Thursday, February 19, 2009

Giving It Another Try........



Believe it or not, I gave another try with the contact lenses today. My appointment was at 10 am so I delivered a trailer load of horses to Richard's first. Then Dave picked me up and took me to my appointment while Richard and Jessica worked my horses.

Well, I guess Richard mostly worked them because Jessica took a header off a horse on Tuesday and banged into the wall pretty badly. She has a bruised chin and a bump on the back of her leg and isn't moving all that great. So while she was there to help Richard to day, it was something of a slow day for Jessica.........but I digress, back to my contacts.

We got caught in construction and arrived a few minutes late for my appointment but the doc was waiting for me. He first adjusted my new glasses because they're sliding down and falling off my face every time I bend over.........not a good thing when trying to work horses. Putting on leg wraps and picking feet is a chore as it is without having my glasses falling off. I don't do blind well........

So we got those fixed and moved on to putting in my new contact lenses. I did so well putting them in and taking the out the first time but my second attempt at either task did not got well. With the first attempt at taking them out ending in this disaster , putting them in for the second time didn't go much better.

It took several attempts at the left eye before I ever got that one in and from there it only got worse. I realize that most people start off with the right eye, but since I can only see up close with the left eye, that's where I have to start or I'm putting in both eyes pretty much blind.

It was the second eye that was the killer. I just couldn't seem to get that contact to want to stick. I'll bet I spent twenty minutes working that thing. It wasn't until the doc left me on my own to keep trying that I got the thing in place. Actually it was my first attempt after the doc left so then I had to wait until he was done with the next patient before we could finish up and I could be on my way.

By the time we arrived back at Richard's, they already had the 3 horses in the trailer worked and loaded so I drove my rig home (yes, wearing my new contacts - but not seeing all that clearly) dropped off those horses and loaded up 3 more and drove back to Richard's to ride.

Because my lenses are set up for my right eye to see distance and my left to see up close AND the fact they don't have the prism I have in my regular glasses, my poor eyes and were not sure of what to make of this situation. My poor brain was even more confused than my eyes. The picture I was receiving was not what the doc told me it would be. He says it will get better and I sure hope he's right because right now I can't see clearly anymore than about 50 feet. Past that distance I see outlines fine but can't read signs or tell details on faces. Not the best way to drive or for that matter to ride.

I did manage to get horses tacked up ok. and the riding went ok. The horses were a bit goofy and I don't know if it was from me or not. I didn't feel stressed about riding and I didn't feel like I was particularly struggling with my vision but something sure had them going, that's for sure.

Vee was on the bucky side which I attributed to her not liking my neoprene pad......which she detests almost as much as the crupper. (Did I ever mention she launched poor Jessica a couple of weeks ago over that crupper?) The mare also resisted going forward so tomorrow it will be back in the long lines and I'll be trying a different saddle pad to see what we get.

The other two geldings were off to the races. Neither horse wanted to slow down despite being lunged. It took them a while to get underneath me and slow down and I was stripping off layers of clothes working up a sweat. But I managed to stay on ok and not get disoriented by the new prescription.

By the time I got home I was an hour and a half past the time I was supposed to take out my contacts. I still had one load of horses to work but that depended on getting those lenses out in a reasonable amount of time.

Just what IS a reasonable amount of time to a new wearer of contact lenses? I have NO idea but I can tell you it took me about ten minutes to remove the first contact from my right eye and another fifty to get out the second. When I called Richard he was heading off on a road ride with the kids and I called it a day.

Currently my left eye is very sore. I'm still concerned about the vision I have when wearing the contacts but have been told to give my eyes a few days to adjust. And I'm feeling a bit on the crazy side. I don't get how my eyes adjusting is going to take me from blurry at a distance to clear at that distance but one can only hope.

I am going to give it a try because it's really nice to ride without my glasses sliding down my nose. Or worse yet, getting fogged up because of the cold air and my hot breathe with all this posting on baby horses.

Tomorrow is another day, I hope. Depending on how long it takes me to get those suckers in at home by myself and if I can tolerate six hours of them in place. Oh, and let's not forget, arriving safely to and fro because I'm driving in these things when I can't see like I'd like.

All I can say is it's a good thing I am used to driving by what I think is there instead of going off what my eyes see. It might sound scary but, ask my kids, it's very effective in this case. I really hope we get to work nine horses tomorrow, show season is barreling in on us.

Note: The picture above is Dandy. We're trying to decide the best place for the horse's head for hunter pleasure. In addition to height we are also considering his movement at the different spots we have tried. This is where Richard thinks he likes it best.........me, I'm not so sure.

