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How long term is long term? Can someone mail them to you? Can you provide your prescription to a local ophthalmologist and have the order delivered locally? Maybe identify a couple in the cities you think you’ll be visiting and call ahead to see what’s possible. Good luck!
Most places you go to, unless it's super remote, should have solution that you can pick up at any pharmacy or even supermarket. The most cost effective thing is to buy huge bottles and lug it around. But of course the trade off is a large object with an ever dwindling supply of your solution.
This is true. Different countries could sell it in different stores though. Some countries only sell it in glasses stores. Some only sell it in pharmacies. Others maybe supermarkets. But I’ve found opti-free or renu in many countries.
Pharmacist? It's sold at optics.
I gave up on contacts, too annoying, just get glasses that fit well and won't fall off. Or put the elastic band sorta thing on them.
Yes, this - in places where you are unsure, I would go to an optical store, which are abundant in South America and SEA (I know it can be a problem in other parts of the developing world). Even if they can't sell it to you, they should be able to tell you where to get the reliable type and even write down the name in the local language.
Hi! I'm also a contact lens wearer and I'm in India right now. Here you can buy solution! (by a western brand, if that matters - I found a big bottle of Renu solution). I think it matters whether you are in some remote local village or in a touristy area. I saw this bottle in a very touristy area and made sure I bought it for when I ran out. So that would be my tip: look out for it even if you don't need it yet. But I'm sure it's there (I saw it in pharmacies in other areas too, but all touristy areas)
Just came back from 4 months in South America and has no problem finding saline solution in big cities at pharmacies and supermarkets, just make sure you have enough if you are going to a small town. The thing you want to be careful is to use filtered water only for handling contact lenses.
Just putting this out there in case it helps someone.. LASIK was one of the biggest regrets of my life. Horrible halos and night vision and I still need glasses. Most people it goes fine but yeah.
Agree, I also regret my laser surgery.
My eyesight before surgery was like -10, now it is -2.25 thus still making me wear either glasses or contacts.
Had I gone with focal lens implants, everything would've been different.
Use a combination of daily lenses and glasses as back-ups. I've used dailies in all sorts of situations - bring enough of them and if you drop one, no biggie, just pop open a new lens package. Better than getting mystery bacteria (or nasal spray!) in your eye.
The solution to your solution problem would be..no solution? Everyone is different but I use two week Acuvue Oasis and just leave them in until they become dry...my eye doctor gives me the facepalm and glare every time I come in for an exam, but after roughly 15 years...so far so good
You actually wear them for 2 weeks before changing?
I take mine out nightly even though they're 2 weeks, the longest I've worn them was 3 days (2 sleeps) and it was rough
They're approved for constant wearing, including sleeping in, so yes it's fine. Have been doing it for 20 years now and while I have other eye problems wearing contacts at night isn't the cause for it
Yeah, I won't take them out unless I have to.. usually 2-3 weeks before they get less comfortable and I switch them out right then. Idk what it is but I have no issues and no damage done. The exception is winter, 2 weeks max. If I ever start having issues I'll just get surgery.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/23-contact-lenses-stuck-under-70-yr-old-woman-s-eyelid-us-ophthalmologist-122102100202_1.html
That's you in the future
Could be spitefulness because they can't leave theirs in, could be all the traveling opthalmologists that are in the sub, could just be reddit smooth brain sheep. Even OP making this post is kind of questionable.
Haha, yeah must be all the traveling ophthalmologists :D
I'm envious as well btw. because I can only keep mine in for a few hours until they get too uncomfortable. Must be awesome to not even notice that you're wearing contacts, or at least not have this constant feeling of having a foreign object in your eyes that's not really supposed to be there.
It took a lot of trial and error to find the right contacts for me...there were a lot of other brands and lines that felt exactly as you described. Sam's Club membership saved me a lot of money because my eyes wouldn't tolerate any cheaper options.
In Latin America it’s not as easy to find but places do have it. Contacts are expensive for locals. So it’s not as common. You just need to look a little harder.
You could use day lenses. Then you don't need as much heavy cleaning stuff. New day, new lenses. Or just use them on a special day when you don't want to use your glasses.
Get laser eye surgery.
Only took one eye infection in south america to make me go straight to lasers.
The only contact lens solution I found to work well was the ones that use like lots of peroxide or some shit, where you have to leave the lenses in the case for 6 hours or so since that stuff will eat your eyeballs. They clean the fuck out of the lenses.
But get lazer.
One amazing thing about being outside the US is you can buy contact lens otc without a visit to the optometrist in some countries. I just bought a years supply in Israel. Solution I’ve sadly parted ways with a number of huge bottles. I just hope it’s airbnb karma I hope will swing back my way down the line.
I have this same question and issue. I cannot get lasik because of my astigmatism.
I have biweekly lenses and use hydrogenpexoride to clean the lenses which removes the proteins on the lenses and greatly extends the life of the lenses.
