Post: #26

(05-01-2011 10:18 PM)gringoed Wrote:  Yeah I think it improved my game by extension.
2. Having perfect vision without contacts/glasses just makes me feel like a more perfect human specimen. It feels like my genes are superior now which makes me more eligible for women with the best genes.

This is the sort of analysis I was looking for. I suspected it would have this kind of effect on a lot of guys--including me--that are dealing deep in the inner-game on stuff like this. As crazy as it sounds, you need to think of yourself on a different level when you're caulking the inner crevices of your game to keep it air-tight.

That aside, I've gotten pretty tired of contacts and glasses. Contacts are a pain in the ass, and my eyes also can't tolerate them for very long. Those extra 5-10 minutes dealing with them when I want to work out add up over time. Then there's the matter of the "supplies" you need to keep in stock. My glasses may be "cool," but I think that--in an overwhelming number of cases--they detract from my face by obscuring my features and, like I said before, sub-communicating a genetic flaw to prospects.

The thing I've had a hard time getting out of my head are the incidents, over the years, where I wore contacts in situations where I normally would just wear my glasses. Girls went out of their way to say, "oh! you're not wearing your glasses. You look good like that," with a pleased look on their face. When they catch themselves, they try to back peddle and say "you look with your glasses too," but it's too late. It's obvious, by their gut reaction, what they prefer.

Post: #27

I think the subset of men who look better with glasses than without is pretty damn small. As has been pointed out, it subcommunicates a genetic flaw and obscures facial features. Having stylish glasses can probably mitigate the disadvantage but not completely eliminate it.

The thing I hate most about contacts is when I leave them in overnight (practically unavoidable after banging a chick at her place) and wake up with dry, irritated eyes. I'm gonna get laser surgery as soon as my eye doctor tells me it's a good idea.

Post: #28

(05-02-2011 02:32 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  The thing I hate most about contacts is when I leave them in overnight (practically unavoidable after banging a chick at her place) and wake up with dry, irritated eyes. I'm gonna get laser surgery as soon as my eye doctor tells me it's a good idea.

I generally bring a mini overnight "kit" around with me for just this sort of situation. It includes, among other things, a spare set of glasses and a case to put my contacts in or a spare set of disposables. Of course, this is really only practical if you're rolling in a car, where you can leave it. I try to park close to the girl's place. In the morning, I can go down and get it--or if there's not going to be any bullshit LMR, and I expect to crash out right after busting, I sometimes just bring it up with me. I even went so far as to keep a spare shirt and pants in the car, just in case I had to go somewhere straight. Always aiming to look crispy.

But, that's why it's better to have your own place and just bring her there. You control all of the logistics and have your equipment. But this is yet another reason contacts suck.

Post: #29

(05-02-2011 06:16 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(05-02-2011 02:32 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  The thing I hate most about contacts is when I leave them in overnight (practically unavoidable after banging a chick at her place) and wake up with dry, irritated eyes. I'm gonna get laser surgery as soon as my eye doctor tells me it's a good idea.

I generally bring a mini overnight "kit" around with me for just this sort of situation. It includes, among other things, a spare set of glasses and a case to put my contacts in or a spare set of disposables. Of course, this is really only practical if you're rolling in a car, where you can leave it. I try to park close to the girl's place. In the morning, I can go down and get it--or if there's not going to be any bullshit LMR, and I expect to crash out right after busting, I sometimes just bring it up with me. I even went so far as to keep a spare shirt and pants in the car, just in case I had to go somewhere straight. Always aiming to look crispy.

But, that's why it's better to have your own place and just bring her there. You control all of the logistics and have your equipment. But this is yet another reason contacts suck.

Yeah I don't have a car but if I did I would do this. I usually do try to bring girls back to my place but sometimes the logistics are more favorable to going to hers (like when she lives a lot closer to the bar than me or she's already getting a cab and I hop in). It's not too big a deal since I'm usually out of there pretty quickly in the morning but that irritated eye feeling still sucks balls, plus I'm supposed to be careful about leaving my contacts in since I got a corneal abrasion from a contact a few years ago and it's possible to re-injure those.

Post: #30

Everyone with contacts better hope they don't go to jail for more than a day. Your eyes are going to be in pain until you get out.

If you get in a fight, you already know what's going to happen if you get hit near the eye. Hopefully you can somewhat see without them or you're going to be throwing wild punches.

