Contact lenses, when used properly, are very convenient and with the latest advancements in technology, are extremely comfortable. Most of the time you will hardly know you are wearing them, though you will certainly notice how clear your vision is. Contact lenses are small lenses worn, on the surface of the eye to correct vision.
We are happy to discuss the options available for you. Many patients choose contact lenses for their primary vision correction and glasses for an alternative or part-time wear. Many patients prefer to wear glasses for the majority of their day, but have activities and events where they’d rather not wear their glasses and choose contact lenses for these times.
If you are a first-time wearer, click here for wearing instructions and click here for Easiest and Safest Way to Order Contacts
- Conventional Soft Lenses Disposable Soft Lenses
- Toric Soft Lenses Extended Wear
- Rigid Gas Permeable Solutions
- Contact Lens Instructions Contact Lens Care
Contact Lens Types
The type of contact lenses available has literally exploded in recent years. There are now contact lenses available for almost everyone. New contacts are being introduced every year, meaning many of our patients were unable to wear contacts in the past are finding great success with them now. You owe it to yourself to see what is new. We carry many options, and promise to do our best in selecting contact lenses that you will love wearing. The following is a brief list of some of the options available. During your contact lens appointment a significant portion of the exam is spent discussing your visual needs in order to determine which contact lens style and design will best suite you.
Disposable Soft Lenses
Disposable soft lenses are much more popular than conventional soft lenses. These lenses are worn for a period of time and then, of course, thrown away. The most well-known disposables last for two weeks or one month but that is quickly changing to the one-day disposables These are perfect for many patients who were told they could not wear contact lenses because of allergies or mild dry eye conditions. They have a low cost per lens, are extremely convenient and reduce the risk of contact lens related eye infections making them ideal for teenagers, college students and any busy adult. They are also popular for athletes and hobbyists who do not necessarily want to wear contact lenses every day.
Multifocal Soft Lenses
Recent technology has greatly improved the bifocal soft contact lens to a new and improved multifocal lens. These contact lenses function similar to progressive or no-line bifocals by providing multiple ranges instead of just two distances. Now, patients past their 40s who need bifocals can enjoy the comfort and benefits of soft contact lenses.
Toric Soft Lenses
Toric lenses are used to optically correct astigmatism. Astigmatism is a vision condition where a non-uniformed shaped cornea affects the vision. In the past, the only options for those with astigmatism were either glasses or hard gas permeable contact lenses. But toric soft contact lenses, which are lenses with a special design, now offer a fantastic alternative. There are several types of toric lenses to choose from–with a design to suit most visual requirements including disposables.
Extended Wear Soft Lenses
Toric lenses are used to optically correct astigmatism. Astigmatism is a vision condition where a non-uniformed shaped cornea affects the vision. In the past, the only options for those with astigmatism were either glasses or hard gas permeable contact lenses. But toric soft contact lenses, which are lenses with a special design, now offer a fantastic alternative. There are several types of toric lenses to choose from–with a design to suit most visual requirements including disposables.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses
As the name implies, these lenses are hard and gas permeable. If you’ve been told you cannot wear soft lenses, RGP lenses are often a great alternative. RGP lenses are available in specialized designs to correct just about any vision disorder. RGP contacts are also very useful in managing eyes or prescriptions that are uncommon such as after eye injuries, surgeries, Keratoconus, etc.
Solutions
There are a variety of solutions available from many different manufacturers. The important thing to remember is that not every solution is right for every type of contact lens. Some contact lenses require the use of multipurpose solutions, while others require separate solutions for the four steps in contact lens care: disinfecting, cleaning, rinsing, and enzyming. Use only the lens solutions that are recommended by your eye doctor. Generics such as Equate brand can have chemicals that irritate some patients eyes. If you wish to change brands, check with our office first. Some of the common brands we use for soft contacts are: Opti-free Puremoist, Biotrue by B&L, Clear Care, and Peroxiclear.
Contact Lens Instructions
Few things affect the quality of your life more than your eyes-never put them at risk. Contact lenses are prescription medical devices. To make sure your eyes and vision stay healthy while wearing contact lenses, please follow these few guidelines or the instructions recommended by your doctor.
Ocular complications and/or long-term corneal damage are the consequences of contact lenses that are worn longer than recommended. Oftentimes, your lenses will still feel good even when you are over-wearing them. Do not wear your lenses overnight unless they are approved for extended wear and your doctor has discussed this with you. Overnight wear increases the risk of infection and other complications.
Wearing Schedule
It will take at least a few days for your eyes to get used to wearing contact lenses. The best way to insure maximum visual comfort and keep your eyes healthy is to patiently and faithfully adhere to this wearing schedule.
Day | RGP(Hard) | Soft Lenses |
|---|---|---|
Day-1 | 4 hours | 6 hours |
Day-2 | 6 hours | 8 hours |
Day-3 | 8 hours | 10 hours |
Day-4 | 10 hours | 12 hours |
Day-5 | 12 hours | 12 hours |
Oftentimes, your lenses will still feel good even when you are over-wearing them. Listed below, are some basic Do’s and Dont’s of Contact Lens Care:
- DON’T wear your lenses overnight unless they are approved for extended wear and your doctor has discussed this with you. Overnight wear increases the risk of infection and other complications.
- DON’T continue use of contact lenses if your eyes become red, irritated, painful, or if your vision gets worse while wearing lenses. Immediately take out the lenses and clean them. Let your eyes get back to normal and if the problem persists, contact our office.
- DON’T exceed the wearing times suggested, even if your lenses still feel comfortable. Studies have proven that the eye needs time to adapt to contact lenses, and your wearing schedule is based on those studies.
