Contact lens wearers, consider your options. There are extended-wear contacts, disposables, and even lenses that can change your eye color. Contact Lens Options
Your first step is to choose from two basic types of lenses: soft and hard. “Most people who wear contact lenses wear soft lenses — 9 of 10 people,” says Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Case Western University and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The rigid gas-permeable lenses are worn by only about 10 percent of people.” Hard lenses are usually the better choice for people who have astigmatism or a medical condition in which protein deposits form on the contact lens.
After you've chosen hard or soft lenses, there are many categories of contact lens available, both in terms of how they accomplish vision correction and how often they need to be replaced:
Daily wear contact lenses. This type of contact lens is usually the least expensive option. Extended wear contact lenses. “I recommend that people not wear contacts overnight, even if they are extended-wear lenses,” says Dr. Steinemann. When you sleep with your contact lenses in, you reduce the amount of oxygen to the eyes, making your eyes more vulnerable to infection — especially corneal infection.
Disposable contact lenses. Disposables that are replaced weekly or monthly require the same regular care as daily wear lenses. Toric contact lenses. This type of lens is used to correct astigmatism, a condition in which vision is blurred because of an irregularly shaped cornea or lens inside the eye. They are usually more expensive than other contact lenses.
Colored contact lenses. Multifocal contact lenses. One technique, called monovision, uses a contact lens for distance in the dominant eye and a contact lens for near vision in the non-dominant eye. Modified monovision uses a bifocal or multifocal lens in the non-dominant eye.
Buying Contacts? When purchasing contact lenses, keep these tips in mind:
Don’t buy lenses out of broken box sets. Use caution when buying contacts on the Internet. When you receive your order, make sure the information on each contact lens box matches your prescription.
Even if you do not need vision correction, don’t buy cosmetic lenses without consulting an eye care professional. Contact lenses are an excellent way to correct vision.
Choosing Contact Lenses
* Hard Lenses
Though hardly in use these days, the hard lenses have very low water content in them and are a bit hard to touch. Since the water content is pretty low, the chances of infection are the least. These lenses are easy to handle and keep clean.
* Semi Soft Lenses
These lenses have more water content than the hard lenses. The use of semi-soft lenses has also fallen down drastically over the years. The semi-soft lenses can be worn at a stretch for 12 hours.
* Soft Lenses
The most popular kind of contact lenses are the soft lenses. Since they have much more water content and hydration level, they can be worn comfortably for around 14 hours. You can choose from the yearly, monthly and daily disposable soft lenses available in the market these days.
sources: everydayhealth.com, iloveindia.com
Your first step is to choose from two basic types of lenses: soft and hard. “Most people who wear contact lenses wear soft lenses — 9 of 10 people,” says Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Case Western University and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The rigid gas-permeable lenses are worn by only about 10 percent of people.” Hard lenses are usually the better choice for people who have astigmatism or a medical condition in which protein deposits form on the contact lens.
Daily wear contact lenses. This type of contact lens is usually the least expensive option. Extended wear contact lenses. “I recommend that people not wear contacts overnight, even if they are extended-wear lenses,” says Dr. Steinemann. When you sleep with your contact lenses in, you reduce the amount of oxygen to the eyes, making your eyes more vulnerable to infection — especially corneal infection.
Disposable contact lenses. Disposables that are replaced weekly or monthly require the same regular care as daily wear lenses. Toric contact lenses. This type of lens is used to correct astigmatism, a condition in which vision is blurred because of an irregularly shaped cornea or lens inside the eye. They are usually more expensive than other contact lenses.
Colored contact lenses. Multifocal contact lenses. One technique, called monovision, uses a contact lens for distance in the dominant eye and a contact lens for near vision in the non-dominant eye. Modified monovision uses a bifocal or multifocal lens in the non-dominant eye.
Buying Contacts? When purchasing contact lenses, keep these tips in mind:
Don’t buy lenses out of broken box sets. Use caution when buying contacts on the Internet. When you receive your order, make sure the information on each contact lens box matches your prescription.
Even if you do not need vision correction, don’t buy cosmetic lenses without consulting an eye care professional. Contact lenses are an excellent way to correct vision.
Choosing Contact Lenses
* Hard Lenses
Though hardly in use these days, the hard lenses have very low water content in them and are a bit hard to touch. Since the water content is pretty low, the chances of infection are the least. These lenses are easy to handle and keep clean.
* Semi Soft Lenses
These lenses have more water content than the hard lenses. The use of semi-soft lenses has also fallen down drastically over the years. The semi-soft lenses can be worn at a stretch for 12 hours.
* Soft Lenses
The most popular kind of contact lenses are the soft lenses. Since they have much more water content and hydration level, they can be worn comfortably for around 14 hours. You can choose from the yearly, monthly and daily disposable soft lenses available in the market these days.
sources: everydayhealth.com, iloveindia.com
Choosing Contact Lenses
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