1) We had a small fail yesterday, a mixup about whose turn it was to post. No worries, everyone’s fine. We’ll be back Monday.
2) A question for contact lens wearers. I wore contacts during the Jurassic era, when pterodactyls flew overhead and — if your lens popped out at the Skynyrd concert — you got down on the beer-soaked stadium floor and crawled around looking for it. Times have changed, I hear. I’m getting Diva her long-desired contacts this summer. She’s fairly nearsighted with mild astigmatism. I’m sure there are dozens of great choices, but does anyone have a particular brand/regimen (daily? weekly?) or other insights regarding disposables that they’d like to share?
3) My ongoing clothing re-assessment/thoughts. As I’ve said before, and as perfumista visitors to my Sacred Walk-In Closet may have noticed, I’m a pattern whore. I have a magpie’s eye for color as well. Part of it, I’m sure, is my inherent, lifelong tendency to look at clothes as “costume,” with plenty of vintage pieces. Part of it is my skin — jewel tones look good on me. And part of it might be that because I’m small, I feel comfortable with (or even strengthened by) eye-catching fabric patterns, assuming they’re scaled correctly, neither girlishly dainty nor too large.
For some reason, though, I’ve really been drawn to simple, more muted colors recently. Lots of solid browns, grays, blues and the occasional tan that doesn’t make me look washed out. Those are all harder colors for me to hit right, but there’s something about, say, a gunmetal-gray cotton shirt these days that I love, paired with jeans, a single piece of jewelry, and a cognac-colored purse or wedges. It doesn’t make sense at all. This is usually when I’m breaking out my tropical-print linen trousers and my tangerine sweaters. But I’m enjoying the ride. Are any of you in the middle of reassessments or unexpected shifts in your usual style?
i wore daily lenses for years, only stopping when i started editing and couldn’t use the correction up close. the one thing i would say to her is to not stop until she finds a brand that does not hurt. at all. if she can feel the lenses in her eyes, they don’t fit right. they should fit so that you forget they are in.
i had a doctor in dallas try to push B&L lenses on me when i’d told him i wore another brand comfortably. he kept hammering on the B&L and i kept pushing back. finally got my lenses. the brand of which i can’t recall.
anyway, just let her know to keep after it until she can’t feel them. that will make wearing them a pleasure.
I had contacts back in the days when you had to “boil your eyes” at night, as my mother used to day. I think I was 14 when I got my first pair, it was magical. Then I had radial keratotomy when I was 20, and didn’t wear any lenses at all for a long time. Unfortunately 25 years later, I have developed a bad astigmatism, which cannot be corrected with glasses, only contacts, and the toric lens they gave me for the one bad eye bugged the hell out of me so I don’t wear it. I may look into the CooperVision lenses others have recommended.
As for wardrobe, I’ve been in a jeans only mode for the past 5-6 years after having been in a dresses only mode for the previous 8 years. I feel a change coming on but it will probably be another couple of years before it really takes hold. I’m not even sure what the next phase will be, but I’m pretty sure it will be something equally simple – I’m not good at putting outfits together!
I’m not sure if this is helpful, but my kids are in gas-permeable contacts. I think their contacts last one year, assuming they don’t run them down the sink or stomp on them. The kids are 15 and 12, and the 15-year old has been in them for 4 years. In our case, we went with the gas-perm on the theory that it would halt the progression of increasing near-sightedness. So far, it’s *mostly* working (the 12 year old needed a slightly stronger prescription with a different curvature last year). The 12 year old loses more contacts than her older brother, but I guess that’s part of the magic of being 12. Since they are completely motivated to *not* have to wear their glasses, they both do a good job of taking care of their lenses.
I’m sure Diva is more than up to the task, especially with disposables. I’ll bet she’s thrilled!
I’ve worn contact lenses since the days of enzyme cleaners and heating units…have been in the 2 week type since they first came out. Love love love them and recently switched to bifocals (Accuvue). No more reading glasses unless it’s in a dark restaurant. As I’ve aged, dry eye has become an issue but Restasis has certainly made a big difference as has Opti-Free’s Replenish solution.
My oldest has worn contacts since about age 14 due to sports (now in his early 20’s). The 2 week type worked best for him as well. Dailies were too hard to get in, as if they were extra flimsy or something. He had many lectures about good hand washing and how to properly care for contacts. He hated his glasses so was always good about rubbing them with a bit of solution, rinsing, then putting in the case overnight. Seemed willing to do anything to keep from having to wear glasses and rec specs.