I've spent the night at peoples houses and had to work or do something in the morning. Id have to soak my contacts under faucet water because they were so dryed out. Contacts suck but they're better than glasses.

Post: #31

bumping this thread

I would love to get lasik but can't as Ive been told i have a very thin cornea

so Im stuck with the glasses-contacts combo

that said, what eyeglasses brands to people prefer to wear??

Post: #32

(02-13-2012 05:18 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  bumping this thread

I would love to get lasik but can't as Ive been told i have a very thin cornea

so Im stuck with the glasses-contacts combo

that said, what eyeglasses brands to people prefer to wear??

Funny, I have a partially completed sheet on LASIK I need to finish. I don't wear glasses (anymore), but I always went expensive and designer. Don't be cheap on something that goes on your face--and every day.

Post: #33

Interesting thread. I'm supposed to wear glasses but never do, because my vision is passable in one eye without them.

(05-02-2011 02:32 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  I think the subset of men who look better with glasses than without is pretty damn small.

I think this is true 99% of the time. But I'm wondering if you really honed your style and picked the right pair in the right size, your glasses could be an improvement. You might not look more handsome on a physical level, but I could see it building a mystique/vibe that enhances your appeal. Of course, you could always get LASIK and then wear glasses with fake lenses.

The glasses industry seems similar to the clothes industry, in that they make stuff to fit 90%+ of the population, which means at least 50% of people are getting a shitty fit. Most men have probably never worn a dress shirt where the cuff fits snugly around the wrist, but if you have, you can appreciate the difference. I've often found frames I like, only to try them and find them disappointing - it feels like they're too big usually.

BTW, does anyone have links or references about recent technological improvements to LASIK? I'm wondering how much the technology behind the procedure is improving nowadays.

Post: #34

I've had contacts for a little over a year and I love them. They're daily contacts so I put them in when I wake up and take them off when I go to bed. My glasses always seemed to leave a nasty indent on the bridge of my nose so I switched off from them.

My only qualm is that I cant sleep or shower with them on, and if I forget to take them off when I go to bed my eyes are dry, red, and badly irritated for a day or two.

My mom got LASIK just last year and she said it made a great improvement, she hated her contacts and glasses. She got headaches while driving or reading books, anything that required you to concentrate and look at the same thing for too long, for a few weeks. Now she's adjusted to it and hasn't put on her glasses since.

Post: #35

I absolutely swear by Acuview Oasys contacts. That have specials materials/patents that although for your eyes to "breathe" and they resist drying. I tried other contacts but they dried up very easy and cracked all the time in my eyes.

I sleep in mine all of the time. I might require a drop of moisture in the morning, but otherwise no problems. Even the FDA says you can go an entire week without taking them out (and the FDA are conservative about everything). I've kept them in for at least a month many times before changing them. If they start to feel dry after a very long stretch of time i will take them out for the night and give them a cleaning.

I've used Oasys for maybe 4 years and I've never had any eye infections wearing them as long as I do. I simply forget that they are in.

I'd consider LASIK because my eyes are only -0.75 and the correction would be quick and cheap. I really don't know how I feel about being awake while a laser cuts your eye... it just really freaks me out.

Post: #36

(02-13-2012 05:18 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  bumping this thread

I would love to get lasik but can't as Ive been told i have a very thin cornea

so Im stuck with the glasses-contacts combo

that said, what eyeglasses brands to people prefer to wear??

I have thin corneas as well, but I was able to get PRK, which is more invasive than LASIK but every bit as effective. Look into that as a solution as well

Post: #37

(02-13-2012 05:18 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  bumping this thread

I would love to get lasik but can't as Ive been told i have a very thin cornea

so Im stuck with the glasses-contacts combo

that said, what eyeglasses brands to people prefer to wear??

I have the same issue with the thin corneas, so I'm stuck with contacts and glasses. I only go high-end with glasses in order to get something stylish, but most importantly something that feels good. I use light frames only. I have Flexons (these are great), Georgio Armani, Nautica and a heavier, thicker black frame from Jones New York when I want to sport that "sophisticated" look.

My advice is to spend money on quality frames and quality lenses if you wear them all the time. And take care of them! Always, always always take them back and ask for a replacement if you scratch the lens within two years. The companies your eye center buys the lenses from will almost always have a warranty that they don't advertise to you. Make sure you inquire and see what they can do for you.

That said, I use contacts now and love them. I use the 30-day, so I rotate every month or so.

