Having worn contacts for more than 40 years, I’ve been through old-fashioned hard lenses, yearly lenses, monthlies, and dailies. I’ve slept, showered, and swum in them. And I don’t need a mirror to insert them.

In this post, I’ll tell you all you need to know before buying your first pair and hopefully spark some questions for your optometrist.

Find out, too, how contact lenses can conveniently replace glasses for age-related farsightedness.

It Is Not Vain for a Man to Wear Contact Lenses

In some quarters, it’s still considered vain for a man to wear contact lenses. But this probably isn’t the case if you have very poor eyesight.

Take me, for example.

I was thrilled when my optometrist told me at the age of 15 that I was nearsighted. It brought me one step closer to looking exactly like my bespectacled father.

But he only needed glasses to drive, watch TV, and appear more serious (in his mind). My eyesight continued to deteriorate beyond this.

The trouble with corrective lenses for nearsightedness is their ugly thick edges and minifying effect. By the time I reached a diopter of -6.0, my eyes looked about half their size.

To make matters worse, I wore inexpensive glass lenses that weighed heavily on my nose. The result was broken capillaries.

Nowadays, high-index lenses can mitigate these problems to an extent, but they weren’t available back then.

My First Contact Lenses

The only alternative was reasonably priced hard contact lenses, which I purchased with a bank loan. As the term suggests, they are made from a rigid polymer.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get along with them. Although they improved my appearance and gave me an unhindered range of vision, they often caused my eyes to close after about an hour of wear.

My optometrist offered to perforate them at a cost, thus making them gas-permeable (breathable), but he couldn’t guarantee it would help. So I discarded them.

It was only after they became more affordable in the early 1990s that I was able to wear first soft contacts lenses. But in spite of a meticulous care regimen, they were unusable after about a year due to protein buildup. I guess these were what we now refer to as “yearly lenses.”

To prevent the buildup, you have to treat them with an enzymatic cleaner. How often varies from person to person.

It was at this time that my optometrist told me about a new development: disposable contacts that were cheap and comfortable. Needless to say, I’ve been wearing “monthlies” ever since.

What Are “Monthlies?”

“Monthlies” describe disposable contact lenses that can be worn for up to 30 days. They’re typically made from gas-permeable silicone hydrogel and hold up to 75 percent water, which is why they are so easy to wear.

Water Content

Soft lenses draw water from the eyes and are divided into two categories: low water content (less than 50 percent) and high water content (above 50 percent).

When choosing contacts, remember that tears decrease with age. This means you may need a lower percentage if you’re older. As a late middle-aged man, I’m comfortable with 55 percent, but monthlies go as low as 38 or 40 percent. This is the same percentage as yearly and half-yearly lenses.

A smaller lens diameter can further help prevent dehydration.

Extended Wear Monthlies

For several years I wore “extended wear” or “day and night” lenses.

According to advertising, these are for wearing during sleep, which is useful for people who run late in the morning.

But whenever I removed them, my eyes became ultra-sensitive. For example, instead of just watering, they’d smart and become rosy when peeling onions or coming into contact with cigarette smoke. Even a change of atmosphere could make them sting.

Extended wear contacts are probably okay for occasional napping, but not for constant use over days or weeks; the CDC recommends not sleeping with them.

If you do keep them in your eyes over protracted periods, be sure to clean them at least once a week.

Dailies

Suitable for single use only, daily lenses are thinner and less robust than monthlies. I favor them for swimming and traveling.

Because you handle them only once before discarding, they are more hygienic and don’t need cleaning and storing. And since they’re cheaper, it’s less of a problem if you lose one.

Dailies could also be more comfortable if you have dry eyes. Being thinner, they absorb less water from the eye while remaining moisture-rich.

Who Can Wear Monthlies?

Monthlies are the most versatile of contact lenses.

They’re not only for the nearsighted. They’re also available in plus diopters for farsightedness, as well as bi- and multifocal prescriptions. The latter I tried a while ago without success. But I have found an alternative way of wearing contacts to remedy age-related farsightedness.

Source: The Neat and Tidy Man

How to Wear Contact Lenses for Age-Related Farsightedness (Presbyopia)

Although nearsighted, I also developed age-related farsightedness, or presbyopia, during my 40s.

Without lenses, I could still read small print (if held very close to my face), but otherwise had to wear reading glasses.

