Simple Vision

My current basic vision items.

Here are my tips and lessons on staying simple, even if you wear glasses and contacts. I got my first pair of glasses at age two and now am soon to be sixty, so I’ve had a lot of experience with taking care of my eyes.

• Get an eye exam once every year or two to be sure you have healthy eyes and the proper correction.
• Have one pair of glasses that can do as many things as possible. I get low glare, and photochromic lenses, but after trying the UV protection, I decided against that. It was too much purple glaring at others and in photos. I was wearing the glasses mostly at home, vs out. So these two things influenced my UV protection decision. This is a personal choice, not medical advice.
• Ask for what you want. When I got my last pair of glasses, they gave me this huge case that was all fancy and had logos all over it. I’m glad I spoke up and asked if they had anything smaller. They went in the back and then gave me this cute little blue case that works so much better. I’ve even used the case as a stand for watching videos while on vacation.

I ended up using the glass case as a stand for my phone while watching a video. I love multipurpose items!

• While many people could stop there and just have glasses, contacts give me 20/20 correction, while glasses can only get me to 20/30. Some people may also opt for laser surgery, but my own correction is far better with contacts than any surgeon would offer and I just wouldn’t be OK at 20/40 or 20/50. The other thing that surgery doesn’t account for is the changes that happen with eyes as they age, mainly presbyopia or that need for reading glasses. Check out all options and do what’s best for you, just be sure to ask how this will work over time, as in over 10-25 years, before making a final decision.
• Ask about contact lens features for your unique prescription. I wear hard lenses to correct for astigmatism. I progressed to mono vision so I can see far with one eye and read up close with the other eye. This took a while to get used to. When I first tried it, it failed. But, for the past six years the mono vision option gives me the most variety without needing additional reading glasses.

Reading glasses I no longer need with the mono vision contacts

• Invest in good saline. I wear hard lenses and, after experimenting with making my own saline (yep, another fail), I have stuck with buying lens solution. It offers lubricants that the saline did not, keeping the lenses more comfortable.
• For those who wear disposable contact lenses, here is a recycling program you may want to know about.
• Ask if others have an extra contact lens case. People who wear soft lenses often get a case with every bottle of solution, so they often may have extras. I was fortunate to get a friends extra contact case that is color coded for right and left. Thanks Whitney and Anthony! You can also ask on Buy Nothing Project.
• This year I realized that the fancy sprays and fun little eyeglass cloths I’ve had for years, were just not being used. I’m actually kind of shocked that it took me this long to realize it! So they were donated. I use my glass cloth and gentle cleaner that I use on mirrors, for cleaning my glasses and screens.

I donated eyeglass cloths I wasn’t using.

In summary: good glasses with as many functions that are of personal value to you, and contacts that work for your own unique prescription needs are simple ideas worth keeping. Ditch the items you are not using or that don’t work. For some this may mean a single set of glasses would do the trick. And, if you have extra glasses that you no longer need, here’s a great way to put them to good use.

If you enjoyed this blog post, consider following me via the homepage to receive notifications when new posts come out. 

What other tips do you have about taking great care of your eyes while not gathering up too much excess stuff? Please post your answers in the comments. Thanks!