like not being able to see things without
           | them if I want to look at something while in bed (or worse,
           | when I accidentally drop them when trying to grab them after
           | I wake up and then can't find them easily due to not being
           | able to see without them)
           | 
           | I wear my glasses to bed, while sleeping. Avoids this issue
           | entirely. Highly recommend. It's not uncomfortable and they
           | don't fall off.
           | 
           | I also wear them during sports (including gymnastics when I
           | was younger) & during sex. It's not really that big of a deal
           | if you are really used to wearing them. I've been wearing
           | glasses since before I could talk.
           | 
           | I'm guessing a lot of people just don't get used to them.
        
             | Obscurity4340 wrote:
             | How? Can't you only really sleep on your back that way?
        
               | astura wrote:
               | No, I sleep on my stomach.
               | 
               | How? Um, just lay down without taking them off? Idk what
               | else to say?
        
               | invalidator wrote:
               | Are you far-sighted?
        
               | astura wrote:
               | Yes. far-sighted with astigmatism.
        
               | hollerith wrote:
               | Some eyeglass frames are very flexible. Are yours?
        
               | astura wrote:
               | No, they are just normal glasses? I've had dozens of
               | pairs over the years both metal and acetate. I'm
               | currently wearing https://www.ray-
               | ban.com/usa/eyeglasses/RX5169%20MALE%20rb516...
        
             | saghm wrote:
             | The few times I've fallen asleep wearing glasses, they've
             | pressed against my face in several places to the point
             | where they're imprinted and sore, and the glasses have
             | gotten slightly bent. I do tend to aggressively toss and
             | turn when sleeping though, so this might not be a common
             | issue.
        
             | newzisforsukas wrote:
             | > Highly recommend
             | 
             | Dunno, that all sounds more like great ways to break
             | eyeglasses.
        
               | astura wrote:
               | They don't break.
        
             | tomcam wrote:
             | I wear my glasses to bed, while sleeping.
             | 
             | Can't tell if parody? If serious... how the hell do they
             | not warp out of shape or lose hinges?
        
               | astura wrote:
               | Why would they?
        
           | slaymaker1907 wrote:
           | I've tried contacts and as a counterargument, I've found that
           | there are few scenarios where contacts work but glasses don't
           | and that it's way more effort and expense to use contacts vs
           | glasses. People have mentioned sports, but there are probably
           | more sports and exercise where glasses work better than
           | contacts like swimming (sure you need special goggles, but
           | contacts are simply a non-starter) and cycling. I actually
           | prefer a pair of aviator glasses for cycling because they
           | keep things like bugs and pollen from going into my eyes even
           | if it's too dark for sunglasses.
           | 
           | However, I totally agree that eye surgery is probably the
           | best option since then you don't have the downsides of either
           | contacts or glasses. The only reason I'm hesitant to do it is
           | because my prescription isn't that strong and I've heard it
           | can mess with your close up vision later in life. But for
           | someone with severe issues, fixing the myopia and then just
           | using reading glasses as needed is definitely a huge QoL
           | improvement.
        
         | bigstrat2003 wrote:
         | I consider glasses to be purely functional, not a matter of
         | style. In fact I think glasses are ugly. The only reason I
         | don't use contacts is because I would never be able to suppress
         | my blink reflex to get them in.
        
         | mrob wrote:
         | If you don't need astigmatism correction, spherical contact
         | lenses give much better image quality than glasses. You don't
         | get the image minification/magnification that you get with
         | glasses, and the off-axis optical aberrations are much reduced
         | because the lens moves with your eyeball, meaning it's always
         | correctly aligned.
         | 
         | Astigmatism correction in contact lenses sacrifices some image
         | quality (sharpness is reduced), but it might still be better
         | than glasses depending on how much correction is needed.
         | 
         | It's possible to combine spherical contact lenses with
         | cylindrical glasses, which might give the best overall image
         | quality depending on the exact correction needed.
         | 
         | Related to this, different glasses lens materials cause
         | different levels of chromatic aberration, measured by Abbe
         | number. The cheapest (PADC, e.g. CR-39) is one of the best you
         | can get.
        
           | vr46 wrote:
           | This is interesting as I have been a photographer for decades
           | as well as playing various sports, and have had endless
           | fantastic discussions with my opt over the years about the
           | various merits of different lenses and glasses but this has
           | never come up.
           | 
           | I wore only contacts from December 1992 to maybe a few years
           | ago, when presbyopia made things impossible, and I have been
           | lamenting - truly lamenting - the state of things with
           | glasses.
           | 
           | I procured some Natural Vue lenses for multifocal vision last
           | month, as I had previously tried them with decent results,
           | but the outcome is not good at all. My near vision is
           | rubbish.
           | 
           | I wish I could wear contacts again, my QoL has taken such a
           | massive hit. I'm -10 in specs with astigmatism.
        
