Contact Lenses

There are many options when it comes to contact lenses. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors depending on your needs, lifestyle and type of correction. Contact lenses can correct your hyperopia, myopia or astigmatism.

There are three types of contact lens material:

  • Hard Lenses made from Plexiglas or Lucite are nearly obsolete and rarely used today.
  • Soft Lenses are the most commonly used lens material today. They are made from gel-like plastics and are generally a bit larger than your iris in size.
  • GP Lenses, also called RGP contact lenses, are usually smaller in size than your iris. These lenses are made from rigid, waterless plastics and are most effective for correcting presbyopia and high amounts of astigmatism.

A common concern for those new to contact lenses is how long the lens can be worn. Daily disposable contact lenses are put in each morning and removed nightly. Extended wear contacts, however, can be worn overnight for longer periods of time. Some extended wear lenses allow up to 30 days of wear before replacement is necessary, but you should find the extended wear interval that best suits you.

Improper contact lens cleaning or wearing short term lenses past their recommended usage period can result in infection and irritation. Infections such as a corneal ulcer, which can present itself with symptoms similar to pink eye symptoms, can occur when contact lens wearers aren't careful with their lens hygiene.

Additional contact lenses are available to correct specific types of vision problems:

  • Orthokeratology, or ortho-k, lenses are designed specifically to reshape the cornea during sleep, so there is no lens wear during the daytime.
  • Bifocal contact lenses function just like bifocal or multifocal eyeglass lenses. They contain different sections for near and far vision to correct presbyopia.
  • Toric contacts correct mainly for astigmatism, as well as for myopia and hyperopia.

Additional contact lens features are available for those looking to meet specific needs not directly related to a diagnosed condition. If you have found that conventional lenses don't seem to work for you, you might want to try custom contact lenses. Your eye doctor can create contact lenses specifically for your eye shape and refractive error.

Some people may find that wearing contacts makes their eyes uncomfortably dry. Contact lenses for dry eyes are specially made to reduce the risk of lens-related dry eye symptoms.

Colored contacts offer customization options for contact lens wearers. These contacts can enhance the natural color of the eye or change your eye color all together.

If you want to take your customization one step further, then theatrical contact lenses might be what you are looking for. These special effect lenses can make you look like a cat, vampire, or any other character you can come up with. However, your costume contact lenses must still be ordered with a prescription as with any other contact lens.

Your eye doctor must write you a contact lens prescription in order to buy contact lenses.

To find out how you may be eligible for free contact lenses or to learn more about contacts visit AllAboutVision.com.