Contact Lenses Solutions

How To Choose A Pair Of Contact Lenses

Considering Contact Lense Materials

The material your contact lenses are made of will have an impact on how long they last prior to having to be replaced, how comfortable they will be, and if they effect your health in any way. In the past, almost all contact lenses were made from glass. On today’s market, you will find less then 1% of the contacts are made from this substance. Most are made from different types of plastic. Usually you have to choose from a contact lens that is made from PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), polycarbonate, or silicon hydroxy gel.

Hard contact lenses that were introduced in the 1960′s were made from PMMA. The PMMA material prevents oxygen from moving through the contact lens to the eye, but some air does reach the area of the eye under the contact in a round about way. This occurs because as a person blinks he/she moves the contact lens slightly and this allows air to diffuse under the contact through the tear solution that covers the eye.

The contact lenses released in 1971 were soft contact lenses, and were made from polyacrylamide which contains nitrogen (hydroxyethyl methacrylate or HEMA). This is why they are referred to as “hydrophilic”. This material allows them to absorb water, thus making them more flexible and more comfortable. They have also been shown to be more permeable to air then the older version.

RGP Contact Lenses

RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) lenses fall somewhere between the two lenses already discussed. This type of lens combines PMMA with silicone and fluoropolymers. This combination allows air to get to the eye with ease. Not only does this increase the comfort of the contact lens, it also reduces the risk of health effects from long-term wear.

If you buy extended wear lenses, you are buying lenses made form silicon hydroxy gel. These can be bought in many varieties from 2-day wear to 7-day wear to 30-day wear. Since this material permits seven times as much oxygen to get to the eye, it is possible to wear them for longer periods of time than the other types.

Considering Disposable Lenses?

We first saw disposable lenses in 1987. The popularity of these has increased dramatically over the years. You can usually wear these for a week or two. Many people remove them at night to give their eyes a break. However, the design of these contacts is that they can be worn day and night for a specified length of time and then simply discarded. These very flexible and thin lenses have wonderful gas permeability and are made using a combination of a polymer called etafilcon and water, 42%-58%, respectively.

These disposable lenses are designed to fit closely to the eye, making them hard to lose off the eye. This makes them a very popular choice for those who love sports. In addition to being hard to dislodge, they are also quite comfortable, which means you can play whatever you want and forget you are even wearing them. Unfortunately, these lenses do not offer the quality of vision that can be gotten from the other versions of lenses. This makes them not acceptable for all people. They also have a limit of use, because they do not correct some vision problems well enough.

In the past 20 years there have been advances made to contact lenses in addition to what they are made of and how they fit your eye.

Other Choices

You could choose what is known as single vision lenses. These are almost like a pair of glasses which are worn close to the eye. At one time this was the only choice you had. Believe it or not, you can even get bifocals in a contact lens today. As a matter of fact you can find some lenses that offer multifocal or progressive options. These lenses are designed for the sufferers of presbyopia, a form of farsightedness seen in most people above the age of 45.

As long as you take the time to know all your options, you will quickly be able to find a pair of contact lenses that are perfect for you and the way you live.

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