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Are Disposable Contact Lenses for You?

Disposable contacts were first made available in 1987. Subsequently, they have turned into one of the most favoured choices for contact lens wearers. They’re easy to wear, safe and come in a variety of numerous types.

Disposables are designed to be used and disposed of either daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. But it’s essential to keep in mind a distinction, that between the replacement timetable and the wear timetable. Several are designed to be used daily and disposed of each day. But a number that are labeled dailies are removed daily, cleaned and stored, then reused up to their intended lifetime. That life span can be one week, two weeks, or can  even extend to as long as one month. Make sure you aware which is which when you pick your lenses.

The more frequent you replace your contacts the lesser the odds of health issues. Even the finest of contacts reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the surface of the cornea. That increases the probability of infection. Longer wear cycles additionally increase the chances of corneal abrasion, conjunctivitis and other eye health problems.

However, changing lenses more often can raise the chances of introducing other kinds of health issues. For instance, certain preservative solutions can cause an allergic reaction to certain contact lens wearers. Using a pair of disposables continuously for a week, followed by simply throwing them away, eliminates that prospect. They come packaged within a sterile solution, so they never need to be cleaned except if they’re taken out and re-inserted.

Convenience is a key factor in the popularity of disposables not surprisingly. Every day insertion and removal still needs cleaning, sterilizing and routine placement of the lens. While numerous contact lens users establish a daily pattern, others find the practice something they would like better to avoid. Disposables offer that option. Some are designed to be used once and then just disposed of. Numerous types of extended wear disposables can remain in overnight, or a week, or even up to a month.

Since those are inserted just once, they never require to be cleaned or sterilized at all. You merely clean your hands, put them in, then dispose of them after the wear period has elasped. No trouble, no fuss. But, that ease of wear comes at a price.

Price is a thing to consider and it’s not always negligible. While costs change over time, disposables usually cost more in the long term. You will pay for the convenience. But the every day costs are reduced, since the lens are meant to be used only for a short time period.

One way manufacturers can accomplish that, of course, is to use various materials and production methods. The outcome is a safe, easy to wear lens but one that may possibly not provide the same optimally razor-sharp vision that another style can.

Still, numerous sports enthusiasts get pleasure from disposables thanks to their snug fit, which results in them being very difficult to dislodge. And if the quality and performance meets their needs, its highly likely to meet the requirements of most wearers.

Take time to investigate the available disposable contact lenses options and you should find one that’s suitable for you and your lifestyle.

Are Disposable Contact Lenses On Your List?

1987 was the first year that disposable contacts were on the market for consumers As a result of their ease of use, disposable contacts have become very popular. Disposable contacts can be found in all types, and they are just as safe as regular contact lenses.

Throw Away Contacts

The consumer can choose how often they want to be able to throw away their contacts, whether it’s everyday, or every thirty days. How you handle the replacement of the contacts will vary from how you wear the contacts. The ones that are discarded daily, are only designed to be worn for one day. You should always be sure to clean and sterilize any contacts that you are going to remove, and reuse on a daily basis, including daily disposables. These contacts can be reused from anywhere from a week to a month. Be sure to check what the lifespan is of the lenses that you choose.

Shorter lifespans can be better because there are fewer health risks with them. The cornea is always limited to how much oxygen it gets when you where contacts, which isn’t always a good thing. If your cornea can’t get the amount of oxygen it would normally get if you didn’t wear contacts, it can be more susceptible to infections. You also have higher chances of corneal abrasion and other similar eye health risks when you choose longer wear contacts.

You can still use these contacts if you prefer, but you should change your lenses more often, and make sure that you clean them very well. Another thing to watch out for is the preservative solutions that can result in an allergic reaction. By choosing disposable contacts and wearing them continuously for a short length of time, you can eliminate the possibility of an allergic reaction because you aren’t using a preserving fluid. The only time that you have to wash disposable contacts is if you remove them, and need to put them back in.

