How I switched to daily contact lenses

On friends' advice, I visited an optometrist (as soon as they had reopened) and found out that I actually have a light form of myopia. This has not been caused by the excessive screen time; apparently, I may have had it for a while.

My very first reaction was to look for a pair of cool glasses, and I cannot stress the word cool enough… because, you see, I live in Shoreditch, home to hipsters and chique geeks, and in my neighbourhood to have the right frames is simply a matter of life and death.

After a couple of months of me showing off my newly acquired fashionable nerdy look, and as life was returning to normal (or kind of), I started to realise that sometimes my glasses were more an inconvenience than anything else, because they would get in the way of me doing things. For instance, practising any sport (running, playing tennis, cycling, etc.) was almost impossible. My glasses would simply fall off, and after a few attempts to force them on, I would give up and make do without. My friends suggested different frames for when I play sports, but, in all honesty, I didn't think they'd be worth the investment because sporty frames don't do much for the hipster look, which was the main thing for me. So I just decided to go for a more practical solution.

My optometrist suggested I try contact lenses, as she thought they would better suit my lifestyle. As she prescribed my very first box, she listed all the advantages I would get. Here's a few that I can still remember and that I have personally experienced since:

Okay, so, having tried contact lenses, I must say that the whole experience turned out to be positive for me. I never really completely abandoned my glasses. Nowadays, I like to keep both options. I sometimes wear specs, but when I am more physically active, I switch to contact lenses purely for practical reasons. And if you, too, like me, live a life on the go (and who doesn't, right?), then I am sure you will appreciate my more recent discovery: daily lenses.

The first box of contacts prescribed to me by my optometrist had contained monthlies. At the time, I didn't even know there'd be different kinds. Soon, I realised that, although the monthly lenses were still a more sensible choice for my active days than my glasses, they came with a bit of a baggage too. In fact, I always had to carry with me a little case in which I could store the lenses once I took them off and a bottle of solution. I think this may work for some people, but I found it a bit of a faff. Being new to all of this, I was not very practical at caring for the lenses or keeping them clean, and was always worried that I would get it wrong or forget something.