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8 comments:

  1. I feel your pain, sistah! My glasses aren't sliding currently, but I've been there. I've also struggled with the contact issue. Last two pair have left my left eye feeling like a piece of debris was caught beneath the contact and the eye. I used to wear them all the time and it was so grand not to have foggy glasses in the show ring! I've been contemplating going back to wearing them again.

    So...been there, thinking about doing that, and hoping your eyes adjust pretty darn quick!

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  2. Oh the woes of contact lenses. I'm with you on that one! I finally gave up but it sure would be nice not to be fiddling with glasse all the time! Good luck to you, I hope you get used to them.

    Oh BTW the 40 pounds I referred to in my last comment was about ME! I hope that didn't sound like I meant you!!! I've lost about 8 so far but it's taken me quite a while even for that. Sigh...the on going battle.

    We're getting snow here today again. It snowed all day yesterday and through the night but not that much accumulation. So far maybe 5 inches. The horses will be out rolling in it today. They love it. Me too! :o)

    Have a wonderful weekend and I hope Jessica is doing better.

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  3. MiKael-
    I too wear glasses as my eyes are too dry to wear contacts. I could probably try again with newer contacts (it's been about 10 years since I have had contacts). But... my question is... with glasses, how do you keep them from fogging up in the winter? Nine times out of ten I end up NOT wearing them during riding. No fun when I am told to "leg yield from x to whatever" and I can't see the signs.

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  4. Dandy's head is beautiful in any position.

    I'm sorry you are struggling with this contact thing. One of my sisters wears contacts like those with the left and right different. She has really loved them. I hope you persevere and get good at using them.

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  5. I have had my contacts for almost 2 yrs now. For the first year, I wore them almost every single day. I love them. However, I can not wear them while trimming. Why not? Because the pressure in my eyes change some (I think) when I am bent over for longer periods of time, and I can not see. Period. I can't SEE. If I can't see then I don't dare trim. Which totally sucks, because with the heat and humidity down here in the summertime, I was REALLY hoping that I could get away from the fogging glasses! Or the glasses with SWEAT POOLS in them!!! AAGGHHH!!!!

    Best of luck to you MiKael!!!

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  6. After the disaster the first time you tried them, I wasn't sure you'd keep trying with the contacts!

    It will get easier. (Well, it will probably get easier for you - you've got the preexisting brain issues, but that also means your brain is good at coping with things!) I never wore glasses or contacts til I was 15 or so, when I finally had my vision checked and they learned that my right eye isn't great but my left eye is 20/20. So I started off with contacts - such a weird feeling, putting a cold slimy piece of Saran Wrap on your eye! But you will get used to it, and you'll learn how to balance it on your finger and flop it right on your eyeball.

    Taking them out gets easier too. Clean the sink and countertop, and close the sink drain - if you drop one, you can pick it up and disinfect it and you'll still be good to go. Not so much if it falls on a gob of toothpaste or down the drain!

    Have you tried trimming your thumb and index finger nails really short and "pinching" the contact out? I know how weird it feels, but it gets easier with practice. Eventually you'll be able to swipe them out with just your index finger, but "pinching" is easier at first.

    I eventually got a rx for glasses, too, and switching from contacts to glasses for the first time was horribly disconcerting. It took weeks for my brain to get used to processing the info from the glasses. But I did learn to cope, and it did get easier! That's why I think your brain will take some time to get used to contacts - it's been "used" to seeing the world through glasses so long.

    Wow, sorry for the novel, but I wanted to give you some encouragement!

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  7. You have not had good luck, but I hope it changes :)) They are sooo much more convenient than glasses sometimes. When I first started wearing mine, I was wearing them constantly, but one doctor told me that's not good for you and I was starting to get lines on my eyes (strange huh?) and that if I continued to wear them without giving my eyes a breather (literally), those lines would start to go to where I could actually see them as I look. That scared the crap out of me so I quit wearing them so often. I took them out as soon as I got home from work and would wear glasses on the weekend unless I was riding. Getting glasses smashed into your face if you are bucked off was NOT fun. But then neither is getting dust in your contacts. lol

    I hope they start working out better for you soon!!

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  8. If it helps, I've worn contacts regularly for about 5 years. I still struggle from time to time with getting them in or out. If I'm in a hurry or stressed, it takes me longer.

    Definitely try "pinching" the contacts out. It helps. And, if they fit super, super well, pulling the lens down onto the white of your eye then "pinching" will help the most.

    With experience, I've learned to not bother wearing my contacts if my allergies are bothering me. My contacts just aren't comfortable then no matter what I do. Now, I'm considering lasik. It would make life easier, I think.

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