Post: #38

I recently became sick of contact lenses (after 14 years of usage). I don't know how dryness, red eyes, and simple irritation occurred only in the last two years.

I've spent over 100 hours researching LASIK, PRK, Epi-Lasik, etc. and people frequently leave out details that are critical about their cornea curvature (prescription, astigmatism, HOA). I read studies and reports (from pubmed.gov and forums) about all aspects of lasik including laser types. I consulted with three physicians with each having different opinions about my eyes. For brevity of this post, I'll just write the technical details but if you have questions PM me or ask away.

BOTTOM LINE: HOA (higher order aberrations) are not 100% correctable, results are inconsistent, and lasik treatments can induce HOAs. Less technical meaning is that HOA=astigmatism. Symptoms of HOA are halos and star bursts. If you don't have astigmatism, your lasik outcome is significantly predictable without side effects. The depth of the flap cut kills corneal nerves which determine the possibility of dryness. 150micron depth is common, 90-100micron depth is considered a thin-flap resulting in less nerve damage. More nerve damage causes dryness because you have less nerves to tell your eyes to secrete moisture and blink.

TWO BEST LASERS: VISX Star S4 (from California), Allegretto Wave Eye-Q (from Germany). Results from these lasers indicate 20/20 vision in 95% of patients. Star S4 can fix HOA but is still unpredictable. Wave Eye-Q is shown to induce HOA. All other lasers are considered worse (in USA).

EXCIMER Laser (Flap Cutting): Your cornea is flattened to allow the laser to penetrate the cornea for separation. This is an imperfect process because your cornea is naturally curved so flap thickness can be uneven. Complications include button holes in the middle of the flap, tears, and permanent flap amputation forcing the physician to perform PRK. Keep in mind normal PRK removes your 50microns depth of your cornea (epithelium layer which regrows) preserving more of your the bowman's membrane (strongest layer protecting your eye - does not regrow). PRK at 100microns deep destroys the bowman's membrane resulting in possible recurrent corneal erosion (your eyelid sticking to your eyeball when you sleep). People writing about this condition state it is painful and require eye drops to open their eyes in the morning!

EMERGING PROCEDURE: The emerging procedure that takes topography (cornea plane curvature) into consideration is conducted by Dr. Stojanovic in Norway. It is more costly and not approved in US yet. Details of this procedure here: http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2884

and here: http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=88215

Don't forget to rep me if you found this post informative

Post: #39

I had Lasik a couple of years ago and it was definitely one the best investments that I've ever made. It just makes so many things easier.

I wore glasses everyday for nearly ten years before Lasik (my eyes dried out in less than four hours with any brand of contacts). It's probably not as big a deal if you wear contacts on a regular basis, but I found that losing the glasses significantly changed girls' initial impressions of me and that I basically had to recalibrate my introductions. I had a fairly "sophisticated/academic" style of glasses that conveyed a certain image at all times and I was surprised by how much peoples expectations of my personality/demeanor/interests changed once I wasn't wearing glasses. Basically, I had relied on the glasses as a prop to convey certain aspects of my personality without making them obvious in conversation.

Depending on the type of broads you're interested in, what your glasses say about you, and how much the glasses can alter your style, it might take to some time to adjust to peoples new perceptions of you. Not a huge deal, but it's something to be aware of, it took me a while to really figure it out and not come across as try-hard or totally incongruent without the glasses as crutch to initially frame others perceptions of me.

Post: #40

My eye doc told me that before the operation you basically have an healthy eye which cannot see correctly and hence needs glasses or contacts. After the operation you have a damaged eye which can see correctly. Its damaged because the cut on your eye ball never heals completely and there is a real chance that the cornea might get ripped off e.g. during a car accident. This is kinda unlikely, though, but still got me off the idea of having LASIK, although I hate my glasses and cant wear contacts for extend periods of time.

Post: #41

I've been wearing contacts for 3 years and am very happy with them. Took some effort to adjust and learn how to overcome the instinctive fear of touching my eyes, but now it's great. I've considered LASIK but I don't really need it for now, lenses work well, I have other priorities for my money and my vision isn't so bad that it would really need such a radical change (it's -3).