- DON’T ever use tap water on your lenses!
- DO remove your contact lenses at least one hour before going to bed to allow for proper oxygen nourishment to the cornea.
- DO wear your contact lenses for at least 3 hours before your follow-up appointment unless you are experiencing discomfort.
- DO schedule and keep follow-up appointments with your eye doctor.
Caring for Your Contacts
Deposits and infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses–etc., can build up on the surface of all contact lenses. For this reason, it is very important to keep them clean and disinfected. The best way to care for your lenses is to follow the advice of the optometrist on how the take care of them!
There are Five steps in contact lens care—follow the care prescribed for your lenses. Some Solutions perform most steps in one solution:
- Cleaning removes dirt, mucous, and other debris that gets on the lenses during wear.
- Disinfecting kills bacteria (germs) on the lenses. Disinfecting is essential to prevent serious eye infections.
- Rinsing removes the other solutions from the lenses and prepares the lenses for wear.
- Enzyming uses enzyme drops or tablets to remove protein and other deposits that build up over time on the lenses.
- Replacing your lenses as directed. You can’t keep a worn out lens comfortable and safe by trying to clean it beyond when it is recommended to be replaced.
The best way to properly care for your lenses is to develop a care routine, then stick to it.
Remember to:
- Follow the directions outlined by your eye doctor. Oftentimes instructions are also listed on the packaging or the package insert for the contact lens solutions prescribed for you.
- Multi-purpose solutions can be used for more than one step in contact lens care. Read the label to see which functions the solutions can be used for.
- Many solutions can not be used together, and not all solutions are appropriate for all types of lenses. Only use solutions recommended by your eye doctor, and check with your eye doctor if you want to switch brands.
- When you remove your lenses, they must be cleaned, rinsed, and disinfected before they are worn again.
- Enzyming and cleaning are not a substitute for disinfecting.
- Lenses that have been stored for more than 24 hours should be cleaned, disinfected, and rinsed again prior to wear.
- Make sure solution containers are kept closed tightly, stored upright, and kept in a clean, dry, cool place when you are not using them. Keep your case clean and replace it every 3 months to prevent bacterial growth. In addition, cleaning the case with warm soapy water once a week, rinsing, and allowing it to air dry helps prevent bacterial buildup.
- Don’t touch container bottle tips to any surface to prevent them from becoming contaminated.
- Throw away expired solutions. (Look on the bottle for the expiration date!) A single contact lens wearer who wears contacts most days should be using about 8 bottles (12 fl oz) a year of multiple purpose solution to clean and store soft contacts. If you using substantially less than this, you are probably not adequately cleaning your contact lenses.
- Use new solution in your contact lenses case every day sufficient to fully submerge the contact lenses in its case.
- Discuss with your eye doctor the care for your lenses if you wear them while swimming in a pool, lake, or hot tub.
- Only use approved rewetting drops for lubricating or wetting your lenses. Never place the lenses in your mouth. (Yuck!)
- Do not use tap water to rinse soft contact lenses.
- Be careful with makeup, lotions, creams and sprays–consider putting on lenses before makeup and remove them before removing makeup. Also, water-based makeup is less likely to damage lenses than oil-based makeup.
Here’s what you need to watch for: Redness, blurriness, light sensitivity. Remove your lenses if you are experiencing any of these 3 things. If severe symptoms are present, contact our office immediately. Otherwise, if your eyes have not returned to normal after 24 hours, please contact our office. If you have any change in vision, comfort, or irritation, immediately remove your lenses. If there is no improvement within a couple of hours, please contact our office.
Contacts That Restore Vision Near and Far
At Insight Eyecare, we are excited to offer patients the freedom that new multifocal contacts allow. These newer soft (even daily disposable) contact lenses provide patients with distance, intermediate and near vision and have proven to be much more successful than the options we had 5 years ago. In the past, less than 40 percent of bifocal contact fits were successful. Those old contacts were expensive and patients tend to quit wearing them after a few months. Current generation of contacts have success in over 90 percent of patients. These newer lenses are comfortable, easy to use and adapt to, and are not significantly more expensive than non-multifocals. Multifocal contacts give you freedom to live your life how you wish without carrying around glasses. Call our office today to set up your Multifocal Contact Lens Fitting.
Great message from the CDC, click on the infographic to enlarge and share with friends/family!
Daily replacement Contacts
Would you like to not have to scrub, rinse, and soak your contacts every night to keep them clean? How nice would it feel to have that fresh contact lens feeling every day? Now you can with daily replacement contacts, also in astigmatism and multifocal. These lenses are safer, more convenient, and more comfortable than traditional lenses that have to be cleaned and soaked every night. Dailies contacts are healthier for the eyes and take less time out of your life. Plus you are not buying solutions and cases. Do you travel a lot? Dallies are better for that too! Come see us today about the fastest growing way to wear contacts.
Multifocal Contacts
Were you told that you needed to put reading glasses over your contacts just to see your computer or phone? That is not true anymore! Most patients can wear multifocal contacts or monovision contacts to give them freedom to read their phone, see a menu in a restaurant, or read a magazine. Multifocal contacts even come in Daily replacements now! Please contact us so we may help give you freedom from those readers!
Astigmatism Contacts
Years ago astigmatism contacts only worked on a handful of patients, not always having good results. That was back when computers were big and slow, now things have changed in computers and contacts. We have astigmatism contacts that provide clear, stable vision for even large amounts of astigmatism that we did not think was possible 10 years ago. These lenses are comfortable, easy to wear, and maintain. Please contact us to see if we can fit you in the right contacts to give you freedom from glasses.
