The Benefits of Contact Lenses

For people who don’t yet wear contact lenses, it’s difficult to imagine sticking a piece of plastic in your eye on purpose, for any reason. Yet for millions of people, it’s the answer to heavy, cumbersome, and often unsightly eyeglasses. Some who have 20/20 vision also wear contacts for cosmetic or fashion purposes, such as color contacts or special effects or decorative contacts (which are often used in movies like Star Wars). Some are even used to deliver medicines to the surface of the eye.

Getting Rid of Those Heavy and Nasty Glasses

Many people have cast their heavy “coke-bottle bottom” glasses aside and enjoyed a new appearance thanks to contact lenses. Some have even changed the color of their eyes or enhanced their own with the use of color contact lenses. While these have been prohibitively expensive for some on the past, ordering cheap contact lenses on the internet has become commonplace.

The Benefits of Soft Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses, developed in the 1960s, don’t require the wearer to adapt to them before wearing. These contacts, also called hydrophilic lenses, passed through many stages of development and increased permeability, which also increased comfort. Throughout the decades extended wear contact lenses-a lens that can be worn for a week at a time-as well as disposable soft lenses have been developed for user comfort and convenience. Soft lenses also come in a multifocal form, which means they correct for near and far sight.

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

While the soft contact lens are quite popular, the rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses are also a popular alternative for people who can’t wear soft lenses. Severe astigmatism sometimes makes soft lens use impossible, and a toric RGP lens may be the solution. There are also combination lenses available, where the RGP lens is attached to a larger soft lens, for people who need special optical corrections or fittings that the normal choices will not fulfill.

The Reasons Behind Wearing Contact Lenses

Although for most people wearing contacts is a matter of appearance, others wear them for therapeutic reasons. Orthokeratology, reshaping the eye by use of an overnight contact lens, enables people to go without corrective lenses during the day. Another therapeutic use of contacts is to cover an injured or diseased cornea to prevent further damage from blinking, dust, and other debris.

Contact Lenses and People with Special Needs

Those who have cataracts or need special eye treatment to return vision to normal have the option of the implantable contact lens. This lens is placed surgically between the iris and natural lens to correct the patient’s vision.

Summary & Conclusion

Of course, your eye doctor will be able to help you make decisions in regard to what type of contact lenses will best meet your needs today and into the future.  Have a candid conversation with your eye doctor about your needs, goals and objectives.

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