If wearing glasses clashes with your preferred aesthetics, there’s always a backup plan in the form of contact lenses. Contact lenses have become one of the most common ways of sight correction. These optical aids are made of special materials that are placed on the eye to correct vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. But, before going for contact lenses, it’s best to consult with your doctor about the type that works best for you. Below are listed various types of contact lenses that might help you either improve your vision or just add the extra edge to your style.
Soft lenses
These are made from a special gel-like type of plastic that contains water. The water lets oxygen pass through the lens to your cornea. That’s what keeps your eyes healthy and less dry. Without enough oxygen, your vision can become blurry and cloudy. Many soft lenses are disposable which saves you from having to clean them and it reduces the chance of infection. Daily soft contact lenses are designed to be worn for one day. You apply them in the morning, wear them all day and then dispose of them before bed. On the second day, you put on a new sterile pair of lenses, and repeat the process. From a health point of view, one-day lenses are the best option, because they can’t create deposits that would cause complications in just one day. Also, the greatest advantage of daily soft contact lenses is that we don’t have to clean them or think about them. They serve to improve our sight for that day, without any annoyances or scratches. As for the price of these lenses, they are pricier than longer-lasting lenses, but are proven to be the healthiest and most comfortable option for the human eye.
Color lenses
Dark eye color is the most common in the world, and researches have shown that every human at some point wanted to change their eye color in blue or green. Because of this, color contact lenses increased in popularity. The color of the eye can be changed to almost any shade. They can be found in two alternatives- colored lenses with diopter which can also solve your vision problems, or without diopter which are used for cosmetics purposes. Just like ordinary lenses, they are not harmful to your eyes if you follow your ophthalmologist’s instructions. These lenses have to be cleaned regularly, kept in an appropriate place and should never be shared with other people.
Rigid lenses
Rigid (PMMA) lenses are made of plastic that’s very durable, transparent, scratch-resistant, and also resistant to creating deposits. Their great disadvantage is that they don’t let oxygen pass through, so the cornea gets oxygen through tears. This type of lenses is no longer being used, except rarely by patients with specific conditions. An improved version of the rigid lenses is a gas-permeable or semi-hard lens (RGP) that lets oxygen pass through. The biggest advantages of this type of lenses are that they provide a more stable eyesight sharpness than soft lenses, they are long-lasting, and more resistant to deposit creation. They are the only solution for people with high astigmatism and keratoconus that can’t be corrected with soft lenses.
Rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lenses
Rigid gas-permeable GP lenses are made of solid silicone-based material and fluorosilicone. They are easier to apply, remove and maintain than soft lenses, and the vision itself is sharper. They don’t contain water, so the proteins and lipids from the tear film don’t deposit as much on the lens surface. Gas-permeability of new materials for GP lenses is very high, so the cornea will get enough oxygen it needs to stay healthy. Some studies have shown that RGP lenses can be used to prevent the development of short-sightedness in children and teenagers, so they are usually the first choice when it comes to this population. If you haven’t worn these GP contact lenses before, you will need two or three weeks to adjust. Also, to achieve maximum comfort, you need to wear them every day. Frequent interruptions longer than a week require a certain readjustment period. It’s best to follow the instructions given to you during training for safe wear and use of lenses.
You should never ignore the symptoms of having bad eyesight because wearing lenses is a simple and painless solution. Talk to your doctor and figure out which work best for you. And if you don’t have any eyesight problems, you can just have fun with colored ones.
