Contact Lens Diary: Part II

Or, How I successfully mastered the wearing of contacts on a cycling and camping holiday.

Day 7: A wildly wet and windy Saturday

(It’d be great for the alliteration if it had been a Wednesday. Alas, it was not and friends, I can mangle the truth due to faults of my own perception and the tricks of memory, but I cannot outright lie.)

Today, we were cycling and had roughly planned about 50 kms to pedal.  It was raining, initially lightly, but the rain became increasingly heavier until I was so drenched that the knees of my cycling trousers foamed up while I pedalled, head down and eyes blinking furiously in the wind.

All was pretty good with my contacts, however, and even better that I could cope with the wind and with cycling for long distances in contacts.  Hurrah!

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (new ’script)
Length of Wear: About 12 hours, many of which were spent cycling.
Verdict: I pwn contacts.

Day 8: Surprisingly sunny Sunday

The rain must have worn itself out because the next day was bright and sunny.  In went the contacts – no hassle – on went my new non-prescription, wraparound, cyclist bad-ass sunnies and away we went.

No trouble and the wind only dried my eyes out an eensy teensy bit.  I coped magnificently (if I say so myself).

The best part was I did not have to change glasses when going from the outside to the inside – just take one pair off.  Wow.  Oh, how the 20-20 sighted live.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (new ’script)
Length of Wear: About 12 hours.
Verdict: Contacts with sunglasses rock!

Day 9: Monday

One more day of wear, I promised my well behaving eyes, and then a rest day the following day as we would be travelling for a tiny section by boat. Sadly, the rest day did not eventuate.

After a perfectly good day of contacts wear, I went to replace my contacts with my glasses for an evening of lounging about the campsite only to discover that, in my neglect, an arm of my glasses had come off and would need a replacement screw.  We were 2 miles from the nearest village and far away from a town of sufficient size to have an optometrist, and the following day, about to go further still.  No rest for my eyes then.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (new ’script)
Length of Wear: Longer than I had planned.
Verdict: But- but- but-. Okay I just have to.

Day 10: Testy Tuesday

No rest day for my poor eyes.  I have real trouble this morning inserting my contacts in, but I persevere (it is not an option to go without correcting my extremely poor eyesight).

I find it mostly fine to wear my contacts for another wet and windy but am desperate to extract them in the evening, when it is still too early to go to bed.  Carefully balancing my glasses on my nose and with one arm hooked over an eye, I go about with glasses wildly akimbo.  Luckily, the hostel we are staying in has very dim lighting and, by consensus entirely unrelated to my crazy glasses look, we are all sat in the lounge in the dark, staring out at the storm raging outside and exchanging bird, travel and photography stories.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (new ’script)
Length of Wear: Too long!
Verdict: Good, but I miss my glasses.

Post Script

I think I will end the diary here.  I concluded that if I can wear contacts when I have no other option without my mind demanding a change and my eyes coping admirably; if I can insert and extract them inside a tent or in strange, less than clean environs, then I can definitely wear contacts.  Even better, I like them.  Seeing in the rain is marvellous, and rather necessary – the reasons Blake could call this land green and pleasant is because the incessant rain keeps everything vividly veridian.*

* This  post was brought to you by an alliterating adventurer and the number 10 (it’s such a solid number, no?).  Normal posts, whatever they are, might resume in due course without such pretensions.

Contact Lens Diary: Part I

At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution. I even told you about it: 2009 – the year I finally wear contact lenses. My optometrist (back in Brisbane) has been encouraging me for the last 4 years to wear contact lenses more frequently. 2009 – that’s my year.

DAY 1: A Friday

Oh dear it’s July and I’ve yet to stick contacts onto my eyeballs all year. Having just received a neato package from my neato optometrist, I decide better July than never and I hit on Friday as a good day to start. On Fridays, I don’t have to go to work, so I can take as long as I like in the morning.

The contact lens go in first try. But I notice my nails are way, way too long and so promptly cut them. This means I have to wear the lenses at least half the day – long enough for the rough edges of cut nails to lose their jaggedness.

The next thing I notice is how dirty our shower is. I don’t generally notice small amounts of grime in the shower because I always take my glasses off before stepping in. I was therefore compelled to blitz the shower cubicle with some bathroom cleaner before starting my day.

I go for a teeny tiny ride on my bike to do some chores. And the contacts are okay. Really, they’re okay.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Acuvue Dailies (old ‘script)
Length of Wear: approx. 0900 – 2300 (14 hours!)
Verdict: I think I can.

DAY 2: Saturday

My eyes feel a bit scratchy. Oddly, they feel much better when I put my contact lens in. Today, I struggled with my right eye (two takes) but the left eye went in smoothly.

I joke with my partner that he has a new girlfriend. Gone is mild-mannered bespectacled Oanh; instead, he has outgoing Oanh. He says, “Hmm, just like Superman, you’re so mild-mannered when you have your glasses on.” He does a good line in sarcasm, does my partner.

We stayed home today, an astounding and unusual thing to do. In the afternoon, we both decided it would be a great time to clean our bike chains, so we head outside to get all mucky. And I get serious mucky – I have managed to splatter black grime all up my bare arms and onto my face. After cleaning my bike chain, I need a shower. I shower with my contact lenses in. Amazing. And my shower cubicle is clean, too.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Acuvue Dailies (new ‘script)
Length of Wear: 1000 – 2300 (13 hours)
Verdict: Damn, I’m hawt.