In other words, I wore contacts and glasses at the same time.

I disliked taking them on and off all the time, especially at work. And they were always falling out of my shirt pocket whenever I reached down to pull a file from a lower shelf.

In spite of suggestions, I wasn’t going to hang them on a chain around my neck. Nor perch them on the end of my nose all day long. And I didn’t like the idea of pushing them on top of my head, which would in time pull them out of shape.

Wearing One Contact Lens or Two Different Diopters

Then one day a middle-aged friend who I’d never seen with reading glasses let me in on his secret. He wore a single contact lens with a positive diopter.

To adapt this method, I tried a diopter of -4.0 instead of -6.0 in my right eye so as the difference correlated to my farsighted prescription of +2.0. It worked. I was able to read perfectly with my right eye and see into the distance with my left, in which I continued to wear -6.0. And there was no discernable difference from eye to eye unless I covered one up.

I find it to be the perfect solution, and my optometrist has no objection.

Astigmatism

You may be able to wear monthlies and other soft contacts even if you have astigmatism, which is a refractive error of the eye.

All are available as toric lenses, which are shaped to correct the condition. But this may not be necessary for you.

A friend of mine with astigmatism experiences clearer vision with normal spherical lenses. Therefore, try both types under the guidance of an eye care professional, who may also suggest the possibility of rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP).

How to Insert and Remove Contact Lenses (Easily)

If you’re new to wearing contacts, getting them in and out of your eyes is probably your biggest worry.

Back in the days of hard lenses, it was a fiddly business that often made me late. To remove them, I had to use a special suction cup.

Soft lenses are much easier to handle. After a little practice, you won’t even need a mirror.

Inserting Contact Lenses

I pop the lens into my eye with the middle finger of my dominant hand since it’s more flexible than my index finger. I therefore keep it as dry as possible—if it’s wet, the lens will not transfer to the eye.

1. Before touching your contacts, wash your hands and dry them with a lint-free towel.
2. Stand before a mirror and clean surface.
3. Dip your finger into the contact lens blister pack or case. The lens should attach itself to your fingertip. If this doesn’t happen immediately, remove a little of the water.
4. If you’ve stored your lenses overnight, rinse with saline or an all-in-one solution. Never use tap water.
5. With the thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand, sit the lens on your fingertip like a bowl. Since my nails are cut to the quick, I position it near the very top of my finger.
6. Check that the lens is not inside out. Its profile should resemble a “U” rather than a “V.” Check, too, for dust and other debris. And make sure the lens is not torn.
7. As a beginner, you’ll have to hold your eye open using your free hand.
8. Look upwardly or to the right and ease the lens into your eye. Like a magnet, it should attach itself to the tear film. You don’t have to place it exactly over your iris; it will find its own way.
9. Looking toward the ceiling, move your eyes left and right a few times, then blink.
10. The lens should now sit securely in place.

If the lens seems to move when you blink and/or your vision is distorted, you’re wearing it inside out. You’ll need to remove it and start over.

Source: Pixabay

Removing Contact Lenses

To remove contacts, you basically pluck them out of your eyes.

1. Again, wash your hands and stand before a mirror.
2. Pull down your lower lid with the middle finger of your dominant hand.
3. Using the thumb and forefinger of the same hand, gently pinch the lens and pull it out of your eye.

If you are inserting and removing your lenses properly, you’ll notice that you never have to actually touch your eyes during the process.

Cleaning and Storing Contact Lenses

I have a generic all-in-one solution to rinse, clean, disinfect, and store my monthly lenses, which I keep in a case when not in use.

Change your contact lens case at least once every three months.

Lubricating eye drops are also helpful, especially if you have dry eyes. But I like to take these with me in case I need to reinsert a lens while away from home; you can use drops to clean and rinse in an emergency.

What to Do If a Contact Lens Disappears Behind Your Eye

Rubbing your eyes while wearing contact lenses is the usual cause of displacement. Not that a contact lens can literally disappear to the back of your eye, but it may lodge behind a lid or corner.

So far, I’ve not discovered an easy trick, but the lens will always find its way out, even if it takes a minute or two.

I usually stand before a mirror and roll my eyes furiously. If you know of a better way, let me know in the comments.

© 2025, J. Richardson. All rights reserved.

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