Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are a great alternative for people who do not want to wear spectacles. There are so many different brands and companies to choose from, it makes almost everyone a candidate. Most modern contact lenses are the use of daily disposable. You wear these lenses only one day and you throw them away, which is extremely convenient.
Soft Disposable Contact Lenses
We have come a long way since scientists and mathematicians started experimenting with tubes and water as long ago as the 16th century. Today we are fortunate enough to benefit from the research and development that has gone into contact lenses as we know them today.
Soft disposable contact lenses are the most popular type prescribed and used today. In 2017 nearly 85% of all lenses prescribed in the US where soft contact lenses. The soft lenses we know today can be of two types of material. Hydrogel or Silicone-Hydrogel. Silicone-Hydrogel lenses make up most of the lenses out there today.
Within the Silicone-Hydrogel lens category, there are different companies with different fitting philosophies regarding lenses. Some manufacturers make lenses to last 4 weeks and some make their lenses to last 2 weeks. There are also daily disposable contact lenses that only lasts one day. These daily lenses are the most convenient lenses since there is no contact lens care necessary.
Which lens to use?
Since there are so many different lenses out there to use, how do you know which lens to use? This is why it is important to let your Optometrist do your eye test so that he/she can decide based on the results, which will be the best product to use.
Not one of the lenses out there are the same in terms of the parameters or the design. This is why your eye care professional is the one to make the decision regarding which product will fit your eye the best.
Materials
The materials have evolved from hard plastic lenses to soft gel-like materials. The most commonly used material is silicone-hydrogel. This combination of materials has allowed for longer, more comfortable wear. The reason for that is the increased oxygen transmission through the lens to the cornea.
Unfortunately, some people are allergic to silicone and can cause an allergic reaction. Luckily there are some materials that have lower concentrations of silicone and more surface treatment to protect the eye from the silicone.
There are also hard plastic lenses that are not as comfortable as the soft lenses but also offer good vision, especially when it comes to irregular corneas.