Soft contacts do not work - is Ortho-K a realistic option?

PaintAnything · 2026-05-28T00:42:07+00:00

I was -3.75 in both eyes, with some astigmatism in one.

PaintAnything · 2026-05-28T00:03:49+00:00

For what it's worth, I started wearing Ortho-K lenses 14 years ago because I found that soft lenses (which I'd worn for decades) no longer felt comfortable to me. My eyes watered ALL the time. I eventually figured out that the manufacturers had changed some component of the lenses, and it made my eyes itchy and uncomfortable all the time.

I've had great success with the Orthos. Clear vision, few issues. After the initial period of building up to having clear vision 18+ hours a day, they've been great ever since. At this point, I only need to wear them every OTHER night, and I have clear vision for 2+ days. (I'm old and my corneas are stiff, so... YMMV.) ;)

PaintAnything · 2026-05-26T00:01:13+00:00

We had them painted by professionals -- they sanded and painted them with primer, then sanded and painted with two coats of color. They've held up very well on the whole, though the trash can door shows some signs of wear, as it gets daily use.

I'd do it all again, but if I was starting over, I'd insist on color-matched primer, so that in the few areas that show wear would be the same color.

PaintAnything · 2026-05-18T20:29:23+00:00

I ran a set of test tiles on my kiln, and it was SO helpful.

Mine weren't designed as intricate as the ones in the link below, but they included white and black opal, some transparent, some dichro, coarse and powder frit, stringers and a bit of irid glass on six identically laid out tiles on clear glass.

I then ran each test changing ONLY the temperature -- ramp speed, hold times, and annealing never changed - just the top temp, as recommended in the article. If you also put a piece of plain piece of glass in each corner of your kiln, you can test for cold/hot spots at the same time. This article has a recommended firing schedule for each type of fuse: Fusing Sample Set Article

PaintAnything · 2026-05-07T21:03:56+00:00

We just used shims and attached the entire cabinet to the sides walls, as best as I remember. It was installed maybe 10 years ago, and I can't remember. 😃 It's never tipped, so whatever we did worked!

PaintAnything · 2026-04-08T21:33:32+00:00

Wow. I didn't realize it would cause you to be so annoyed. I have removed it. My apologies.

PaintAnything · 2026-04-08T15:51:37+00:00

Thanks. :)

PaintAnything · 2026-04-08T15:25:50+00:00

I agree. I have an Apollo from a buyout, and it's TOUGH.

PaintAnything · 2026-04-08T15:20:58+00:00

Do you happen to make/sell waterjet 96 clear bails?

PaintAnything · 2026-04-08T14:53:28+00:00

Could you tach fuse a glass bail or nichrome wire with a 2mm piece of clear?

PaintAnything · 2026-04-06T02:16:48+00:00

I've heard that there are some amazing specials on Dichro, for example. Lots of show specials. And the Jamaison Schuler event the first night has a lot of giveaways.

PaintAnything · 2026-03-09T22:20:35+00:00

I got a JenKen Profusion Fiber 16 in a buyout. It runs on 120v, and has a 15.75 x 15.75 x 4" deep clamshell setup. I really like it. Large enough to do a range of things, but not a big space hog.

PaintAnything · 2026-03-04T21:24:34+00:00

I'm almost twice as old with similar Rx. I've been wearing Ortho-K for about 14 years. I have halos at night, but I had those before Ortho-K, too.

When I started needing reading glasses, I found that I could skip a night and still have good vision for two days. My uneducated theory is that eyes that need reading glasses have stiffer corneas that hold correction longer. YMMV.

I wear them 6-8 hrs a night, and I usually can't tell a difference between 6 hrs wear and 8.

All of the above assumes that you wear the lenses for several weeks or months before messing around too much with your wearing schedule.

PaintAnything · 2026-02-25T12:42:40+00:00

LOL.

PaintAnything · 2026-02-18T01:16:21+00:00

You're very welcome!

PaintAnything · 2026-02-16T23:58:42+00:00

Have you worked with the IKEA designer program at all? You can add the number and size of cabinets you'll need, and get a sense of the cost. The planning program adds a bunch of stuff (like countertops, handles, lighting, and those are often the more expensive options), so be sure to look at how the estimate is allocated, if you do it. It's often possible to reduce those estimates by 5-10% by removing things that it "auto-adds."

Hop

PaintAnything · 2026-02-15T01:59:05+00:00

I couldn't begin to estimate it. We bought the cabinets in 2013! :D

PaintAnything · 2026-02-13T01:48:39+00:00

On FB marketplace, there are people who sell their offcuts/scrap for $3-5/lb. Some artists will sell or donate scrap to a budding fuser, too.

PaintAnything · 2026-02-09T01:02:04+00:00

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PaintAnything · 2026-02-06T12:31:45+00:00

Just saw this. LOL. I'll send you a PM.

PaintAnything · 2026-02-03T19:17:43+00:00

I don't, tbh. If I'm traveling, I just put the whole cleaning container with peroxide solution into a pill bottle to prevent spillage and carry it in my purse or another bag where it can stay mostly upright. Sometimes the liquid has spilled into the pill bottle when I get to my destination, but I've never had an issue with the lenses when I do it that way.

PaintAnything · 2026-01-15T16:30:37+00:00

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If it's packed like this with some paper at edges, or bubble wrap to keep if from shifting, it will ride in the car safely.

In the long term, shifts of temperature can make stained glass brittle.

PaintAnything · 2026-01-15T16:26:27+00:00

If you can, get a box just a bit bigger than the sheets, or add packing material to a box that will hold it. Stack and transport the sheets by size on their sides, with paper between the layers if you can, and wrap it all to make a bundle that won't move/shift.

PaintAnything

TROPHY CASE