Post: #42

Has anyone ever tried eye exercises?
I have been thinking about doing them just need to get around to doing them

Post: #43

(03-02-2012 02:19 PM)NuMbEr7 Wrote:  Has anyone ever tried eye exercises?
I have been thinking about doing them just need to get around to doing them

I have. I read the book and put it into use "Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses". The exercises are listed at the appendix. Here's what I got from it. It is impractical for people who are dependent on computers!
I've only experienced subtle improvements during the exercises and putting into "natural tear drops". I even convinced an optometrist (the same one I consulted for lasik) to lower my prescription by one diopeter. It took a lot of persuasion because doctors are concerned of possible lawsuits if they write the wrong prescription.

So if your lifestyle has nothing to do with reading up close frequently nor working on the computer, your vision may improve. I mean, why not, the eyes are muscles so if they get worse during adulthood, why couldn't they get better?? All others stick to contacts or get lasik.

Post: #44

I saw some earlier ortho-keratology posts vs LASIK. I have at least a dozen friends who have gotten LASIK with perfect results. It's  not exactly a experimental or obscure procedure, it generally has outstanding results. The only reason I haven't pursued it is because it's 5k-6k cost.
     On the other hand I had Ortho-k done 15 years ago, (when LASIK wasn't as mainstream) and it was a terrible experience. It was popular (before Lasik came to the forefront) with pilots, cops, military who had to achieve a certain basic naked vision  without aides. It's basically wearing hard lenses to manually reshape your cornea. It can take months , years even to reshape the cornea and even then it might not get your vision to 20/20. Not only that your cornea could revert back. For me my vision went from 20/600 to 20/200 and back to 20/400 when I stopped wearing the hard lenses. I stopped wearing the lenses because they were crazy uncomfortable and attracted dust regularly. I would be walking down the street and every 10 mns dust would stop me in my tracks. I can't believe the money my parents spent on orthok, we basically got a bad recommendation from a family friend. Anyway, this is not medical advice, y'all can do your due diligence. 

Post: #45

(02-13-2012 07:51 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I absolutely swear by Acuview Oasys contacts. That have specials materials/patents that although for your eyes to "breathe" and they resist drying. I tried other contacts but they dried up very easy and cracked all the time in my eyes.

I sleep in mine all of the time. I might require a drop of moisture in the morning, but otherwise no problems. Even the FDA says you can go an entire week without taking them out (and the FDA are conservative about everything). I've kept them in for at least a month many times before changing them. If they start to feel dry after a very long stretch of time i will take them out for the night and give them a cleaning.

I second that recommendation. Acuvue Oasys. As well as extreme comfort, I find them way easier to put on and take off. Don't rule out contact lenses until you've tried these.

You can use the same lenses for an entire month. You can wear them day and night for 5 days straight, then remove lenses for one night and put them back on in the morning.

It's an inexpensive solution, less than $50 gets you six months supply.

Post: #46

(03-02-2012 11:31 PM)Freedom Wrote:  

(03-02-2012 02:19 PM)NuMbEr7 Wrote:  Has anyone ever tried eye exercises?
I have been thinking about doing them just need to get around to doing them

I have. I read the book and put it into use "Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses". The exercises are listed at the appendix. Here's what I got from it. It is impractical for people who are dependent on computers!

I read that book too.

I tried those exercises and even walked around like a blind bat for a week without my glasses.

No improvement.

Post: #47

I wouldn't be comfortable with wearing contacts for 5 days straight. There's no way that can be good for your eyes.

Post: #48

I don't find contacts to be comfortable at all. I've had to wear reading glasses as of late and I don't have a problem with them at all. My vision is still pretty good but the reason for wearing these glasses as of late has come from reading late with no light and starting/working on pro tools sessions for 7-9 hour periods.

Post: #49

I try to wear my glasses when I'm home for the night. I'm so used to contacts, but my eyes feel refreshed as soon as I take them out.

Post: #50

I had LASIK done in 2003 and am completely satisfied, when it was virtually newer at that time, as it has only been in the US for about 10 years. It has been done in Russia and Egypt for over 20 years. It was very fast, i was given anesthetic eye drops which do not allow you to feel anything. There was a little burning of the eyes after the surgery for about 3 to 4 hours, after which the night of the surgery i could see 20-15. It was a miracle for me, and changed my life. I used to wear contact lenses, and would have lots of pink eye, discomfort, burning, and could not swim. Furthermore, i had to do a cleaning and disinfecting regime every morning and night. What a hassle contacts are, and as for glasses, no way due to the shitty aesthetic looks of them. Do the Lasik, completely worth it. I still see 20/20 by the way.