Hard or Soft Lenses?
Before the actual fitting, you and your ophthalmologist will sit down and discuss the type of lenses best suited to your needs and eyes. Only fifteen years ago there was only one choice: hard lenses. Today there are many types and brands of lenses available. The standard hard lenses have vastly improved, but the greatest development has been the new flexible soft lenses, which enabled many more people to wear contact lenses. But technological advancement hasn’t stopped there. Now there are further refinements in the two basic types—lenses that fall somewhere in between the standard hard and soft lenses—the semisoft gas-permeable lenses that let your eyes “breathe” and are more comfortable, soft lenses that correct astigmatism, and the fabulous new super-soft, super-thin extended-wear lenses that everyone’s talking about. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed in more detail in later chapters. For now here’s a quick summary of how the two basic types compare. Read the rest of this entry »
