Noitalever: Contacts

I have worn contacts, quite happily, since the sixth grade. I have always found them easy and comfortable. However, with a goal to eradicate plastic from my life, I had to evaluate my contact lens system.

I wear two-week soft lens. I thought that I was doing pretty good because I've been using the same case forever (I wash it constantly) and I buy the big bottles of solution. Yesterday, I wondered if contact lens solution was really necessary, so I Googled it.

GASP!

In short, I found out that contacts and contact solutions are way more dangerous than I'd ever thought, AND there's no way to cut down my use of plastic here and still be safe.

Contact lenses are also made of plastic, packaged in plastic, sterilized with solution that comes in plastic, stored in plastic containers, and not made to last forever. They are expensive, and now I am fully aware how huge the risks are. Wow.

So, I've made a decision. I'm going back to glasses.

I spend about $265/yr on contacts and contact paraphernalia, whereas I could simply spend around $100/yr on glasses (as long as my vision is changing...after that, I can keep glasses for much, much longer). With glasses, it's a way cheaper option (and better for the environment!) to replace only the lenses. Also, this doesn't take into account that most insurance plans cover glasses and do not cover contacts.

I have one and a half months of contacts left, which will conveniently last me until I have an opportunity to go to the eye doctor's back home. At that point, I will say farewell to contacts until a safer, more environmentally-friendly system comes along.