If she ends up with the 2 week type, be sure she writes down the first date she first puts in another new pair (can do that on the box). Too hard to remember otherwise. Don’t want to switch too soon because of the cost and don’t want to go too long because they become uncomfortable.
Re: contacts. I’ve worn them forever and just now switched to a brand called AquaTech Plus (extra moisture to comepnsate for dry windy weather in Dallas). These are change ’em every two weeks, and I love them – I’m also very, very nearsighted with astigmatism and they work for me.
Re: clothes. Ive always been a bit drab in terms of wardrobe, and have solidified these choices as I’ve gotten older. Classic cuts, clean lines, layers, throw a jacket on with my t-shirt and jeans. People probably think I’m depressed with all the black, grey, brown, and taupe I wear – but I’m a tall redhead, so it works for me. Sometimes our tastes just change (it doesn’t surprise us when this happens with scents, so why should it not happen with clothes?)
Diva is so cute in glasses, but she’ll rock the contact “look”. I so far have been a contact Fail, because of my dry eyes, but the comments here inspire me to retry, with the help of a good doc.
As far as color/pattern, I’m beige, baby 😮 I think we saw some great grieges in Paris this spring, non? And I’m semi-following suit-more cream/gray/beige/brownish, with a hint of Poopy thrown in.
Today’s nail polish is OPI Going Nude, Eh, which is, um pooey-too yellow/tan on me. Going Nude, Meh :d/
Yay for Diva. My boys (3) all got contacts in early teens – we’ve had no problems and have used monthly and two-week long disposable lenses. They wash their hands well before inserting, taking out and things have been just fine. I wear them as well – monthly disposables, started with hard contacts waaaaay back in junior high (early 70s). I’ve never had any problems at all!
Definitely working on my wardrobe. I’m in my early 50s, live a casual lifestyle and in a very casual outdoorsy place (Boulder, CO), yet still strive to look put-together. I’m especially feeling challenged at the moment having gained a few pounds this last year (which I’m working on) and being on a fairly tight budget (two in college and another soon). Really have to think through every purchase and sometimes shopping just feels like too much work. I like the idea of your gun-metal gray shirt and cognac shoes/purse veeeeery much – nice!!
My absolutely fantastic opthalmologist recently switched me from 2-week disposables to monthly ones — Biofinity is the brand, and they supposedly get the most oxygen to the cornea of any lens — and they’re terrific. (They also work out cheaper even than pushing my 2-week lenses to 3+ weeks.) I still take them out every night and disinfect them with Clear Care solution, though, since it’s way better for your eyes and there’s less risk of infection if you don’t wear them 24 hours a day.
And for whatever it’s worth, I started wearing contacts when I was a teenager, and aside from the time I drunkenly dropped a NON-disposable contact lens on the floor, passed out, and stepped on it the next morning, thereby smashing it to smithereens, I had no problems at all.
I wore contacts back in the day, too…with an actual heat disinfecting thingy. Back then, i think you wore 1 pair for a year or so, unless you dropped ’em and stepped on them at the Police concert. And you used those enzyme removers every week…
Now I’ve reached the unfortunate nonsweet spot where my astigmatism has advanced too far to keep me happy in near-sighted lenses, but my nearsightedness precludes effective astigmatic correction. glasses for me (it’s ok, hides my perma-dark circles and wrinkles)
All my kids have soft lenses, the every-month kind, with Clearcare to clean them. Their complaint with the daily wear ones is that they’re too hard to insert. Like, really, really too hard.
Since my youngest was 9 when he got them (yeah, I know…but he’s that rare kid who is scrupulous about hand washing and lens sanitation) I decided to go with what caused the least screaming in the morning.
And style…yeah, I’m not going anywhere with that, much. I’m not generally a pattern person, I strongly prefer solid colors, preferably black. I have a pale yellow undertone that is quite hellish with a lot of colors. So…I try and wear fun shoes, if possible. My big concern these days is not being mutton dressed as lamb.
Yeah to Diva! I started wearing contacts in secondary school (first hard lenses, then gas-permeable hard). Liberation. Truly. Then, in my mid-20s I got month-long soft lenses. I did my cleaning regimen but still ended up with major eye problems (apparently my tears are heavily protein-laden). Now, I’m at daily disposables which I alternate with wearing glasses. I vote with the posters who suggested daily disposables. Will make her life simpler and give you less to worry about.
