Tips For Contact Lenses On The Road

Anyone who depends upon contact lenses to see everyday knows how much of a hassle they can be on the road. I remove and clean my lenses every night with a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner. (Clear Care) I put them in a vial filled with the cleaning liquid and a catalyst that neutralizes over time to achieve the cleaning process. It takes a minimum of 6 hours to complete the process. If you've ever tried to put them back on early, you can't forget the sensation of burning that it caused. I've come to decide that I prefer to let them sit in the vial for 24 hours for maximum comfort. So I always have two sets of lenses at any given time. I wear one set and clean one set.

Team driving on the road posed a problem, how could I ensure that my vial stayed in the vertical position and didn't spill due to the movement of the truck? My first idea was placing the vials in a toilet paper tube. I could never guarantee it wouldn't get moved and spilled. I also needed a way to reliably tell the vials apart. Eventually I found the right size can to hold the vials upright, from Blue Diamond Almonds. (shown in the photo) I put in a cardboard divider and have a way of marking which vial was cleaned today or yesterday. I poked holes in the lid to provide ventilation so moisture wouldn't collect. With the lid on and with the can in a safe place in a cabinet or tote I have had very few problems.

I use a flat surface with a paper towel as a work space to take them in and out. Have a mirror handy if you need one.

Always carry plenty of spare contact lenses and change them often. Mine are rated for monthly wear. Make sure to have at least one pair of glasses that you can drive with. For those folks who don't need contact lenses, count how lucky you are.

I was actually considering getting contacts when or if I should say I get hired on after orientation, but after reading this, I may pass on that. I already have prescription sunglasses that are polarized so maybe i will just run that way then and save myself some trouble. Thank you for posting this.

ChefsJK, if you're comfortable with glasses and see just fine, I see no need to complicate your life with contact lenses. They're a necessity for me, as my prescription is quite high. I'm so used to them, I feel un-dressed without them.

Getting them after you get hired might prove to be too inconvenient to deal with on the road, if you have no experience with them at all. It's an added expense and hassle I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

ChefsJK, if you're comfortable with glasses and see just fine, I see no need to complicate your life with contact lenses. They're a necessity for me, as my prescription is quite high. I'm so used to them, I feel un-dressed without them.

Getting them after you get hired might prove to be too inconvenient to deal with on the road, if you have no experience with them at all. It's an added expense and hassle I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

I couldnt agree with you more, I like the simplicity of glasses and i will have enough to worry about being on the road for the first time by myself, why add to it, lol.

Interesting idea. Wish I'd tried this while I was still otr. I had to switch to glasses because my eyes were getting so dried out I couldn't focus on the road.

Pianoman, I still use the two vial system at home. It's the only way to do it. With a fixed 6 hour minimum for cleaning, with one set of lenses , you're always limited in situations when you might need to get going sooner. If you get ready for bed then get called out for an emergency, your lenses are literally too painful to keep in your eyes for 1 second. So, you're forced to wear your glasses. In my case, they look like coke bottles.

For a period of time I used the "No Rub" solutions because they were easier. My eye doctor's contact lens specialist told me to switch over to the hydrogen peroxide based solutions. My lenses were obviously a mess and not getting clean enough. He explained to me that if the solution is mild enough to use as a soaking and wetting solution, its not strong enough to remove the protein deposits on the lenses. Back in the day we used to use a daily cleaner and rub them in our palm. Then rinse with saline and put them in a heat sanitizer gizmo over night. I was always too lazy to do it right when I was younger. Eventually it caught up with me that I could do serious damage to my eyes by short cutting the lens cleaning.

I guess the ultimate is using daily wear lenses and throwing them out every day. I've never been able to afford that.

Anyone who depends upon contact lenses to see everyday knows how much of a hassle they can be on the road. I remove and clean my lenses every night with a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner. (Clear Care) I put them in a vial filled with the cleaning liquid and a catalyst that neutralizes over time to achieve the cleaning process. It takes a minimum of 6 hours to complete the process. If you've ever tried to put them back on early, you can't forget the sensation of burning that it caused. I've come to decide that I prefer to let them sit in the vial for 24 hours for maximum comfort. So I always have two sets of lenses at any given time. I wear one set and clean one set.

Wow, I've gotta say you just gave me flashbacks to the 80's when I got my first pair of lenses at 14 years old. I've been wearing them for 31 years and I haven't done any of that kind of stuff since they came out with disposables like in the 90's.

I've slept with my contacts in for decades. I never, ever take them out. I don't have any solutions other than plain saline, and an average pair of lenses lasts me about 3 - 6 months. Finally, usually for the heck of it, I'll toss my current pair in the garbage and grab a new pair just cuz I have a pile of them laying around. I haven't done any soaking or scrubbing or disinfecting or dissolving proteins in probably 25 years. I have never had a single eye infection or injury, and the eye doctor says my eyes are perfectly healthy and show no signs of problems.

So I'm not sure why you guys are having to do all of that stuff nowadays. I thought we got past that a quarter century ago when they learned how to make softer, thinner lenses that allow far more air to flow through them. What happens to you guys if you just pretend you don't have any lenses and just go about your lives? Will your eyes dry out at night? Do your lenses get coated and blurry? I mean, my lenses are a little dry when I wake up sometimes and maybe once a month I'll even put a few drops in to speed up the process in the morning. But I just pretty much completely ignore them and they never give me any issues.

Two questions Brett. What power lenses do you wear and what brand, style? I'll definitely have a talk with my doc to make sure I'm on track with what's out there. I like taking mine out and giving my eyes a rest at night. It's essential for me. But thank you. Your second opinion will free up others to not necessarily get bogged down in what I go through. Thanks so much.

Yeah Brett, what do you wear? I couldn't do that with my contacts. If I slept in my contacts they got super dry (to the point of even falling out) and got gunk on them making them hard to see out of.

What power lenses do you wear and what brand, style?

I bought these lenses over two years ago:

Air Optix Night & Day by Ciba Vision

Power -4.50

BC 8.4

Diameter 13.8

I really do live like I don't even have lenses. Never touch em. Never take em out. Never had the first problem. I'm sure some people have conditions or require special lenses that wouldn't allow that. But I even asked at my last appointment if there was any sign that I have been wearing lenses for three decades and sleeping with them in for months at a time and he said nope, no problems. But I don't know anything about it other than my own experiences.