Best Contact Lenses Overview

Posted on 13th August 2009 by admin in best contact lenses - Tags:

best contact lenses

Spectacle corrections used to be the correction of choice In the past.  With modern technology, people are now choosing contact lenses as an alternative or backup to eye surgery or spectacles.

 

The reason is that contact lenses are becoming safer and safer every day. They also cost much less than they used to.  Roughly 30% of the world’s vision corrections are contact lenses.  In America alone over 34 million people wear contact lenses.

 

So what are the best contact lenses?

There are two types of contact lenses, rigid (hard) contact lenses and soft (flexible) contact lenses.  A rigid or hard lens is a small thin plastic that fits over the cornea of eye.  Flexible or soft lenses are slightly larger and are made of thin plastic that absorb fluid.  Rigid lenses come as non gas permeable and gas permeable. Gas permeable lenses allow more oxygen to the eye and actually float on a tear film on the cornea.  People with high astigmatism and irregular shaped corneas see much better with this type of lens.

 

The soft lenses are usually more comfortable to wear and are the favoured lenses of choice by most eye doctors.  In recent years disposable lenses have made contact lenses even more popular.  These are lenses that can be worn for a specified period of time and then discarded.  They are usually more expensive, are more comfortable and help reduce the risk of infection.  Some of these lenses can be worn overnight, but it is highly recommended that they be taken out before going to bed to prevent the risk of infection.

 

Contact lenses can also be worn for cosmetic reasons.  They are available in various colors and help give the appearance of a different eye color.  Some of the best contact lenses are made for dramatic effects such as cat’s eyes.  These are great for events such as Halloween or Carnival.  Most of these contact lenses are also available in prescription form.

 

Contact lenses are an alternative to eyeglasses.  There are some people who do not like the look and feel of eye glasses.  Some tend to lose their glasses a lot and as such contact lenses are a great alternative.  People who wear contact lenses are required to check their eyes more often than those who wear normal glasses.  People with severe allergies, frequent infections and dry eyes are not advised to use contact lenses.  There are also other conditions that do not allow the use of contact lenses. Your eye doctor can advise you on this.

 

Next  we will expand our discussion on the different types of contact lenses and how to take care of them.

 

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Coloured Contact Lenses

Posted on 24th August 2009 by admin in astigmatism contact lenses,best contact lenses,bifocal contact lens,colors contact lenses,contact lenses buy online,custom contact lenses,daily contact lenses,monthly contact lenses

 Coloured contact lenses can enhance the natural color of one’s eyes.  They can change your eye’s appearance for example from brown to hazel or from brown to green.  They come in three different types of tints.1) opaque colors 2) enhancements 3) visibility tints

Opaque colors can change your eye colour completely, because they are made of solid color patterns.  In countries where most people have dark eyes this is the lens color of choice.  The popular lens colors are usually brown, hazel, green, violet, gray, amethyst and blue.  Most colored contact lenses mimic the natural look of the iris of the eye, leaving the center (where the pupil is) clear.

On occasion the contact lens may slide off the center of the eye causing a blur.  This is rare however.  Also it must be noted that the pupil changes in size according to the amount of light that enters it.  This means that usually at night the pupil is larger and this can affect vision in some patients because they then see the coloured portion of the contact lens.  If this is a persistent problem is recommended that you see your eye doctor.

Enhancement tints are solid tints aalthough one can still see through them.  They are meant to enhance the existing color of one’s eyes and I usually best for people who have liked Coloured eyes and are looking to make them more intense.

Visibility parents are usually just mild tints to the added to the lens to help people especially those with high prescriptions see better during the removal of insertion of the lens.  This allows people to find their lenses more easily.  They have no effect on the eye color.

Nearly all of these lenses described are available in nonprescription form as well as for people who need prescriptions.

