Wearing Contact Lenses: Pros, Cons and Contact Lens Care Tips

Contact lenses, in this modern day, have become an highly sophisticated eye product. With so many types of contact lenses available on the market today, ranging from daily-wear soft lenses made of flexible and soft plastic, extended-wear soft lenses for overnight use, silicon extended wear disposable soft lenses which reduce dry eye irritation and prevent deposit build-up (they can be worn for up to 30 nights and days), to daily-wear disposable soft lenses which can be thrown away within the day, just how do you go about selecting an appropriate pair?

Pros of Wearing Contact Lenses

Worldwide, approximately 125 million people use contact lenses for their more convenient choices. No wonder there is such a big swing from spectacles to contact lenses, especially with the invention of the more convenient daily disposable lenses. These lenses can be thrown away every night, and require no cleaning solutions at all. Also, no maintenance is required whatsoever. They are completely hassle-free and the reason why more people opt to move away from traditional glasses to this type of lens.

The high level of demand has also increased the varieties and options that offer exciting choices for consumers. You can choose the non-corrective cosmetic type or the decorative contact lenses to make your eyes look bigger. These contact lenses are commonly used in zombie and horror films. Think of both Robert Pattinson in Twilight and Michael Jackson in Thriller and you’ll get a picture of what I mean.

If you want to change the color of your eyes, you can actually wear the fancy colored lenses. You’ll be impressed by your amazing pair of a sexy green or sapphire blues pair! They look awesome!

People who suffer from Keratoconus, a condition in which there is an irregular distortion of the surface of the cornea resulting in poor vision, cannot be corrected by wearing glasses but can see better by wearing contact lenses instead.

Certain specially designed contact lenses are proven to be effective in treating certain eye diseases. Likewise, there are lenses specifically used to correct myopia and astigmatism. Acuvue Oasys is particularly used for wearers who have astigmatisms. Many patients can see better after cataract surgery by using contact lenses and these lenses are more comfortable and cause no distortion and magnification in vision.

Cons of Wearing Contact Lenses

Since the lenses are put into the eyes, conditions like cornea warping, inflammation and infection may occur. This is particularly true when the wearers do not spend time in lenses cleaning routines.

People who have a history record of recurrent severe allergic reactions or eye infections may not be suitable to wear contact lenses. The reason is that they will have more eye problems with contact lenses and therefore are advised to stick to wearing glasses.

People who suffer from high mucous content in their tears or patients with low tear production are discouraged from wearing contact lenses. By wearing contact lenses, they will have to face difficulties in tolerating contact lenses while keeping them clean. Similarly, patients who need specially made lenses in their glasses or those who work in a dirty and dusty environment may not be able to wear contact lenses and avoid any eye-related problems.

Contact lenses expose one to the risk of your eyes being scratched or you may experience a nasty eye infection, when foreign material (such as dust, tiny sand) deposits on the surface of your eyes.

Contact lenses can cause problems if they’re not properly handled and cared for. Since contact lenses are a delicate product, they need more proper care than the glasses. You need to handle the cleaning routines by disinfecting and cleaning them thoroughly on a daily basis.

Prior to handling the lenses or using the saline to soak lens overnight, if you forget to wash your hands, the lenses that you’re wearing can be as problematic outweighing their benefit in aiding your vision. In other words, poor compliance in handling contact lenses can increase the risks of eye inflection. Therefore, they come with a huge responsibility for you to keep and maintain them properly.

And don’t wear your lenses for too long at a stretch, as they will not allow enough room for oxygen to pass through. This is particularly observed when you’re wearing certain hard lenses which do not permit oxygen into your eyes, if they’re worn for a longer period.

As regular conventional contact lenses wearers, you should be aware that deposits may find a place in your lenses, so you should keep them clean thoroughly to prevent the occurrence of eye problems that can cause irritation and discomfort.

When you start wearing contact lenses for the first time, you may experience short periods of minor discomfort and mild redness. Your vision may sometimes become blurred.

Things to Take Note While Wearing Contact Lenses

Prior to touching your lenses, make sure that you’ve washed your hands thoroughly with water and soap.

After using your lenses for a while, you shouldn’t extend the usage of your lenses beyond the recommended wearing schedule. Even though you can’t see any damage on your lenses, your lenses have started to wear and even have retained traces of debris. Proper cleaning can’t keep your lenses in a good shape because they’re already infected with germs. The extend usage of the lenses can therefore make you feel uncomfortable and your eyes may be at high risk of being infected.

Place the lenses you want to clean neatly on your palm and gently rub both sides of its surface.

Regardless of brands of solution, once opened, you’ve to use them within a month. The solution must be tossed away one month after being opened.

Make sure that you disinfect and clean your lens case every week and replace them every month.

Before soaking your clean lenses in fresh disinfecting solution, always make sure that you rinse them with cleaning solution.

Never nap or sleep with your contact lenses unless you’re permitted to do so by your optometrist.

Make an attempt to visit the eye care specialist to check on your eyes annually. This will enable the specialist to detect any changes in your vision and other unseen problem as well.

Never try to borrow contact lenses, or obtain them without a prescription. This act will cause a serious problem due to incorrect fit. You may have been wearing contact lenses for years, still it is always wiser to have your optometrist examine your prescription as this will help to ensure that your lenses fit your eyes well.

Under a bright light, examine your lenses closely to see whether they are in a good condition.

After wearing contact lenses, if you experience any discomfort or your vision becomes blurry, you should consult your optometrist immediately.

When you’ve mild redness, allergies, inflammation, irritation, or infection around and in your eyelids or eyes, and these conditions persist more than a few days; contact your optometrist right away. These conditions may indicate an eye problem that requires immediate medical attention.

Prior to fitting your lens, it is strongly recommended you have a thorough eye examination.

While making choices for contact lenses, make sure that your lenses are fitted and prescribed by an eye care professional. This is because everyone’s eyes are slightly varied in terms of shapes and sizes, and therefore it’s essential to have your eye care professional fit your lens for your eye’s particular shape and size. This is also important to help you match the vision correction needs based upon the environment where you’re working at or live in, lifestyle requirement, your budget, the amount of time needed for your lens cleaning routines (whether you’re occasional or daily contact lens wearer), wearing hours and other contact lens related problems.