I’m not great with accessories, but recently I’ve seen some larger necklaces on the JCrew site that just blow me away. What a way to up the oomph on a simple outfit.
No advice about the contacts, but best of luck to Diva. Maybe a new pair of sunglasses to celebrate?
My tastes have also been changing. I find myself wanting soft, unstructured pieces which aren’t going to bind or chafe, while also wanting to look cute and age appropriate. My solution is soft, flowing cuts in weird colors. My favorite outfit right now is my cadet blue sleeveless dress, with a brown short sleeved cardigan and sneakers (I need perfectly flat shoes.) I also like saffron, fuschia and deep red (not all at once).
Since my hair is such a bright red, I go easy on accessories. My main accessory is my wheelchair. I’ve been wanting a replacement for the cheap ones I’ve been using, and if all goes according to plan, my new one will be lighter, easier to handle, more comfortable–and colorful! I can’t wait to zip around town in something I chose myself, that shows my personality and lets me have fun. It even comes in leopard! (Too much?;))
Leopard print is tempting, but will you wake up feeling like being the lady in the leopard print wheelchair every day? You might…
Do they have slipcovers for the back and seat? You could change them out according to your mood! 😕
xoxo >-)
March,
It looks like (no pun intended) Diva and I have similar eyes. I am nearsighted, not too terribly, but enough, with an astigmatism. I tried the monthlies which were great ’cause they were the ones you can sleep in…problem is I ended up practically never taking them out and my corneas got irritated and dry. I switched to dailies…they have new ones for astigmatisms…don’t let them tell you they don’t exist….and it forces me to give my eyes a break at night. PLUS, since I’m popping ’em out or losing them, I can just grab another one, no biggie (not so with the monthlies). AND I jumped on the 1-800 contacts bandwagon and love how quick it is once the prescription’s in there. My brand, and I’ve tried them ALL, is CooperVision’s ClearSight 1 Day Toric…..
XO,
Bryan
Odd you should mention this. I am in the midst of a major style overhaul. I always had the fair skin & dark hair thing, but have had to go blonde this year (I finally decided I couldn’t keep up with my roots- I’ve been solid gray underneath it all since I was in my 20s) Hence, the saturated colors & high contrast patterns are not quite right anymore. As I’ve added softer colors, I’ve also started to acknowledge that perhaps I should be looking at different kinds of clothes. I had a girlish hippie style in my very casual clothes, and a girlish hipster style the rest of the time, but I don’t like the logical progression from that. Aging hippie and aging hipster are not looks that appeal to me.
I’m taking a hard look at women who are a little older than me, who have a style that I admire, and this is what I see- perfect, crisp white shirts. Tailored jackets & coats with dark jeans. Fabulous high heeled shoes. Scarves, scarves, scarves.
On the other hand, when I’m truly a little old lady, I’m wearing whatever the hell I want. I’m picturing red Keds sneakers with fluffy cardigans and a cloud of Pink Sugar.
Yes! This is my year to go sleeveless and form fitting… for the first time, ever. Love the sleeveless blouses, even though my mom has been telling me all my life that they only display arm fat. Love the figure-skimming tops on my swelling pregnant figure, too. And lots of flashy colors like purple and turquoise, and patterns, instead of solid natural browns and greens and roses.
My mother was an opthamology NP for thirty years; she routinely saw horror cases, mostly young folks, where people “stretched” the limits of their disposables.
Please Google Pseudomonas infections of the eye, and Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and make her sit with you and read all about it….make sure you hit the Images section.
Make her write a term paper on the ramifications of improper cleaning of her contacts!
Off my soap box now,sorry….
My wardrobe is slowly being overhauled. Now that I’m in my late 20s, I think I’m finally getting a good idea of what looks good on me and how to make fashion work for me. It’ll be a lifelong process, I’m sure, but I’ve come a long way! Today I’m wearing a black dress with white polka dots. It’s a major step in overcoming a… phobia. I think phobia aptly describes it: I’ve spent most of my life running screaming from polka dots! Anyway, I’m pleased. It’s good to feel good and have people double-taking for the RIGHT reasons 😉
Yay Diva is getting contacts. I recommend dailies because no risk of infection, they allow more oxygen to the eye like Bev wrote. They are easy-peasy. Also one day your little one will be an older woman and still want to wear contacts (probably) and these are thin, hold more moisture, and allow more air in. Notice how I was trying to be politic.