DAY 3: Sunday

We’re off to the movies today! It’s been ages since we’ve been to the movies. (In case you’re wondering, we saw Public Enemies. It was okay but not great. I’m sort of glad that we decided not to see a subtitled movie.)

It’s windy and glary – I don’t have non-prescription sunglasses. Prior to the movie, I have to blink furiously and put some eye drops in. After the movie, I have to do the same.

I take my contacts out early tonight. My eyes need a break.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (oldish ‘script)
Length of Wear: 1000 – 1900 (9 hours)
Verdict: Must blink more.

DAY 4: Monday

I read once that if you want to start a habit, you should make sure to always do the thing that you want to become a habit every Monday. So, despite not hearing the alarm go off, I resolve to put contacts in for work.

Again, smoothly into left eye; a couple of tries for right eye. What’s with my right eye?

It’s raining and as I cycle, I can see. I can see! There’s no water on my glasses BECAUSE I’M NOT WEARING GLASSES! Oh, joy. This has to be the best thing about contacts so far.

No one comments at work that I am not wearing my glasses. This is somewhat surprising, but forgiveable.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (oldish ‘script)
Length of Wear: er, all day and most of the evening.
Verdict: I can see in the rain!

REST DAY: Tuesday

Giving my eyes a break today and back to the glasses. Everything feels a bit weird, but I’m so pleased because it’s windy and rainy today and my eyes are spared the battle with a headwind on the cycle home.

DAY 5: Wednesday

This morning, the lens downright refused to go into my left eye. I tend to do my left eye first and then my right eye. I tried four times with my left eye. I decided that if I struggled getting the lenses into my right eye, it was not meant to be and I would not wear contacts today. The contacts went smoothly into my right eye, first try, no hassle. Oh, the incomprehensibility. This meant I had to try again with my left. So I did and, miracles of miracles, the lens went in after only the second try.

For some reason, I spend all of today pushing my non-existent glasses up my nose.

In a meeting with a client, my hand keeps straying to my face, and then veering back to my writing pad. Partially, it is due to the fact that the client is droning on irrelevantly and not answering the questions I ask her. I don’t think my client has noticed that I keep playing with the bridge of my nose but, more likely, she is going to leave the meeting wondering why I have this strange tic.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (oldish ‘script)
Length of Wear: All day but not the evening.
Verdict: Repeat after me – you’re not wearing glasses.

DAY 6:Thursday

The same again: left eye problematic; right eye first try. I’m too excited by my upcoming holiday to be much bothered thinking about my eyes and right after lunch – just as I thought everything would go smoothly for the rest of my day – it all went to hell in a handbasket.*  So, busy and distracted, my lenses seemed fine.

*What does that phrase mean, exactly?

At the pub after work, I was amused that a friend of a friend whom I have only met on 2 prior occassions over the last year asked my partner, while I was in the bathroom, if I usually wore glasses; he was quite certain he recognised my voice.  Yes, I am often preceded by my voice.

Lens: Johnson & Johnson Two Weeklies (oldish ‘script)
Length of Wear: All day at work; couldn’t wait to get home to get them out.
Verdict: I probably can.

TO BE CONTINUED …

25 Random Things:

Cross-posting from Facebook because I can.

25 Random Things about Me.

1. It takes two to tag Oanh before I succumb.

2. If I add up all the Random Things About Me that I’ve written, I think I come to 108. Or maybe 113. If I make it to the end of this list, that will be 133 or 138.

3. The disjunctive is because I can remember doing a 100 random things meme, and an 8 random things meme, and I think I did a 5 random things meme, or perhaps I just drafted it but never posted it (to my blog).

4. I am a little ashamed that I had to use a calculator to add 25 to 108. I added the 5 to 133 in my head.

5. Once upon a time I was *really* good at maths.

6. I wish I’d followed the maths into university. Actually, I wish I’d followed the maths into senior year.

7. Sometimes, I wish I had not let law choose me.

8. I actually love the law; I get unnervingly excited reading well written judgments. I just don’t always love working in private practise law.

9. I have a remarkable knack for getting paper cuts. I usually get two a week. Don’t let anyone tell you office jobs are not dangerous. They are dangerous.

10. I’m much happier in private practise law now that I am working four days a week.

11. I’ve still yet to do anything “productive” with my day off (Fridays, if you’re wondering).

12. A few Fridays ago, I spent a solid few hours trying to ‘clear’ our blocked shower drain. I was not successful. But the drain sure got a good clean.

13. It really is true what they say about English plumbing.

14. I am amused that my last random thing was about our crap plumbing (grr grr) and is numbered 13.

15. Sometimes, I get what I call “gravity giggles”. This is when I am laughing so hard, I have to lie down.

16. Getting gravity giggles is not helpful when you are cycling; although it does induce further bouts of gravity giggling.

17. The only falls I’ve had from my bike have been sideways slides while gravity giggling or shortly followed by gravity giggling.

18. I have sat on the ground beside my bike laughing. A couple of times, I have otherwise been alone.

19. I can laugh so hard that tears start streaming down my face.

20. You win if you can make me laugh that hard.

21. I have the urge, right now, to record and chart my gravity giggles. Perhaps on a new blog.

22. I won’t start a new blog; I’m crap enough on my main blog – must not start another.

23. Over the last few months, I have been very susceptible to ‘self-help’ things: Morning Pages and The Happiness Project (by Gretchen Rubin, not the UK based one), in particular, but also general self-help things about creativity and writing that pop up on the web.

24. My susceptibility is a little worrying.

25. I’m stuck on a 25th thing. I’d rather write this sort of thing on my blog. Cross-posting here I go.