How to Find the Right Contact Lenses

How to Find the Right Contact Lenses

With its advancements and exciting alternatives, contact lenses have gone a long way. It's possible to have baby blue eyes one day and golden tiger eyes the next.

Contact lenses continue to be a useful, nearly inconspicuous solution for those with vision issues. To correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, thin plastic lenses are fitted over your cornea, the front, clear portion of your eye. Even if you have presbyopia and require bifocals, you can wear contacts.

The ideal kind of lenses for you can be discussed with your eye specialist. To maintain the health of your eyes and to ensure that your prescription is up to date, schedule routine eye checkups.

Soft Contact Lenses

They are produced using a unique plastic and water mixture. The water content allows oxygen to reach your cornea through the lens. This minimizes dry eyes, increases lens comfort, and promotes the health of your cornea. Lack of oxygen can cause it to enlarge, turn foggy, and worsen existing issues like fuzzy vision.

Pros. You can discard soft lenses after wearing them for a brief period of time because many of them are disposable. Fresh soft contacts imply less cleaning, less risk of infection, and greater comfort.

There are some soft contact lenses that aren't disposable, whether they are daily disposable, two-week replacements, or monthly replacements (all of which you take out and clean at night). In rare instances, you might wear the same pair for about a year while taking them out and cleaning them each night, depending on what you need for your eyes. These contact lenses are usually more specially made.

When you first put soft lenses in, they feel better than rigid gas-permeable lenses, the other common form of contacts.

Additionally, many soft lenses offer UV defense.

Cons. In comparison to both rigid and hard gas-permeable lenses, soft contact lens material can absorb particles, chemicals, bacteria, and mold more readily. They absorb a variety of substances that can irritate your eyes, including smoke, airborne sprays, and lotion or soap on your hands.

Additionally more delicate are soft contacts. Compared to hard or gas-permeable lenses, they are more likely to rip or tear.

Varieties. As new technologies advance, new kinds of soft lenses are introduced to the market.

• Soft contacts known as daily disposables are worn for a single day and then removed and discarded. As a result, there is no need to frequently clean them or run the danger of dry eyes and contact solution sensitivity. They might be the best option for you if you have allergies, dry eyes, or a history of eye infections.

• A lens made of silicone-based materials is very permeable and allows a lot of oxygen to reach your cornea. Additionally, they prevent deposits from amassing. Therefore, dry eyes won't irritate you as much. You can use some silicone contacts for up to 30 days because they are FDA-approved for prolonged wear. However, a lot of eye physicians advise taking out any form of contact lenses before sleeping. Why? Sleeping with contacts increases the risk of significant consequences because your cornea receives less oxygen. If you're interested in silicone lenses, speak with your eye care provider because they aren't right for everyone.

Colored, Soft Contacts

They're trendy, entertaining, and colored contacts can even be useful.

• Visibility tint lenses are slightly colored so that you can identify them if you drop them. It's insufficient to change the color of your eyes.

• Enhancement tint lenses bring out the color of your eyes. These tints are a little bit darker than visibility tints.

• Darker and opaque color tint lenses alter the color of your eyes. Amethyst, violet, and green are examples of specialty hues.

Just like clear lenses, colored contacts are a medical device. Purchase them only from your eye doctor. Do not distribute these to anyone. They should be cleaned and maintained the same as any prescription lenses.

Rigid Gas-Permeable Lenses

These contacts are stiffer than soft contacts, as the name would imply. They are silicone-based and intended to allow oxygen to reach your cornea.

Pros. Compared to soft lenses, you might see more clearly. They effectively correct astigmatism. They last a long time and are simple to maintain.

Cons. in the beginning. Compared to soft contacts, the lenses don't feel as comfy. You must wear them every day because it takes longer to become used to them.

Bifocal Contacts

Presbyopia is a disorder where the lens in your eye loses its ability to focus from far to near as you become older. When it is difficult to read up close, you will know you have it.

Bifocal lenses can help if you struggle with both near and distance vision. Your close and distance prescriptions are combined into a single lens. Both soft and gas-permeable varieties are available.

To determine which bifocal design is ideal for your requirements, you need a professional fitting and evaluation. To provide you a good balance of distance and close vision, keep in mind that this will somewhat impair both of them.

Monovision Lenses

Your prescription won't be the same in both eyes. Both will wear contacts, one for distance vision and the other for close-up vision. It may take some time to get used to this. Each eye operates independently. Their ability to collaborate is hampered by this. Your ability to perceive depth may be impaired. That can make driving challenging. To allow one eye or the other to see clearly, you might need to shift your gaze more frequently.

Another approach for monovision is to use bifocal and single-vision lenses in each eye. It is now simpler to drive. To provide you a good balance of distance and close vision, keep in mind that this will somewhat impair both of them.

Readers and Contacts

Get your contacts prescribed for distant vision as an additional option. When you need to see up close, put your contacts over reading glasses.

Toric Lenses for Astigmatism

A toric lens is required if you have astigmatism and want to wear contacts. Although they are constructed of the same material as normal contacts, they are designed to deal with your eyeball's irregular shape. They are available in extended wear, daily disposable, soft or rigid gas-permeable forms, as well as colorful lenses and prolonged wear. Toric lenses feature two powers in one lens, just as bifocal lenses in a pair of glasses: one that corrects astigmatism and another for nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Lenses That Reshape Your Cornea

Your eye doctor might advise orthokeratology, or ortho-k for short, if you have mild nearsightedness. Your cornea will be reshaped using a specialized contact lens, which will enhance your eyesight. However, the effects only hold true while the contact is in place.

Because laser vision correction provides the same outcome in less time and is permanent, this method isn't commonly performed. Professionals whose employment prohibited laser surgery, such as military personnel or airline pilots, can now have it. However, you must still meet certain requirements to be a qualified candidate for laser eye surgery.

Ask your eye care provider if ortho-k might be an option for you if laser surgery is not an option for you.