From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!CAD:tektronix!tekmdp!markp Newsgroups: net.med Title: contact lenses (postscript) Article-I.D.: tekmdp.1702 Posted: Thu Jan 20 16:34:54 1983 Received: Sun Jan 23 08:36:02 1983 In my article of a few days back, I left out some things... In many cases with Permalens, and in some cases (like mine) with Soflens, eyeglasses may be dispensed with ENTIRELY. I have not worn mine AT ALL in about six months. This is not to say that you will NEVER need them, just that you may never HAVE to wear them. I last wore mine when I wanted to watch the total Lunar eclipse last summer, because I wished to keep my eyes open for longer stretches of time than are comfortable with contacts. The biggest advantage (for me) of Permalens is that, in a sense similar to that in which you forget that you're wearing contacts as you get used to them, it is possible to forget that you have bad vision *at all*. I've had bad vision for as long as I can remember, so it was a real shock to me when, after wearing my contacts for two weeks straight, and removing them overnight for cleaning, I awakened the next morning and was confused for a few moments because I couldn't see. It took a second for me to remember that I wear contacts! That's a real experience for someone with 20/400 vision like mine. Also with regard to the Thimerasol (sp?) and Ascorbic acid preservatives -- I strongly recommend that you simply make your own saline daily, if it's okay by your doctor. Believe me, it's not time-consuming or difficult, and I know that my eyes are much happier, even though I am not allergic in any big way to the other stuff. What could be better than a solution of NaCl in distilled water for your eyes? Mark R. Paulin ...decvax!teklabs!tekmdp!markp