Ok, this may seem childish(well I'm 14), but I went to get my contacts fitted last week, and no1, I'm scared that they hurt and want to know what they really feel like, and no2, when they told me to put them in and showed me how, I tried for 40mins and still couldn't get one in! Is this normal? Do you think I'll ever be able to get them in?! They told me to come back in 2 months, because I'm not ready yet. But I reallllly want them and I need some advice on how to get them in!!! Please help. this is sooo important to me! Thanks
Kate
Oh btw, I'm getting soft lenses.

Hey Kate,

Sorry I can't be of more help than just to say to perservere. Really, I know how you feel - when I got my first pair it didn't take me that long to get them in, but I was sooooo nervous (I kept on apologising for taking up the lady's time!).

Maybe it'd be best to go in in 2 months time and try again, but if you're not happy then you should ask for another appointment.

Also, now that I think about it, did you ask whoever was supervising you if you were doing it right or not?? Because I can't help thinking that if you spent that long trying to get them in and still didn't succeed you must've been doing something wrong. I dunno, maybe you could go somewhere else??

Just my two cents!

Matt.

I can't believe they actually let you spend 40 min. trying to put them in. Did you ever actually get them in and they hurt? If so, they may have been inside out.

Out of curiosity, can you touch your eye now? Does it bother you to touch your eye. For me, I have always been able to touch my eye, I was one of those weirdos who would turn their eyelids up back in school. Now, my husband, you couldn't touch his eye for a million dollars. He hurt it last year at work and had to go to the hospital and it took the doctor's at least a 1/2 hour to get him relaxed enough to get to his eye.

I personally never had trouble with my contacts. I've been wearing them for about 12 years. I mean don't get me wrong it felt weird at first, seeing without glasses, but you couldn't really feel the contacts.

Goodluck! Keep me posted with what happens.

Something that helped when I was first learning to put contacts in... I thought I had to "push" them onto my eye. Instead the idea is to hold them close enough to your cornea with out touching and let the suction kind of pull them onto your eye. It helped me! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Hi, it's me again. Thank you so much for replying! Yeah, they told me to hold it really close to my eye and put it in, but I kept blinking and so it kept falling off. I -can- touch my eye, but it feels a bit uncomfortable..just a bit. Do contacts feel like that? Hmmm...I think the main problem is that I was waaaaay too nervous and I kept blinking all the time. What do you think I should do??? Thanks a lot. Byee
Kate xxx

Why are you "nervous"? Is it because they're standing there watching you? Just take a couple deep breaths, relax, and hold your top and bottom eyelids so that you can't blink (easier said than done). No, it doesn't feel like touching your eye. When the contacts are in properly you can't feel a thing - honestly! If you can feel them then somethings wrong.

I'm not saying this meanly - I think maybe you've worked yourself up to think that they would hurt (having something in your eye) and in reality they don't hurt at all. Trust me - contacts are great! Just keep telling yourself that it's not a big deal and that you can do this!

Goodluck!

Umm, just a few more thoughts on this.

When I first got mine (I'm 15 and that was a few months ago) my optometrist put a pair in for me - so I could see what they felt like and not be scared...

Then when they taught me how to put them in they told me to hold my upper and lower eyelids so I didn't blink (in fact, it's near impossible not to blink when the lense touches your eyes unless it's being held open because it's a reflex).

So, um, maybe they're not teaching you properly.

Hi Hateacne22
It does take some practice in putting your finger near your eye. Matt is right--you need to hold both eyelids open. You could try practicing holding both eyelids open and pretending you have a contact on your finger. I remember when I first got my contacts home, it took me a while to get the right one in--but then it only took me like 30 secs to get the left one in! Go figure. The other thing that helps is doing it in front of a mirror. I've had contacts for 17 years (I was about your age when I first got them) and to this day, I still use a mirror to put them in.

Good luck http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Laurie

Hi, yeah, they told me to hold my eyelids open with my fingers, but that didn't help!But now, I think that I can manage putting them in now, as I am a bit more confident. But they won't even let me try untill March! I have to wait sooo long...Oh well. Thanks anyway.
Kate