Dr Onu

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10 questions about contact lenses

Posted on 24th August 2009 by admin in astigmatism contact lenses,best contact lenses,bifocal contact lens,colors contact lenses,contact lenses buy online,custom contact lenses,daily contact lenses,monthly contact lenses - Tags: , , , ,

10 questions about contact lenses

1.      Question:  I have astigmatism. Can I wear contact lenses?


Answer:  Of course you can!  Over the last two years, improvements have been made on most contact lenses.  Nearly everyone can now wear contact lenses.  Soft toric lenses can correct astigmatism, a bifocal contact lens can correct presbyopia and more and more lenses are available for dry eye sufferers. 


2.      Question:  Are contact lenses uncomfortable?


     Answer:  Not really!  Initially there might be some slight   discomfort, but after a short adaptation time, most people hardly notice that they have contact lenses on their eyes..


 


3.    Question:  Can contact lenses get stuck to my eye?


 Answer:  Again not really!  Contact lenses are made to float on the surface of the eye.  They  do  not stick to the eye.  There is a story that about a welder who accidentally fused contact lenses to his eyes.  This is an unlikely story.  Of course without proper care accidents can happen.


 


4.      Question:  How difficult is it to take care of contact lenses?


        Answer:  Contact lenses are very easy to take care of.  You can use the one step system to clean and disinfect your lenses or you can eliminate cleaning altogether, by using daily disposables or 30 day extended wear contact lenses.


5.      Question:  Are contact lenses difficult to insert?


Answer:  Just like riding a bike, initially it might appear difficult, but your eye care practitioner and staff will teach you very simple ways to insert and remove your contact lenses.  Over 80 million people wear contact lenses.


 


6.       Question: Can contact lenses pop out of my eye?


Answer: Again not really!  In the olden days hard contact lenses used to do this, but today this is a rare occurrence.


 


7.       Question: Am I too old for contact lenses?


Answer: Never!  With the advent of bifocal contact lenses, toric contact lenses  and contact lenses for dry eye sufferers this is a thing of the past.  There is practically a contact lens for nearly every situation.


 


8.       Question: I’ve heard that contact lenses can be very expensive?


Answer: That’s not true!  Contact lenses can be even cheaper than a good pair of eyeglasses.  Even disposable contact lenses do not cost much.


 


9.      Question: I have nonprescription coloured contact lenses.  Can I share them with others?


Answer: Never!  Sharing contact lenses is an absolute no-no!  This can lead to serious eye


 


infections .  Remember !  Contact lenses are medical devices.  They are fitted by your eye care practitioner and are to be cleaned regularly with the appropriate solutions.


 


10.  Question:  Can I stretch the replacement interval of my disposable contact lenses?


Answer:  It is very important to adhere to the directions of your eye care practitioner.  Stretching the replacement interval of your disposable contact lenses can lead to problems.  If you have any questions, contact your eye care practitioner.


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Colors Contact Lenses

Posted on 23rd August 2009 by admin in colors contact lenses - Tags: , ,

 Coloured contact lenses can enhance the natural color of one’s eyes.  They can change your eye’s appearance for example from brown to hazel or from brown to green.  They come in three different types of tints.1) opaque colors 2) enhancements 3) visibility tints

Opaque colors can change your eye colour completely, because they are made of solid color patterns.  In countries where most people have dark eyes this is the lens color of choice.  The popular lens colors are usually brown, hazel, green, violet, gray, amethyst and blue.  Most colored contact lenses mimic the natural look of the iris of the eye, leaving the center (where the pupil is) clear.

On occasion the contact lens may slide off the center of the eye causing a blur.  This is rare however.  Also it must be noted that the pupil changes in size according to the amount of light that enters it.  This means that usually at night the pupil is larger and this can affect vision in some patients because they then see the coloured portion of the contact lens.  If this is a persistent problem it is recommended that you see your eye doctor.

Enhancement tints are solid tints although one can still see through them.  They are meant to enhance the existing color of one’s eyes and are usually best for people who have light coloured eyes and are looking to make them more intense.

Visibility tints are usually just mild tints added to the lens to help people, especially those with high prescriptions see the lens better.  This allows people to find their lenses more easily.  They have no effect on the eye color.