         | HumblyTossed wrote:
         | >I think it's funny how many people really don't want to just
         | wear glasses.
         | 
         | I paid for college working in the glasses business. Glasses are
         | just not comfortable to wear all day. You can have them
         | adjusted up the wazoo, but after a few hours, they're just
         | annoying. Then the lenses are easily smudged. Or they're easy
         | to bump. The reasons are long.
        
           | Scoundreller wrote:
           | For me, it's the 100% unobstructed field of vision with
           | contacts. Sometimes I wear my glasses anyway to give my eyes
           | a break but it's otherwise morning to night contacts.
        
         | tomcam wrote:
         | I think it's funny how many people really don't want to just
         | wear glasses.
         | 
         | People who are active, sports-oriented, live in places with bad
         | weather, or who work outside may view things differently
        
         | lysace wrote:
         | Glasses have a vastly inferior field of view (FOV) compared to
         | soft contacts. That's why I wear the latter.
         | 
         | (Like 120 degrees vs 170, or something along the lines of
         | that.)
        
         | maxerickson wrote:
         | I can manage without correction but still remember the first
         | time I walked in the rain after switching from glasses to
         | contacts, 20 some years ago. I'd only put up with the glasses
         | for a little while at that point.
         | 
         | Nowadays I don't wear a contact in my better eye, so that I can
         | focus to read, just one in the worse eye for distance vision.
        
         | anthomtb wrote:
         | > many people really don't want to just wear glasses
         | 
         | > I can get away without wearing them
         | 
         | There's a fallacy of some sort here but I do not know enough
         | rhetoric to determine which one.
        
       | WalterBright wrote:
       | I've worn glasses since I was 5. On three occasions, they have
       | prevented something from damaging my eye. Tried contacts for
       | about a year - gave them up after 3 incidents of being blinded by
       | grit getting in them while driving.
        
         | ajkjk wrote:
         | Well that is... An uncommon experience.
        
         | loloquwowndueo wrote:
         | You could wear contacts _and_ protective goggles when driving
         | :)
        
         | sgt wrote:
         | My 2 year old took a flat screwdriver and stabbed me in the
         | face with it. Saved by my glasses, which were scratched!
        
       | supertofu wrote:
       | It seems that there is a generational divide between glasses
       | acceptance. When I was a kid in the 90s, having glasses was seen
       | as cool and desirable. I remember being puzzled by all the 80s
       | movies which mocked characters with glasses, when having glasses
       | was seen as a positive trait among my peers.
        
         | Teever wrote:
         | I can't recall which episode it is exactly, but there's a
         | Seinfeld episode where he's doing a standup bit in the opening
         | sequence where he's talking about how glasses are a thing that
         | are associated with intelligence and style while hearing aids
         | are not.
         | 
         | Coincidentally I was thinking about this but yesterday and how
         | it relates to Bluetooth earbuds. Somehow Apple managed to make
         | hearing aids cool.
         | 
         | It crossed my mind when I was thinking about a coworkers
         | hearing aids and if they were ever picked on as a child for
         | wearing them. I bet that the rise of earbuds has made life a
         | lot easier for children who are hard of hearing.
        
           | bigstrat2003 wrote:
           | > Somehow Apple managed to make hearing aids cool.
           | 
           | Just like with all fashion things, the causality goes the
           | other way. People think Apple is cool, so when Apple does a
           | thing they think that thing is cool.
        
           | atestu wrote:
           | AirPods were widely ridiculed by the press when they first
           | came out. Lots of online comments about q tips and "tech
           | bros." Idk when or what changed but they became cool a year
           | or so later... not sure about the timing but they weren't an
           | overnight sensation.
        
       | andrewpennachio wrote:
       | Never made the connection until reading this, but I suspect Steve
       | Jobs' choice of spectacle was a nod to or was influenced by
       | Lennon's 'granny' glasses.
        
         | divbzero wrote:
         | The shape and color of Steve Jobs' frames were similar to John
         | Lennon's, but I believe Jobs opted for rimless lenses.
        
       | fsckboy wrote:
       | when I just read this FTA, i was shocked, thinking "how did I
       | never know this till now?"
       | 
       | > _In 1973, he stopped wearing the 'wire rimmed Lennon glasses'2
       | and expanded to slightly non-round styles. His blood spattered
       | spectacles even featured on the cover of Yoko Ono 's 1981 album
       | 'Season of Glass' following his murder in 1980._
       | 
       | https://images.artbrokerage.com/artthumb/onoyoko_129502_12/1...
       | 
       | but then i realized, "ok, that's really grotesque, but at least I
       | have done a great job of ignoring Yoko Ono!"
        
       | 77pt77 wrote:
       | Archive: https://archive.is/wip/6XmKN WayBackMachine:
       | https://web.archive.org/web/20240813194919/https://onlinelib...
        
       | seancork wrote:
       | I wear hard lens for my Keratoconus and amazed at how comfortable
       | they are all day.
        
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