Contacts: Different Types For Different Purposes

Contact lenses have the same purpose as traditional eyeglasses, but offer numerous opportunities for use since they are very lightweight, and are practically invisible. You can change the color of your eyes, wear a different pair each night or a single pair for an entire month, or wear a pair to suit your mood and clothing; these are possible with contact lenses which come in different types to suit every purpose and need.

Contact lenses differ depending on their function. Corrective contact lenses are designed primarily for improved vision. These are used to correct vision disorders such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, as well as astigmatism and presbyopia. Individuals with color deficiencies can also use red-tinted lenses to improve their ability to distinguish between colors. Cosmetic lenses are intended to change the eye’s appearance, in addition to improving vision. These may come as theatrical lenses which lend the eyes a pleasant or unnatural appearance, widely used in the entertainment industry. Another type of cosmetic contacts are sclerical lenses, which can also cover the white part of the eye. These are difficult to insert and wear, allowing the user to see with very limited vision. Therapeutic lenses are soft contacts used for treating and managing non-refractive eye impairments. Examples of such are ‘bandage’ lenses which prevents an injured or diseased cornea from rubbing against the eyelids during the healing process, contacts which administer medication to the eyes, and lenses which treat numerous other eye conditions.

Contacts also differ based on wear time. Daily wear contacts are removed before sleeping. Extended wear contacts can be worn overnight, for a period of at least six successive nights. Continuous wear contacts can allow the wearer to use them for up to thirty successive nights. There are trade-offs to wearing any particular lens type. Although lens for extended wear afford convenience, they can cause infections or corneal ulcers if the pair are not maintained properly. Using different types in an alternating fashion is thus recommended.

Contacts may be classified according to the frequency of their replacement. Daily disposable lenses are single use pairs which are recommended for those with eye allergies and similar conditions. Normal varieties usually have a lifespan anywhere between two weeks to a month before being disposed of. There are also quarterly and annual contacts, as well as rigid gas permeable contacts which can be worn for several years without being replaced.

The first contacts were hard lenses; they were made of glass, and eventually, plexiglass. And although they fit in on the natural shape of the cornea, they still cause irritation, and wearing them for prolonged periods is inconvenient. Soft lenses are a relatively new development, and solve most of the problems associated with hard lenses; they provide immediate comfort, and can be made to let the cornea ‘breathe’ with increased oxygen permeability. Hard-soft lens hybrids are also available for special cases; a smaller hard lens is fitted on top of a soft lens to provide better visual acuity and comfort to the patient. Contacts may also be spherical or toric in design, and can either be made with one or more focus points to suit the patient’s individual conditions.

• Eye Surgery
  Cosmetic eye surgery is becoming a very popular procedure in order to relief people from the stress or the annoyance of having to wear eye...
• Accelerated Orthokeratology
  Many people are afraid of having invasive surgery like Lasik eye surgery in order to correct problems with their vision. Recently however a company released...
• What You Need to Know About Pre-Operative LASIK Care
  Although LASIK surgery is painless, fast and takes very little time for recovery, it is still not suitable for everyone. In order to determine your...
• Presbyopia: Its Causes, Symptoms, And Cures
  Presbyopia is a visual condition which every person should be concerned about; it affects everyone to a certain extent, at some point in life. Individuals...
• Lasik Eye Surgery
  Lasik eye surgery is a medical procedure that uses lasers to alter the eye in an attempt to correct vision problems that result in people...