Do i need to wear glasses for a while before getting contacts for my astigmatism?

I have an astigmatism and I own both glasses and contacts. There is no real reason you can’t start with the contacts, but you will want to buy a back-up pair of glasses anyway (I find it hard to wear my contacts if I have slept for less than 6 hours, or if I“m traveling somewhere where the air is dusty). If you’re buying glasses anyway, I would recommend starting just with the glasses for a week or so before trying the contacts – the only reason for that is that sometimes it can take a minor adjustment period to get used to the better vision – you can get some headaches in the first week – and it’s easier to deal with that alone, without adding the factor of learning to put in / remove contact lenses. Either way, don’t get discouraged – when I first got contacts it took me 30 minutes to get them in. Now I put them in and take them out in about 2 seconds, without a mirror.

One extra tip – if you have vision insurance, they will allow a once-a-year payment for either glasses or contacts. Go with the glasses – you will get more for your money, since frames + lenses cost a LOT more than just a year’s supply of disposable contact lenses – even if they are the specialized contacts for astigmatism.

I went straight to contacts and everything has gone well.