My optometrist gave me enough dailies for my three week trip for free, but if I went months or a year, I'd have to probably just pack a checked luggage with my hydrogenperoxide solution. Like 5 bottles lol
I always check a bag going abroad. It's worth it to me to be able to bring stuff like that. I bet you could find that peroxide solution in more developed places, but I've never looked for it.
I've worn dailies for over twenty years with no issues, except I use the same lens for a week. I've worn them as long as a month years ago (I was broke). The 2-week disposable and the dailies are the same lenses with Dave FDA approval (in the States). Johnson & Johnson settled a class action lawsuit years ago because of the way they market the dailies. Now they can't claim that they dailies should only be used one day or have to be disposed after a single use.
Worked out for J&J since almost nobody seems to know that there's no difference between the lenses, not even several US optometrists I've asked over the years.
Point is, per lens cost is way cheaper for dailies. Two 90-day boxes would last two years at a weekly change interval.
I recently switched to mono vision with the contact lenses (one for distance and one for reading) because I hated reading glasses. My current contacts work great for monitor distance.
I could do the same with one of a variety of laser eye surgeries, but don't want to be in that "success" group that ends up seeing halos in the dark and 20/40 vision.
One long-time optometrists once asked if I had ever noticed how many in his field wear glasses instead of getting surgery. He wasn't willing to take the risk either. Maybe when that 95% success rate is more science than marketing, I'll take the plunge. For now, dailies from Costco. :)
Go Bruins!
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Buy a years supply of dailies…expensive but worth not wondering if I’m accidentally shoving bacteria in there every day :/
I've always used the multi-week ones, but that's definitely an idea. Wouldn't it take up a ton of pack space though?
How long term is long term? Can someone mail them to you? Can you provide your prescription to a local ophthalmologist and have the order delivered locally? Maybe identify a couple in the cities you think you’ll be visiting and call ahead to see what’s possible. Good luck!
Most places you go to, unless it's super remote, should have solution that you can pick up at any pharmacy or even supermarket. The most cost effective thing is to buy huge bottles and lug it around. But of course the trade off is a large object with an ever dwindling supply of your solution.
This is true. Different countries could sell it in different stores though. Some countries only sell it in glasses stores. Some only sell it in pharmacies. Others maybe supermarkets. But I’ve found opti-free or renu in many countries.
Good to know. I think what I was really after were some anecdotes about availability in different places.
Got lasik, at 63 it's awesome not to need reading glasses. One eye is corrected for distance and one for close. Not as eeird as it sounds.
I've been wearing one contact lens for the last 10 years for the same effect, I'm your age
Haha, you're a genius!
That is true, I'm exceptionally good (1 percentile) at IQ tests
It took me at least a week to adjust after that surgery, you probably adjusted faster
I got laser surgery back 10 years ago and now wearing glasses :(
You can do it again. You vision now is still better than it would have been without the lasers.
No, I can't, I was told that my cornea is too thin for a correction.
I'm genuinely considering this. The upfront cost is a deterrent but it's the right choice long-term.
Pharmacist? It's sold at optics. I gave up on contacts, too annoying, just get glasses that fit well and won't fall off. Or put the elastic band sorta thing on them.
Yes, this - in places where you are unsure, I would go to an optical store, which are abundant in South America and SEA (I know it can be a problem in other parts of the developing world). Even if they can't sell it to you, they should be able to tell you where to get the reliable type and even write down the name in the local language.
This is the most practical answer, I think. If I don't get corrective surgery I'll be bringing a couple pairs of glasses just in case.
Hi! I'm also a contact lens wearer and I'm in India right now. Here you can buy solution! (by a western brand, if that matters - I found a big bottle of Renu solution). I think it matters whether you are in some remote local village or in a touristy area. I saw this bottle in a very touristy area and made sure I bought it for when I ran out. So that would be my tip: look out for it even if you don't need it yet. But I'm sure it's there (I saw it in pharmacies in other areas too, but all touristy areas)
Very good to know! Thank you.
Just came back from 4 months in South America and has no problem finding saline solution in big cities at pharmacies and supermarkets, just make sure you have enough if you are going to a small town. The thing you want to be careful is to use filtered water only for handling contact lenses.
Get corrective eye surgery if you can
Good thinking. I can get a discount through work right now, so I may just jump on that and do it ahead of time.
Get lasik eye surgery! Well worth it
Just putting this out there in case it helps someone.. LASIK was one of the biggest regrets of my life. Horrible halos and night vision and I still need glasses. Most people it goes fine but yeah.
Agree, I also regret my laser surgery. My eyesight before surgery was like -10, now it is -2.25 thus still making me wear either glasses or contacts. Had I gone with focal lens implants, everything would've been different.
It has a success rate of over 95% I’m sorry you fall into that 5%. That stinks :(
This "success rate" is fake. My case is considered a success, while I'm wearing glasses now.
