If you don't wear glasses, you have to wear a protective guard when playing squash, because the ball is just the right size to take out an eye.

I would love to have LASIK, but then I would be saddled with reading glasses all the time. When they can correct presbyopia also, I'll consider it.

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This is funny, because I *just*, today, saw an article that indicates that they now can. And there's a couple of other surgical-type options for presbyopia as well.

Sadly, I can't recall where it was. Um....oh! In this month's Real Simple magazine.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

When I was a kid, before I got contacts, I skated "fuzzy". There's no way you can do double jumps in glasses. I got used to dealing with the fuzzy shapes around me and avoiding them when necessary. I've done it once or twice as an adult, when the allergies got too bad, and it was difficult.

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Unfortunately, my vision is sooooo bad compared to the curve of my eye, so lasik isn't for me (unless some amazing new technology comes out someday).

From what my eye doctor told me, a lot of the people who have side effects were people who weren't ideal candidates (like me), and to correct their vision, lasic created a concavity in their eyes (which results in reflections, etc, etc). So... make sure that you go to a reputable eye surgeon if you want lasik and get a second opinion before going under the laser!

Me, I love my contacts-- mine are the Purevision and they're fantastic! Glasses come out at night to give my eyes a good rest, though.

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

I love contacts for sports, but have never liked them for reading or surgery - not enough blinking. They are great for skating. There is an adjustment period, so only wear them for short intervals at first. I have very sensitive eyes, so I only use the preservative-free saline that comes in the can, and the daily wear soft contacts.

Its funny because I got contact lenses for tests and competitions... and because of my astigmatism, the contact lenses don't seem to work all the time? The people that sold me the lenses said that the lense may rotate and become blur... I don't know, I just ran out of the last set I bought so I will have to get new ones and hopefully they work better.

Anyways my glasses flew off doing a layback during lesson and I had my coach help me hold them while I tried another without glasses and it was so much better she said that maybe I should wear contacts for lessons too.... but I've never felt really comfortable in contact lenses... eyes get tight and dry and I can't sleep in the train with them... if I take them off at the rink I'd worry about how sanitized their sinks are (which doesn't really seem too clean...), I wonder if I can just skate without glasses even if I can barely see a thing, I'll just have to put them on when I see demonstrations? lol

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Tidesong

It sounds like you have toric lenses that do correct for astigmatism. They have to maintain the correct orientation (up/down) in your eye, and to do that there is a tiny weight. It the lenses do rotate in spite of the weight, and it does happen, then your vision would blur because the astigmatism correction would not only not work, but would cause distortion. If your astigmatism is not severe and you don't use the lenses other times, then you can solve the problem and save money by buying non-toric lenses.

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I have toric lenses, and while they do blur occasionally, usually a quick blink cures the problem! The thing with torics, though, is that the adjustment isn't just quite as fine as it needs to be and can be with spectacles, so my lenses don't correct my vision quite as well as my spectacles do. Fine for skating, parties, etc, but I badly need reading-glasses when I'm wearing my lenses, and go round the supermarket on the way home from the rink with my reading-glasses on a granny-chain round my neck so I can check prices, etc.!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Bingo.

It drives me nuts to hear about 'all the horrible side effects' from LASIK---because there's a LOT of variables that the naysayers aren't telling you.

I had no problem with LASIK because I don't have dry eyes, I had a mid-range amount of nearsightedness and a lower range of astigmatism, and I know my body--I had no other weird problems, and I heal very quickly and well.

It's not for everyone. If you're not a good candidate, then don't do it! It's as simple as that.

Honestly, if I hadn't been having so many issues with my contacts (mostly the reaction to the lens solution--that wasn't clearing up), I would have just stuck with the contacts. I liked them while they worked for me, and they were really easy to deal with. (I've appreciated the LASIK more, however!)

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

I agree. The hardest part of the proceedure is patient selection. With all the marketing it's hard to get across to potential patients that it's not a haircut. It is permanent surgery on healthy eyes. There's a plethera of things we tested for to determine if the proceedure, and which proceedure was right for the individual. One of the most important were expectations. If someone came to us stating they wanted assurance of 20/20 or better vision, then we turned them down.

Because of our screening we had great results and very happy patients.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Contacts are the only option for me; I've got about -18 on my both eyes and glasses do not help at all - I can hardly cross the street when wearing them. So I put my contacts on first thing in the morning and take them off just before bed. I'm still waiting for some surgical breakthough as LASIK etc. isn't and option for me (not enough cornea depth to correct that kind of miopia). Meanwhile, I wear monthlies and make sure that I always buy the most advanced lens solution on the market (ReNu No Rub or similar). Most of the problems I had were due to cheap solutions, not lenses. As long as I stick to the "right" ones - things are fine.

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My other car is a Zamboni

Yeah I have toric lenses now that you say that word I remember it being used and my astig is about 200 in each eye which is at the threshold of being high enough to make me uncomfortable without it, the person at the shop let me try one of those fake glasses without astig to try how that felt before and I didn't quite like it but I dunno maybe I can try that again. Since when the toric lenses rotate bad, its quite bad...

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Tidesong

I wear Focus Dailies as well, and the same thing happens to me ... it always happens on the six-minute warmup at competition, because it's the only time I get moving really fast after just getting on the ice! I have to close one eye for a bit while I'm stroking around, and then it's OK.

Luckily I've never had them tear while in my eye (knock on wood). They have torn when I was trying to take them out though. The latest batch I got seem slightly thicker and aren't clear like they used to be; they have a slight blue cast to them, probably to make them easier to find if you drop them!

Here is a site that covers some of the alternatives to Lasik:
http://lasik.wustl.edu/lasik/website...256D6A005AF98F

I thought it was interesting and educational.

Nope, still not getting it done...can't afford it. If my insurance covered it, I would if I pass the screening. (hmmmm, I need a sugar-daddy to help with these "expensive" things!!!! )

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I just picked up a fresh supply of contact lenses. I wear the Acuvue Dailies, which I like, and went to order a refill. Turns out, they don't make htem anymore. What they make are something called Acuvue Daily Moist, which is hte same thing as the old ones, but better, as was explained to me by the person working at the optical place.

I got home, and figured I'd better try a pair because I would return them if anything. Turns out the moist lenses are so nice. They slid right in nice and easily, they're soft, you can't feel a thing. And since I've put htem in, my eyes still haven't gotten dry, and I normally have a problem with dry eyes. So the Acuvue Daily Moist gets my vote if anyone is considering lenses.

Don't we all?