Compare Contact Lenses

You’ve had your eye exam, and your eye doctor says you’re definitely a candidate for contact lenses. Now, it’s time to look at your options. Before you start to compare contact lenses, you’ll probably want to think about what you like and don’t like about eyeglasses. Although glasses can make a fashion statement, they can also be annoying. They fog up in cold weather, and they can get streaked with perspiration or knocked off during physical activity.

You can avoid these problems by wearing contact lenses, but it’s important to understand just what contact lens wear entails. Daily wear lenses must be cleaned and disinfected every night. Of course, when you compare contact lenses, you’ll also learn about daily disposable contact lenses, which you wear one day and then throw away, and extended wear lenses, which you can wear for 7 days and 6 nights – yes, you can sleep in them – before you have to throw them away. Continuous wear lenses are approved for up to 30 days and nights of wear.

As you compare contact lenses, it’s good to understand some basic differences. There are three types of contact lens material: hydrogel, silicone hydrogel and gas permeable. Hydrogel lenses are pliable, a bit larger than the iris, and comfortable as soon as you put them on. Silicone hydrogel lensesare bit stiffer than hydrogels. An important advantage of silicone hydrogel lenses is that they allow more oxygen to reach your cornea than hydrogel lenses.

Gas permeable lenses are smaller and more rigid than hydrogels and silicone hydrogels, and they may feel somewhat uncomfortable when you first put them on, but most people get used to these lenses very quickly. Gas permeable lenses allow the most oxygen through to your eyes, and because they hold their shape, they can correct higher prescriptions and even astigmatism. Your eye doctor will help you compare contact lenses, and together you can decide which type will be best for you.