I remember when I first got contacts (hard ones). They hurt like hell. And my eyes were always red. My parents thought I was stoned all the time. (No that was my brother!). When I complained the German eye doctor said, “Vell of course zey hurt.” But I did like the tiny suction cup they gave me to remove the lenses.
Earth was a mere speck of dust when I started wearing contacts!
Now I wear Ciba Vision Dailies and love them. They’re truly worth the extra money as they allow your eyes to get more oxygen.
My clothes become more simple as my jewelry becomes more beautiful.
I make semi-precious jewelry so I like to show it off in order to sell it.
Perfume today is Killian Oud with a little hit of Tauer’s Le Maroc.
I don’t wear contacts anymore, just reading glasses. (I found that my eyes were getting worse every year – even though I only wore them to work and on the weekends. I took a year off of work and stopped wearing the contacts and my eyes improved).
However, when I did wear them, I wore the two-week disposables. I started out with the monthlies, but found that I could feel the difference during week four, so I switched. I just took them out and soaked them at night, so they didn’t really need any heavy-duty care and they were very comfortable.
My wardrobe is also being renovated because I’ve recently lost weight – so I’m mostly sticking to neutrals and solids so I can mix and match more, at least until I reach my goal weight. I’ll probably mix some more patterns and such in then, but I usually limit those to a few pieces anyway.
As a teen, I wore the two week type of disposables. You don’t have as much worry about cleaning them or losing them, and I never had any problems. (NB: My brother, who was less careful than I as a teen, did have an eye infection.) I have always slept in them. I still wear the two week type, but now I wear Optix. When I take a pair out after two weeks, I always leave them out for at least two nights and one day and wear glasses during that time. I have a slight bit of astigmatism but am mostly nearsighted.
DO NOT get the one day disposables. They are a lot of trouble and are uncomfortable to boot. My optometrist says that is because they are made more cheaply per pair.
I am very near-sighted with a touch of astigmatism (prescription is -7.50, to give you an idea) and wear Night and Day soft lenses; which I change every month, because I don’t wear them overnight. None of that protein cleaner mess like they used to make us do, thankfully! Just rinsing with regular solution. I love them, but also wear my glasses when I’m padding around the house….
I wear contact lenses and couldn’t be happier. Now, I know nothing about teenagers, but I’m thinking it might be hard to get them to be responsible about use and whatnot, so YMMV. I take mine out every night, do seriously the bare minimum of cleaning/rinsing, fill the case up with the all-in-one solution overnight and voila. I throw out the lenses every month for a new pair, but I stretch it to 5-6 weeks just because I can, and to economize. Occassionally I lose one lens or the other (in the shower, because I rub my eye, whatever), so I usually run out of one eye’s lenses before I get to the end of my “year supply.” This annoys me, but what can you do? I’ll be happy to tell you anything else about my regime if you like.
Funny you should mention- I’m in the middle of a major closet purge, and getting rid of a lot of the bright colored things I got on sale in years past. Trying to pull together my summer professional wardrobe, with my fool proof Brooks Brothers khaki dress and jacket at the core. I like a uniform to put on, so that I don’t have to worry too much about what looks ok. Contacts– I gave up on them a few years ago, but here is my thought– go disposable, so that she can ease her way into them. Disposables are always clean and sanitary. If she does not feel like using the contacts every day, no problem and no eye infection. No worries if one falls out or is lost. 😉
I am farsighted and my glasses are invisible bifocals, with the top part being no RX and the small “invisible” window at the bottom being for reading. I really want to, um, look into those multi-focal contacts by Bausch & Lomb, but I had no luck with multi-focal glasses because they were so weird I couldn’t handle ’em, so I suspect the contacts won’t be any better.
As for the wardrobe thing, I like jewel tones a lot, but tend to use them only as a pop of color; a turquoise or garnet blouse or brightly colored patterned scarf with an otherwise neutral outfit. I will mix neutrals and I will mix patterns, but when I do that they are always neutral prints, checks or plaids, and they have to be in proportion to one another and there must also be a unifying element of some kind to pull it all together.
I rarely wear more than one piece of jewelry at a time, and if the rest of what I have on is fairly quiet, it will be a “statement” piece. If I am wearing something else that is the so-called statement, my jewelery is either quiet or completely nonexistent.
