ContactLenses Online

Contemporary contact lenses are comfy, long-term (unless by purpose, as in disposables) and very safe. Yet, there are some perils and limitations in wearing them and knowing what those are can assist you select the type that’s best for you. Of course, any such conclusion should be made in consultation with your eye care pro.

Since 1986 many have preferred for Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses. Popular designs provide for up to five times more oxygen diffusion through the plastic than those of the past. That feature is essential in minimise the odds of corneal infection. The less oxygen that makes it to the eye, the higher the odds of an infection.

On the downside, RGP lenses are a little less variable than other types, making them less comfy for some. But, they may be best for correcting astigmatism as a effect. They also can last up to 2-3 years, which is longer than typical soft contact lenses.

Some will want some type of soft lens, made from special hydrophilic plastic polymers that offer a lens that is flexible and thus more comfortable. Latest manufacturing proficiencies make achievable a lens that doesn’t suffer from a high likeliness of tearing, as did those in early decades, but they do require more frequent substitute. Soft lenses also stay in place highly well and require a shorter adjustment period.

Yet, for many, a hard lens is still the only option. While often less comfy, and even though they raise the odds of marking or infection slightly, their inflexibleness is essential. The eyes of some patients plainly require the rigidity of this type and they prefer not to fall back on glasses. Those with particular types of astigmatism may not be able to wear soft lenses and demand these instead.

Beyond those categories there are still different options.

Daily wear contacts are intended to be worn during the day, then removed before bed. They’re used by about 80% of contact lens wearers. Here the pros and cons get more plain. It can be a limited hassle to insert and remove contact lenses every day. Whenever they’re removed they have to be sterilized, usually overnight, before re-inserting the next morning.

But daily wear contacts (currently) provide the easiest possible option for those searching to achieve the absolute minimum hazard of eye infection and scarring. Providing the eye to relax and get exposed to air keeps it in the best health. All contacts today cut oxygen exposure somewhat and commonly well below the level the eye would receive without them.

Removing them at night also reduces the odds to zero of getting the contact slip off the cornea during sleep, where it could be a pain (literally and figuratively) to recover in the morning.

Still, touching the eye and/or the contact is also not entirely without risk, and the action is a little inconvenient. Less changes can also be healthy. For those whose physicians say it’s safe, extended wear contacts are a good selection. They’re fashioned to be worn anywhere from overnight (2 days) to a week or even up to a month at a time, depending on the design and the patient.

That convenience component comes at a price, in dollars and risk.

They tend to be more expensive though costs vary over time, of course, usually falling from a high. They also reduce the air-eye contact, which ups the odds of infection slightly. Extended wear lenses also up the odds somewhat of something going wrong, since they sit in the eye longer.

Some models, especially the 30-day type, are somewhat stiffer and consequently slimly less comfy. In every case, the odds of troubles with current contact lens models is still quite low for those people whose eyes allow long-term wearing.

Investigate the options in consultation with your eye care professional and you’ll soon find the right pair of contact lenses for you.