Choosing The Right Contact Lense Solution
Choosing The Right Contact Lense Solution For You
Modern contact lenses are comfortable, long-lasting (unless by design, as in disposables) and very safe. However, there are some risks and limitations in wearing them and knowing what those are can help you choose the lenses solution that’s best for you. Of course, any such decision should be made in consultation with your eye care professional at a local Optician.
Since 1986 many wearers have opted for Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses. Contemporary designs allow for up to five times more oxygen diffusion through the plastic than those of the past. That feature is important in reducing the odds of corneal infection. The less oxygen that makes it to the eye, the higher the risk of an infection.
On the downside, RGP lenses are a little less flexible than other types, making them less comfortable for some. But, they may be better for correcting astigmatism as a result. They also can last up to 2-3 years, which is a longer duration than typical soft contact lenses.
Many will prefer some type of soft lens, made from special hydrophilic plastic polymers that provide a lens that is flexible and therefore more comfortable. Current manufacturing methods have it possible, to produce a lens that doesn’t suffer from a high likelihood of tearing, as did those in previous times, but they do require more frequent replacement. Soft lenses also stay in place extremely well and require a shorter adjustment period.
Yet, for many, a hard lens is still the only option. While often less comfortable, and even though they increase the odds of scarring or infection slightly, their inflexibility is important. The eyes of some patients simply require the rigidity of this type and they prefer not to revert to wearing glasses. Those with certain types of astigmatism may not be able to wear soft lenses and require a less flexible option instead.
Additional Contact Lense Solutions
Daily wear contacts are intended to be worn during the day, then taken out before bed. They account for about 80% of contact lens wearers. Here the advantages and disadvantages become more evident. It can be a minor inconvenience to insert and remove contact lenses every day. Whenever they’re removed they have to be sterilized using a multi purpose solution, typically overnight, before re-inserting the next morning.
But daily wear contacts (currently) provide the best possible option for those looking to achieve the absolute minimum risk of eye infection and scarring. Allowing the eye to relax along with sufficient exposure to air, keeps it in the best health. All contacts today reduce oxygen exposure somewhat and usually well below the level the eye would receive without them.
Taking them out at night also reduces the odds to zero of having the contact slide off the cornea during sleep, where it could be a pain (literally and figuratively) to retrieve in the morning.
Still, touching the eye and/or the contact is also not completely without risk, and the process is a little inconvenient. Fewer changes can also be good. For those whose doctors say it’s safe, extended wear contacts are an appropriate option. They’re designed 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 factor comes at a price, in pounds and risk.
They are inclined to be more expensive though prices change 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 slightly of something going wrong, since they sit in the eye longer.
Some models, particularly the 30-day type, are somewhat stiffer and therefore slightly less comfortable. In every case, the possibility of problems with modern contact lens models is still quite low for those individuals whose eyes adapt to long-term wearing.
Investigate the options in consultation with your Optician, and you’ll soon find the right contact lense solution for you.