You've got to hide your myopia away: John Lennon's contact lenses
John Lennon’s severe myopia and iconic round glasses spark a broader look at how people with poor eyesight manage vision, from rigid and soft contact lenses to high‑index spectacles. Commenters compare comfort, visual quality, and practicality for everyday life, sports, and work, and explore technologies such as LASIK, PRK, and implantable contact lenses, weighing their risks, side effects, and long‑term outcomes. The thread highlights how prescription strength, astigmatism, age, and lifestyle all shape whether someone prefers glasses, contacts, or surgical correction.
Lennon’s Vision and Iconic Glasses
- Discussion notes how late in his career Lennon adopted the now-iconic round “Lennon glasses,” and that their small, round shape is ideal for strong prescriptions.
- Some speculate stage sunglasses were likely prescription due to his level of myopia.
- Several mention the trauma-focused cover of a Yoko Ono album featuring his bloodied glasses, which some readers found grotesque or had never noticed before.
High Myopia, Astigmatism, and Contact Lens Types
- Multiple users with very high myopia report excellent results with modern soft lenses versus thick, optically compromised glasses.
- Others with astigmatism describe better clarity from rigid gas permeable (RGP) or hybrid lenses than from soft lenses, though RGPs can be initially uncomfortable and risky for sports.
- Toric soft lenses for astigmatism are discussed in depth:
- Some say lenses have orientation marks and weighted geometry; they self-align but may take time.
- Others report rotation problems, limited axis options, or poor comfort, leading them back to glasses.
- Several note that mild astigmatism is often left uncorrected in contacts.
Refractive Surgery: LASIK, PRK, ICL, RLE
- Many describe LASIK or PRK as life-changing, with freedom from glasses/contacts and only mild, manageable side effects (dry eyes, halos).
- Others report serious or long-lasting issues: poor vision post-op, long recovery, night artifacts, or eventual regression, leading them to avoid surgery.
- There is debate over complication and long-term failure rates; one commenter cites low success rates, another calls that selection bias and asks for peer-reviewed data.
- Implantable collamer lenses (ICL) are highlighted as reversible and, according to some, safer or with fewer side effects; others say searches suggest higher infection risk than LASIK. Long-term data is described as limited and risk tradeoffs as non-trivial.
Glasses vs. Contacts: Comfort, Cost, and Lifestyle
- Strong divide: some find glasses comfortable and simple; others complain about fogging, smudging, narrow field of view, and problems with sports, outdoor work, and sex.
- Contacts are praised for full field of view and activity freedom, but criticized for rotation issues, risk of grit, and infection.
- High prices of glasses are attributed to a global frame/lens cartel; several recommend low-cost online vendors.
Presbyopia and Multifocal Solutions
- Aging users note needing to remove glasses to read or add readers over distance correction.
- Multifocal and monovision contacts, plus new presbyopia eye drops, are mentioned as options, with mixed success reports.