^:)^ I love the outfit you describe, March, and also find my tastes have changed. I keep simplifying as I seem to have less and less time for all the things I would love to do. I used to love eclectic prints (does anyone remember Carole Little?) and ethnic jewelry, but most days now it’s an Eileen Fisher knit jacket and tank with black slacks and shoes. These go anywhere except the gym. I’m more likely to add an artisan scarf than jewelry. On the other hand, I used to only wear perfume when I went out, and now I wear it every day – of course! 🙂
Hey March!
I’ve been wearing contacts since tenth grade, always soft lenses. As the decades have rolled along, I’ve become astigmatic in addition to very nearsighted. I now wear astigmatic soft contact lenses. I’ve been wearing the same brand for many years: CooperVision Vertex Toric. My eye doctor says they are the Rolls Royce of astigmatic lenses. They are disposable — he has me switch them out every two weeks. They’ve been awesome. Never had an eye infection or problem even during allergy season. Best of luck to Diva!
Like you, I’ve got the pale skin, dark hair thing going on, so I love jewel tones, too. I’ve always stuck with cool colors. My big departure this year has been the color dark brown. I usually never wear brown because it could be considered “warm,” but I find that super-dark-chocolate brown is cool enough for me. So, I now own a pair of cargo capris, leather sandals, and a leather cross-body bag in that color. It’s been nice to have a new neutral to play with. Grey is another neutral that I am giving more closet space to, nowadays, but I find that I’ve got to mix it with some color. Photos of me in an all-grey outfit made me look ready for the casket.
I like patterns and am becoming more adventurous in using them. Solid colors have always been my go-to, “normal,” safe approach, especially since my solids tend to be vibrant colors like teal, magenta, purple, and fire-engine red. (Trying not to look like a clown over here.):o)
Your color choices made me think of my late grandmother, who loved those colors too, and they looked wonderful on her. It was hard on my mother, though – when she was young, my grandmother kept buying clothes in the Winter jewel colors SHE liked, instead of the colors Mom liked. Mom, of course, is an Autumn: sage green, pumpkin, gold. Then, sadly, Mom kept buying me clothes in the colors SHE liked. I am a Spring. SIGH. That olive green dress was such a disaster. Luckily for me, my own daughter is a Spring as well. She hates my taste in clothing style, but we haven’t clashed over colors yet. (“Clashed,” geddit?)
My mom and I were both big fans of Carole Jackson’s “Color Me Beautiful” books back when. I’m a winter, my husband is an Autumn, and my kids are kind of Spring-Autumn as well. I always try to keep this in mind when buying their clothes. I personally loathe yellow in all permutations, but butter yellow is one of my daughter’s very best colors. And for home decor, I try to find colors we can all live with happily, like a dark hunter green leather couch in the living room. Color, like scent, is one of those important, sensual things that has a great influence on my day-to-day life.
Exciting for Diva, guessing she’s thrilled.
I’ve nothing to offer regarding contacts except I wish I could wear them. I was always warned against them as my astimatism was too severe. My sister had the same problem and I watched her trials with contacts; she ultimately returned to glasses. This was years ago so maybe there have been new developments, in which case I’d try them, especially the disposables.
My wardrobe changes are quite dramatic!! I’ve switched out my jeans for lightweight cargo pants/shorts and some old Gap boxers, soft/cuddly t-shirts:d
I confess to never quite getting the hang of contacts – I had the hardest time with hard lenses and tore my corneas more than once, alas. Soft ones were better but often created other issues, none as horrifying as what happened to Shelley, thank Floyd, but painful and tiresome nonetheless. And my eyes always hurt and itch a bit so you can see why glasses…..well, it’s just easier. For me.
Now that I spend a whole lotta time in really odd places like corn slurry tanks, with all that fine powder (not to mention all the fine metal particles in the shop) my poor disposables just sit in their boxes, looking at me mournfully. Every now and then I bust out a pair and am pleasantly surprised at how different I look w/o glasses….but 3 hours later my eyes are screaming! So I always carry backup glasses, as I can’t see to the end of my arm without ’em.
But! were I to consider contacts for my teenager I would definitely go with the daily disposables. Cuts down on a lot of potential drama due to careless hygiene, weird makeup choices, etc.