Additional Benefits

Another benefit to disposable contacts is that they are far more convenient. You still need to clean and sterilize the contacts if when you insert and remove them daily. Contact wearers prefer different things in their contacts; some would prefer not to have the hassle of cleaning their contacts everyday, others just insert it into their daily routine. Disposable contacts offer an alternative for those who don’t want the hassles of cleaning their contacts on a day to day basis. Many are made just to be worn one time, and then thrown away. Some of these disposables can stay in for as much as a month without having to be removed and cleaned.

They don’t need to be cleaned because they are designed to be inserted just once, and worn for the length of their life. The only thing that you need to do is wash your hands before you put them in, and then throw them away after the length of time they are designed to be left in for. No headaches at all. However, they can be more expensive.

You should always take the cost of your contacts into account when you are choosing your contacts. Disposables have a tendency to be more expensive when compared to long wear contacts. Convenience can be expensive. When you aren’t having to clean and sterilize your contact lenses you are able to save that time on daily basis, which may be very beneficial to you.

How Are Contacts Disposable?

The reason that contacts can be made disposable is because of the materials that are used in the making of the contacts. Disposable contacts are comfortable and safe, though they may not be as visually clear as some other types of contacts.

Many people that wear contacts and are involved in sports, prefer disposable contacts, because they fit the eye tighter, and are harder to knock out if the activity gets rough. If they prefer them, there is no reason that they aren’t good enough for anyone else.

You should always do your research on the different disposable contact options, and see which type would be best for you and the way you live your life.

Which Contact Lense Material Is Right For You?

What your contact lenses are made of affects how they wear in many senses of the word, including how long they last, your comfort and their health impact. For many years contact lenses were made of glass. Today, fewer than 1% are, with the other 99% made from various types of plastic. The choices are predominantly some type of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), polycarbonate or silicon hydroxy gel.

Hard contact lenses introduced in the 1960s are made of PMMA and don’t allow oxygen to move directly through the lens, but some air does reach under it anyway. When a person blinks the lens moves slightly and some air diffuses through the tear solution that covers the eyeball.

Soft contact lenses, first introduced in 1971, were made of a polyacrylamide containing nitrogen (hydroxyethyl methacrylate or HEMA) which made them what is called ‘hydrophilic’. This ability to absorb water makes them flexible, and therefore more comfortable. At the same time, they are slightly more permeable to air than their older cousins.

RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) lenses are midway between a truly hard lens, like glass or PMMA, and a soft lens. They combine PMMA with silicone and fluoropolymers that allow air to get to the eye. That increases your comfort and reduces the odds of health problems due to long-term wear.

Extended wear lenses, which come in anywhere from 2-day to 7-day to even 30-day use models, are made of silicon hydroxy gel. That material allows up to seven times the amount of oxygen to pass through the lens, making it possible to wear them longer than others.

Disposable lenses, first introduced in 1987, have now become extremely popular. They can be worn daily for a week or two and removing them every night is an option. Most are designed to be worn continuously then simply thrown away. Made from a combination of a polymer called etafilcon (42%) and water (58%), they’re very thin, flexible and have excellent gas permeability.

Disposables are especially popular among sports enthusiasts because of the fact that they fit close to the eye, making them very difficult to dislodge. They’re also very comfortable, so they can be easily ignored during activity. However, many don’t offer quite the level of crystal clear vision as other types, so they’re not suitable for everyone. Also, they don’t correct some vision problems as well as other types, which limits their use for some.

Apart from the choice of material and wear characteristics, there are several options today in contact lenses that simply didn’t exist 20 years ago.

Single vision lenses are like a pair of glasses worn close to the eye. They were once the only choice. Today, bifocals in contact lenses are possible. Even multifocal or progressive lenses are an option. These help compensate for presbyopia, a type of farsightedness that affects nearly everyone as they age, typically beginning in the mid-40s.

Investigate your options and you’ll soon find a pair of contact lenses just right for you and your lifestyle.

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.