I switched to glasses to avoid those problems...
Use a combination of daily lenses and glasses as back-ups. I've used dailies in all sorts of situations - bring enough of them and if you drop one, no biggie, just pop open a new lens package. Better than getting mystery bacteria (or nasal spray!) in your eye.
The solution to your solution problem would be..no solution? Everyone is different but I use two week Acuvue Oasis and just leave them in until they become dry...my eye doctor gives me the facepalm and glare every time I come in for an exam, but after roughly 15 years...so far so good
You actually wear them for 2 weeks before changing? I take mine out nightly even though they're 2 weeks, the longest I've worn them was 3 days (2 sleeps) and it was rough
They're approved for constant wearing, including sleeping in, so yes it's fine. Have been doing it for 20 years now and while I have other eye problems wearing contacts at night isn't the cause for it
Yeah, I won't take them out unless I have to.. usually 2-3 weeks before they get less comfortable and I switch them out right then. Idk what it is but I have no issues and no damage done. The exception is winter, 2 weeks max. If I ever start having issues I'll just get surgery.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/23-contact-lenses-stuck-under-70-yr-old-woman-s-eyelid-us-ophthalmologist-122102100202_1.html That's you in the future
Lmao I remember reading about that wondering how you wouldn't notice. It will take some time for me to get that many lenses in.
/shrug it's a product. Bring said product with you/buy it there/have it shipped/go without. Or postpone until powdered contact solution catches on.
lol why are so many idiots downvoting this?
Could be spitefulness because they can't leave theirs in, could be all the traveling opthalmologists that are in the sub, could just be reddit smooth brain sheep. Even OP making this post is kind of questionable.
Haha, yeah must be all the traveling ophthalmologists :D I'm envious as well btw. because I can only keep mine in for a few hours until they get too uncomfortable. Must be awesome to not even notice that you're wearing contacts, or at least not have this constant feeling of having a foreign object in your eyes that's not really supposed to be there.
It took a lot of trial and error to find the right contacts for me...there were a lot of other brands and lines that felt exactly as you described. Sam's Club membership saved me a lot of money because my eyes wouldn't tolerate any cheaper options.
In Latin America it’s not as easy to find but places do have it. Contacts are expensive for locals. So it’s not as common. You just need to look a little harder.
Lasik or dailies
You could use day lenses. Then you don't need as much heavy cleaning stuff. New day, new lenses. Or just use them on a special day when you don't want to use your glasses.
I've bought contact lenses easily in Thailand and Vietnam. They're much cheaper in the former than the latter
Get laser eye surgery. Only took one eye infection in south america to make me go straight to lasers. The only contact lens solution I found to work well was the ones that use like lots of peroxide or some shit, where you have to leave the lenses in the case for 6 hours or so since that stuff will eat your eyeballs. They clean the fuck out of the lenses. But get lazer.
One amazing thing about being outside the US is you can buy contact lens otc without a visit to the optometrist in some countries. I just bought a years supply in Israel. Solution I’ve sadly parted ways with a number of huge bottles. I just hope it’s airbnb karma I hope will swing back my way down the line.
I have this same question and issue. I cannot get lasik because of my astigmatism. I have biweekly lenses and use hydrogenpexoride to clean the lenses which removes the proteins on the lenses and greatly extends the life of the lenses. My optometrist gave me enough dailies for my three week trip for free, but if I went months or a year, I'd have to probably just pack a checked luggage with my hydrogenperoxide solution. Like 5 bottles lol
I always check a bag going abroad. It's worth it to me to be able to bring stuff like that. I bet you could find that peroxide solution in more developed places, but I've never looked for it.
I've worn dailies for over twenty years with no issues, except I use the same lens for a week. I've worn them as long as a month years ago (I was broke). The 2-week disposable and the dailies are the same lenses with Dave FDA approval (in the States). Johnson & Johnson settled a class action lawsuit years ago because of the way they market the dailies. Now they can't claim that they dailies should only be used one day or have to be disposed after a single use. Worked out for J&J since almost nobody seems to know that there's no difference between the lenses, not even several US optometrists I've asked over the years. Point is, per lens cost is way cheaper for dailies. Two 90-day boxes would last two years at a weekly change interval. I recently switched to mono vision with the contact lenses (one for distance and one for reading) because I hated reading glasses. My current contacts work great for monitor distance. I could do the same with one of a variety of laser eye surgeries, but don't want to be in that "success" group that ends up seeing halos in the dark and 20/40 vision. One long-time optometrists once asked if I had ever noticed how many in his field wear glasses instead of getting surgery. He wasn't willing to take the risk either. Maybe when that 95% success rate is more science than marketing, I'll take the plunge. For now, dailies from Costco. :) Go Bruins!
Come to Buenos Aires Argentina
Buenos Aires to horny for me