I like the idea of your new color tendencies, though I’ve only ever seen you very elegantly dressed. You have coloring that could really rock the right muted colors. Don’t worry about your tropicals – hang onto them – when you’re 70 (or maybe even next summer) you’ll want to wear them again!
xoxo >-)
Yay for Diva – I use daily disposables but wear them for longer and disinfect daily. They work much better than glasses on astigmatism. Mine are Biomedics, no problems at all. And no one is discussing scents, but i’m wearing DK Iris and thinking it’s a desert island fragrance for me. 🙂
Yay for Diva! I have absolutely no advice on contacts, but I’m happy she’s getting what she wants.
I love your random clothing post, March! I’ve been going through a minor wardrobe refurbishing the past couple of months. While many of the pieces are meant to update the classic, no-frills look (solid button downs, blazers, and cardigans), I’ve leaped into some patterns for the first time in years. It started off with a couple of shirts, but now I have a few splashy wrap dresses. The best pieces of all, however, are a couple of vivid bracelets. One fantastic accessory is the key. They make even the sedate solids look happy.
But your fav outfit sounds smashing. Gunmetal gray? Yum. And cognac shoes? Yum yum.
Contacts. Yeah, I’ve got a couple of insights. /:)
(Oh, yeah…and the pun… 😉 )
I’ve been wearing ’em since our pterodactyls crossed paths delivering messages from here to there…though I WISH I had been wearing them since the first legged creatures walked out of the primordial muck. But that’s a story for a different day. Except for the primordial muck.
Having been through one serious eye scare, I am a huge fan of the daily disposable. For plenty of folks, economics is a factor, and to this day, other types are cheaper. But, in terms of chance of “catching” things due to poor hygiene and/or maintenance, the ones you wear once and toss away eliminate a lot of those possibilities. There’s muck not in your eye.
Plus, the larger and wetter softlenses stay in your eyes MUCH better. Sports, performing on stage, just knocking around the park…none of that pick it up and wet it in your mouth malarkey.
As for vision correction, I’ve had a bit of an astigmatism along with my near-sightedness for quite a while now. I really don’t miss having it corrected when I wear contacts. It’s when wearing eyeglasses that it seems to be more important. The doc explained a reason why. You can ask. But, once again, money saved, because you probably can choose to correct just for the myopia.
Different brands can make a difference. Make sure the eyeball people give an assortment of samples to Diva to try; they tend to focus on one or two. But they magically come up with others when there is trouble…so why not start with 2-3 for tryouts?
Shelley, so agree with you, especially the bit about the opticians who seem to “favour” certain brands (usually the more expensive – or am I being cynical?).
I, too, have a very slight astigmatism which doesn’t matter when I wear contacts, but matters heaps for the prescription for my glasses. I was told that because a contact moulds itself onto your eye, minor astigmatism is more or less corrected by this slight pressure. Not sure why it works, unless it’s shaping the eyeball. But I certainly have always found that I see better with contacts than glasses, even though the glasses accommodate the astigmatism and the contacts don’t.
Top tip for everyone trying out different lenses: my latest optician gave me two brands to try, but told me to wear one in my right, and the other in my left, so that I could tell more easily which I preferred, and I would be giving both an absolutely fair trial. It really was helpful (although I had to write details down, as my memory can be shocking.
I also use Blink or Refresh single use eye drops to make them more comfortable.
Gosh – I might just be the first person to comment, and that would be a first for me! I, too, have worn contacts for decades, beginning with (horror of horrors) hard lenses which hurt and needed to have their wearing time built up, even if only after a tiny break. And there was that time when one popped out on stage and I felt it land on my cheek, managed to catch it and had to cling on to it for the rest of the scene! How things have progressed. After years of experimentation and frustration I now wear Acuvue Daily Moist lenses – these are easy, especially for a youngster, as they obviously don’t need cleaning and storing, you just throw them away after one wearing. But it’s a bit of a minefield hitting on the right sort, as it would seem from looking at blogs that some people can be sensitive to the actual material used for making the lenses, and I now believe that was one of my problems, along with dry eyes. At least a daily disposable lens cuts out the possible risk of being allergic to cleaning/storing fluids. The only other lenses I can wear are also by Acuvue, called “2”, and last for two weeks, but need to be soaked each day – probably not so great when you’re young and impatient. I think most lenses these days cope with astigmatism, altho’ I’m not sure about my favourites. Wishing Diva all the best – and don’t forget, if she doesn’t succeed at first, try and try again, as there are so many options.