Many people who wear glasses decide at some point that they would like to try out contact lenses instead. To do so you’ll first need to book an appointment with the optician to see whether your eyes are suitable for contact lenses. During your appointment, the optician will determine what the right fit will be, and then you’ll learn how to put them in and take them out. Once you’ve done all this, it’s time to choose which type of contacts you want to use. Here’s a quick overview to help you decide.
Advantages of contact lenses
Firstly, no matter which type of contact lens you choose, you’ll enjoy many of the same advantages. These include being suitable for wearing with sunglasses, helmets, goggles, and other types of headgear, enabling clearer vision by sitting directly on your eyes, and not steaming up because of the weather. Each type of lens then offers its own advantages on top of these.
Daily disposable lenses
These lenses are designed to be worn for one day and then thrown away, so you wear a brand-new pair every time. The advantages of this style of lens include both convenience and hygiene. Because they are single use, you don’t have to worry about caring for them, cleaning them, or storing them in between uses.
In addition, these types of one day lenses are more hygienic because they dramatically reduce the chance of any deposits building up, which can not only make lenses more uncomfortable, but also increase the risk of getting an eye infection. They are a particularly good choice if you don’t want to wear contacts very often. The only disadvantages are that they can be more expensive – although you also save money by not having to buy contact lens solution – and they can be less environmentally friendly because they generate more waste.
Monthly lenses
These lenses are meant to be worn during the day, taken out at night, and stored in solution for cleaning, then worn again the next day. Then after 30 days (or sometimes two weeks), you throw them away. The advantages of are that they are usually cheaper than daily disposable lenses and generate less waste because they last for a whole month. They also tend to let more oxygen through to your eye, which many people find more comfortable to wear. In addition, you can take them in and out during the day if necessary.
The only disadvantages are that you must take care to clean and look after them properly every night, but this isn’t too inconvenient unless you rip one of them, as you would then be unable to wear it again.
Extended wear lenses
These lenses are intended to be worn continuously for a specific period, usually a week or a month. The advantages of these are, of course, convenience, as you can just leave them in overnight, and like monthly lenses, they also allow more oxygen to reach your eyes. The only thing to be wary of is that not everyone’s eyes can tolerate wearing contact lenses for an extended period. You also need to remember to take them out to shower!
Photo by Marcelo Matarazzo on Unsplash
