What are contacts?
Contact lenses are medical devices that get worn directly on the cornea of your eye to help to correct refractive errors. In order to do so, contact lenses either add or subtract focusing power from your eye's cornea and lens.
What are the different types of contact lenses?
The four most common types of contact lenses are:
- Rigid gas-permeable: Also called hard contact lenses, rigid gas-permeable contact lenses are made of plastic that is slightly flexible and allows for oxygen to pass through your eyes reducing your risk of getting an eye infection.
- Daily-wear soft lenses: Daily-wear soft lenses tend to be the least expensive option when it comes to contact lenses. You should remove your daily-wear soft lenses every night so the pliable plastic can be cleaned and disinfected, or replaced. The length of time a pair of these contact lenses can get worn depends on the manufacturer.
- Extended-wear: Extended-wear contact lenses allow you to keep your contacts in without worry for up to a week without cleaning, disinfecting, or replacing.
- Disposable lenses: Disposable lenses don't require cleaning or disinfection. Instead, you wear them for the recommended time frame and then discard them. Each manufacturer determines the length of time a pair of contacts gets worn.
Why choose contacts instead of eyeglasses?
While good eyesight is important for everyday activities and contributes to overall well-being and independence, choosing between eyeglasses and contact lenses often comes down to individual comfort, lifestyle, and budget.
Some of the benefits of wearing contact lenses include:
- Move with your eye
- Allow an undistorted and unobstructed natural field of view
- Don’t fog up
- Don’t get splattered by mud or rain
- Not susceptible to any glare
- No discomfort from a frame resting on your nose
- Don’t cosmetically change your appearance
Undergoing a complete eye exam and fitting reduces your risk of complications. Additionally, it is essential that you follow the care directions to avoid injury and infection. To discuss the vision correction option that contact lenses offer, call or make an appointment online today with one of the doctors at James N. Cohn M.D. & Associates in Fremont, California.
