Are contacts hard to manage?!

Are contacts hard to manage?

My sight is decreasing and i'm pretty sure i am going to start needing visual aid. I am going to a new high school next year and I know i am probably over reacting, but i would just die if i had to were glasses. I am vastly interested in contacts but am concerned, since i am slighty forgetful, about the daily care, safety measures, and basically just the daily routines. Could someone with contacts please inform me of all these things?

Thanks in advance!!

Liz =)

The daily care of contacts is pretty simple these days. There are disposable contacts (that last anywhere from 1 day to 1 month depending on the brand and how well you take care of them) that are most doctors first choice to prescribe. There are some lenses that can be slept in (though most doctors are not big advocates of sleeping in contacts) that have a higher oxygen permeability than others - these are often more expensive. Bausch and Lomb's Purevision and Ciba's Night & Day contact lenses are two great ones for oxygen transmission. Purevision is usually less costly than the Night & Days. Vistakon's Acuvue lenses are reasonably priced and one of the most commonly prescribed lenses - these have to be taken out at night and are usually disposed of every two weeks (except for the Acuvue Daily Wear that you throw away each night - these are rather pricey when you figure out the cost on a yearly basis - even when you take out the cost of cleaning solutions that you would have to have for regular contacts).
A contact lens exam/fitting will usually be more expensive than a standard eyeglass examination. You may want to shop around ahead of time for a reputable eye doctor who is reasonably priced so you don't get sticker shock in the office. Make sure that there are no hidden costs and that follow-up visits are included in the fees (they usually are but I've worked with a couple of greedier doctors who like to pinch every last penny they can out of their clientele). You will be given a trial pair of contacts to wear (and receive a class on how to insert, remove, and care for the lenses) - which should be free with the contact fitting - until your follow-up visit.
Learning to put them in and take them out is easier than most people think. As far as safety measures go - common sense rules apply. Your eye care professional will have a technician go over everything with you.
Keep in mind that, depending on how much correction you need, you may have to have glasses also. There will be times that contact lenses may not be practical or you may just want to give your eyes a breather (contacts can cause a vast multitude of issues including corneal swelling, if they are not fit properly or if you overwear them). You may want to consider the fact that glasses are considered a pretty cool accessory these days, too. I have kids and young adults very upset when they come in for an exam and DON'T need glasses! You can have a lot of fun finding the right look for yourself.
Good luck!