Contact lenses are practically a new concept for most people. A lot of people still prefer to wear glasses in order to correct their own visual problems. But sometimes, using eyeglasses present some disadvantages that need to be addressed. If a person is regularly wearing eyeglasses of the ordinary sort, he is likely more susceptible to glare and the occasional reflective properties of glass that can greatly affect his clear vision. Varying weather conditions might also affect eyeglass wearers in a lot of ways. When it’s raining, one’s eyeglasses can easily get hazy from the raindrops and can render it useless in an instant.
On cold days, eyeglasses tend to fog up more often especially when going inside warmer quarters. One will need to wipe it frequently just to get rid of the moisture and get a clearer vision on everything as well as to avoid being laughed at for having fogged up eyeglasses. And one of the most despised things about wearing eyeglasses is that it can make one look unattractive. This is actually the frequent complaint of a lot of many people out there. Such disadvantages may have persuaded inventors to look for other alternatives in correcting vision problems.
These disadvantages may have spurred the invention of the contact lenses of late. With contact lenses, there is finally an alternative which can do away with the drawbacks experienced with wearing eyeglasses. Contact lenses make it possible for one to finally improve one’s vision without having to wear eyeglasses. It can be such a welcome answer to people with vision problems but do not want to wear prescription eyeglasses. With contact lenses, it would be difficult for others to recognize a person’s vision problems unlike prescription eyeglasses which is a plain giveaway in itself.
There are two types of contact lenses available for people. They can choose either from soft contact lenses or the rigid gas permeable types. Soft contact lenses can contain from 25 percent to as much as 79 percent water which makes them soft and more comfortable to wear.The rigid gas permeable contact lenses meanwhile can take longer to get accustomed to. Its one advantage is that it is made of a more durable material than soft contact lenses and can offer crisper vision as compared to contact lenses of the softer varieties. Rigid gas permeable lenses are also more resistant to deposit buildup and tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens when compared to the softer versions which may even require frequent replacements.
The life of a rigid gas permeable contact lens can usually last for a couple of years except when in need of a new prescription pair. But with soft contact lenses, there is a need for regular replacement of new lenses. There are soft contact lenses that can be worn for a year before needing a replacement. There is also the frequent replacement type of contact lenses which may require you only one month of wearing before needing a new replacement.
There are also contact lenses available that can be worn only for short periods for convenience. These are the disposable types of contact lenses. They are further divided into different types depending on the level of convenience that you wish for. There are daily and extended wear disposable contact lenses which offer you a week or two of use before of disposing. For the ultimate in convenience, there is the one day wear only disposable contact lens which has virtually eliminated the need for cleaning the lenses which can sometimes be a chore. But disposable contact lenses can be very expensive for most to use regularly except, that is, if you have money to burn and you look for comfort and convenience more than the cost.