Before 1987, only non-disposable contact lenses were available which many opticians are reluctant to prescribe today as they tend to cause more problems than disposable contacts. In 1992, tined disposables were available and became very popular. Later in 1995, daily disposables came in vogue. Now in the UK 99% of all contact lenses prescribed are disposable.
Since daily disposables need less maintenance than two-weekly and monthly disposables, they can save time to some extent. Generally, extended wear disposables are much cheaper and more durable, but they have the additional cost of accessories. People wearing contact lenses usually have problems related to dirty lenses with deposits.
With non-disposables, you need to take them out of your eyes at night, clean carefully and store the lens in a lens case. So you may wonder whether you have cleaned the lenses completely. Though the lens may be cleanable for a while and tears can protect your eye sometimes, you should pay more attention to some eye problems related to the cleaning.
With disposable contacts, you don’t need to worry about the consequences associated with non-disposables, such as the bacteria picked up by lens. The disposable lenses are also much thinner than other lenses, so that they can allow for more oxygen to pass through to the cornea, making the wearers feel much better. Bob Hughes, the general secretary of the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians, says that disposable lenses make great sense to lots of people.
In a word, the occurrence of disposable lens reflects the development of lens technology. People choose this lens not only for safety and convenience reasons but also for the comfort. The popularity of disposable lenses is quite reasonable.