Nearly all of these lenses described are available in nonprescription form as well as for people who need prescriptions.

Dr Onu

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Disposal Intervals of Contact Lenses & Designs

Posted on 16th August 2009 by admin in astigmatism contact lenses,best contact lenses,bifocal contact lens,colors contact lenses,contact lenses buy online,custom contact lenses,daily contact lenses,monthly contact lenses - Tags: , , , ,

Today we will discuss the disposal intervals of the best contact lenses.  Even with the best care available, it is imperative to replace contact lenses frequently.  This helps to prevent contamination and the buildup of deposits (usually protein) on the lenses.  Frequent replacement also helps reduce the risk of eye infections.

Depending on how frequently they should be discarded, soft contact lenses are classified as follows:

A)           Daily disposables (to be discarded every single day)

B)            Bi-weekly disposables (to be discarded after two weeks –usually used for daytime wear)

C)            Weekly disposables (to be discarded after one week –usually used for overnight wear)

D)           Continuous wear (to be discarded every four weeks –usually used for 30 day wear)

E)            Planned replacement lenses (to be discarded every few months decided by the eye doctor)

Gas permeable contact lenses do not need to be discarded as frequently as soft contact lenses.  This is because they are more resistant to protein buildup and other lens deposits.  They can be used for a year or longer before they need replacement.

Now let’s talk about contact lens designs.  There are many designs available for the correction of various types of vision challenges.

Spherical contact lenses are typically the rounded designs that correct nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia).

Toric contact lenses correct astigmatism as well as myopia or hyperopia.  They are created at different angles.  One for myopia or hyperopia and the other for astigmatism 

Bifocal or Progressive contact lenses are lenses that have different zones for distance and near.  These are used for most people over the age of 40 who are also in need of reading glasses.

There are also custom lenses that are made for hard to fit eyes.  They are less common and are only used for special situations such as correcting irregular shaped corneas.  A condition known as keratoconus.  

written by Dr. K.Onu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What You Should Know About The Best Contact Lenses

Posted on 16th August 2009 by admin in astigmatism contact lenses,best contact lenses,contact lenses buy online,custom contact lenses,daily contact lenses,monthly contact lenses - Tags: , ,

About 30% of the world’s lens users wear contact lenses.  The estimated figure is about 80 million contact lens wearers worldwide. Over 74% of these contact lens wearers are between the ages of 18 and 48.

 

Just like spectacles, contact lenses can correct farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism.  One advantage of contact lenses ist that there is no need for irreversible eye surgery.  They also provide a totally unobstructed field of view which is fantastic for sports.

 

They have been around for over 100 years.  So many technological advancements have taken place since then.  So, if you were told that contact lenses were not right for you in the past, it is quite possible that with the latest type of lenses there may be a new option for you.

 

If contact lenses are new for you, the first thing to do is to see your eye doctor.  Just like pharmaceuticals, contact lenses are a prescription item and they must be prescribed and properly fitted by eye care professionals.  Your eye care professional evaluates your eye and tear structure and your visual needs in order to determine which lens is best for you.

 

Contact lenses can be grouped according to the following.  Their design, what they’re made of, how long they can be worn without removal and how often they should be disposed of.

 

The best contact lenses, are made from silicone hydrogel.  These are soft lenses and are the lenses of choice for most eye care practitioners.  This is because they do not dry so easily on the eye and they allow oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye.

 

Daily wear contact lenses are lenses that have to be removed and cleaned every night.  In 1979 extended wear contact lenses were introduced.  These are lenses that can be worn overnight.  Some of them can be worn for seven consecutive days without removal.  There is one special type of contact lens that can be worn for 30 consecutive days without removal.  This type of contact lens is called “continuous wear”.

 

Even with the best care, contact lenses should be disposed of at frequent intervals in order to prevent the buildup of lens deposits and also contamination that can lead to an increased risk of infection.

 

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