So you’ve bid farewell to the days of smudged lenses, crooked frames and slippery nose grips? Congratulations! Today’s contact lenses are more comfortable and versatile than ever before. Wearing contacts can be an extremely liberating experience. These convenient lenses have allowed many people to cast aside their old eyeglasses and enter a world they haven’t visited since childhood.
Now that you are free of the many restrictions you must endure when wearing glasses, there are a few things should know about wearing contacts. The following tips will help you make the most of your contact lenses.
Take Care of Your Vision
There are a variety of components involved in eye care. Regular eye checks are essential. During eye checks, an optometrist or ophthalmologist will administer a standard vision test. The patient will have to read several lines of progressively smaller letters and by doing so demonstrate a range of vision. The condition of the eye must also be examined. If any physical condition or symptom is detected, the eye care professional can then take appropriate actions.
In many cases, corrective lenses are an important part of vision care. Glasses or contacts can usually correct any vision problems the patient is having. Most vision care insurance plans will include regular replacement of contacts or glasses or both, approximately every two years.
Another option that can be extremely effective in correcting vision issues is LASIK surgery. LASIK can sometimes eliminate the need for corrective lenses altogether, however, not everyone is a candidate for the surgery. Consult a trained professional to determine whether LASIK is right for you.
Dry Eyes
There is no specific contact type or brand intended for dry eyes, but there are contacts that work better for those who tend to have drier eyes. Most of the traditional soft contacts are “wet” containing up to 75 percent water in some cases. The wet contacts evaporate throughout the day. Since soft contacts are moisture absorbing, they draw water from the eye to replace the moisture that has evaporated. This leads to dry eyes.
Look for soft contacts that contain less water. Some soft contacts are now being made from a hydrogel material that contains only about 30 percent water. Hydrogel contacts are the best option on the market for those who struggle with eye dryness.
Cleaning Extends Life of Contacts
When properly cleaned and stored, many soft contacts can last up to an entire year. The job of contact lens cleaners is to remove protein buildup. The most common way to clean and store your contacts is with one solution, referred to as a multi-purpose solution.
The multi-purpose solution allows you to clean, disinfect, rinse and store your contacts using the same liquid. Some hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners are used on a weekly basis in the absence of multi-purpose solution. Proper rinsing is essential when using hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners or irritation and burning of the eye is likely.
Enzymatic cleaners are another option. They usually come in the form of small tablets that are dissolved in distilled water. The contacts are soaked in the resulting solution overnight and then rinsed well before insertion. Protein buildup makes contacts cloudy, much less comfortable and ultimately makes them ineffective much sooner than they should be.
Eye Fatigue
When you wear your contacts for extended periods of time without a break, your eyes will inevitably become fatigued. The amount of oxygen and moisture your eyes normally receive is lessened when you wear contacts.
It is important to take them out and give your eyes a rest periodically. If your eyes feel excessively dry or if they look bloodshot, take your contacts out and store them for the rest of the day or evening if you can.
Eye Color
One of the greatest new developments in contact lenses is the availability of different colors. One of the key contributing factors in the creation of colored contacts is the film industry. Actors can now change eye color at will. So can you. You don’t have to be a movie star to change your eyes from blue to brown or even from hazel to cat’s eye.
Although one can get a variety of patterns for their colored contacts, single-color contacts are definitely the least expensive option. Have you ever wondered what you might look like with blue eyes? Now you can find out.
Keep in mind that the first priority for anyone wearing any type of corrective lens is to take care of their vision with regular visits to an eye care professional. Keep your lenses clean to extend their life and promote eye health. When your eyes become fatigued, give them a break. If you are experiencing excessively dryness, try a hydrogel contact lens. Should you find yourself exploring new looks, experiment with a wide variety of colored and patterned contact lenses. Contacts are a convenient, safe and inexpensive way to ditch your glasses for good.