Contact Lenses
Over 160 million Americans use some form of corrective devices for vision problems, whether it’s bifocals, glasses, surgical corrections, etc… Contact lenses are growing in popularity every year, and are one of the most common ways to correct vision.
Contact lenses are a subtle and convenient option to see clearer. Not having to wear glasses all the time makes it easier and more convenient to incorporate rigorous activities into your daily life. Glasses are also fragile and easy to lose, making contact lenses a more reliable option.
How do Contact Lenses Work?
Contact lenses work similarly to glasses, as you are looking through a lens with a prescription. The obvious difference is that they are in “contact” with the eye, hence the name “contact lenses”.
If you look at the packaging for your contact lenses, you will see some plus and minus signs, followed by some numbers. These signify the shape of the contacts, and therefore your prescription. Different prescriptions can help with different vision issues. For example, toric lenses help with astigmatism, and multifocal lenses can correct both distance and close vision simultaneously. This provides contact wearers with nearsighted and farsighted contact lens options.
Toric Contact Lenses
Toric lenses are designed for wearers with astigmatism. Someone with astigmatism has a differently shaped cornea than most people. While a normal contact lens is spherical in shape, a toric lens is shaped more like the side of a donut. This will fit your eye much better, allowing for perfect vision.
Even though toric lenses are different from your standard contacts, you can still get a variety of toric lenses including disposable lenses, long term lenses, or even colored lenses.
Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
Gas permeable lenses generally give you the best vision out of all contacts. They are rigid, kind of like plastic, and are designed for long term wearing. You usually don’t need to replace them for over a year. Because of this, they are the cheapest option when considering you don’t need to replace them like you do with disposable, and monthly lenses.
Because of their rigid makeup, gas perms usually take a while to get used to. They can be very uncomfortable, and even painful when you first start wearing them. While soft contacts take a few days to get used to, gas perms can take weeks.
Disposable Contact Lenses
Some contact lenses are classified as “disposable”. Generally this means you only use them for one day, then throw them away, and use a new pair the next day. There are also biweekly, and even monthly contacts that you clean every night, and then wear again the next day. Most wearers find daily disposable lenses to be the most convenient, because you can avoid the cleaning process, but it is important to find which type of lenses work best for you.
