Aside from the birth of the soft contact lens one of the most popular advancements in lens technology has been the development of extended wear contact lenses. These lenses can be left in your eye 24 hours a day and at least seven days a week or longer before you even need to take them out. This is a huge convenience over daily wear lenses which had to be removed and cleaned each night.
The key behind this advanced technology is oxygen flow. Previously, air couldn’t permeate the lens to get to the cornea and lenses needed to be removed in order for the eye to “breathe”. But the extended wear lenses let oxygen pass through them to the cornea. This is important because if the cornea is deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time it can result in eye problems including corneal edema and giant papillary conjunctivitis.
Extended wear contact lenses are ideal for today’s busy lifestyles since they require minimal maintenance. These lenses are disposable so you simply throw them away after the wear period is over. Then pop in a new pair and you are good to go. No messy cleaning or disinfecting needed.
The first models of extended wear lenses were actually designed to be worn over and over again. These lenses were cleaned and disinfected and then put back in your eye. But these lenses were impossible to completely disinfect and a number of infections in eye irritations happened with this type of lens so manufacturers made a disposable version which is quite convenient. Of course, there is still a slight chance of infection with any contact lenses but if you practice proper hygiene you should minimize your chances of getting an eye infection.
Although the extended wear lenses are very convenient they may not work for everyone. Some people simply do not get enough oxygen in their eyes and will need to wear daily disposable lenses. Others just can’t fathom sleeping with the contact lenses in their eyes and are afraid that they’ll get lost somewhere inside the eye during sleep (this actually cannot happen although if you rub your eyes in your sleep they may fold over or come out).
Whether you choose extended wear contact lenses or daily wear soft lenses I can assure you that you will find the convenience to be quite pleasant. For people that are into sports, there’s nothing like contact lenses to replace eye gasses which can actually be a safety hazard if they break or fall off during play. Plus, the disposable lenses are virtually maintenance free you just need to remember to order enough so that when you dispose of the pair you’re wearing you have a new pair to pop right in.
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