Contact Lenses Care

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.

Each advantage and disadvantage of the various types of contact lenses must be weighed and evaluated according to each individual case. There are still more rigid-lens wearers than soft-lens wearers, possibly because hard lenses have simply been around longer, and because lower cost, easier upkeep, and better vision override soft lenses‘ main advantage: comfort. On the other hand newcomers to the contact lens scene more often seem to prefer the comfort and ease of adaptation found in soft lenses. There’s a contact lens created to suit just about every need. Your eye doctor is best qualified to determine which lenses will best correct your visual deficiencies and still provide comfort and safety.

Remember that the ability to wear a certain type of lens (or any contact lens at all) depends to a large degree upon the chemical makeup, amount, and behavior of the tears. Tears lubricate, cleanse, and supply the eye with nutrients. If you have too much mucus, or protein, or lipids, these deposits can cling tenaciously to the lens surface and are especially hard to remove from soft lenses. A deficiency in any component can render the eyes too “dry” for successful contact lens wear, even if the watery layer is sufficient. That’s why you may be able to wear soft lenses without a hitch, but your best friend can’t. Then, too, some eyes need a greater amount of oxygen than others and some eyes fail to adapt to the lower metabolism imposed upon the eye by any contact lens. These complications often only become evident after the lenses have been worn for some time, and may take patience and a good deal of skill and expertise on the part of the eye practitioner to overcome.

Hard and Soft Lenses Compared

Hard Lenses

• Uncomfortable at first; may need 1 to 2 months to adapt to all-day wear (average 8 hours).
• Easy care; inexpensive to keep clean; disinfection unnecessary.
• Durable, long life—some up to 10 years.
• Excellent visual acuity; consistently clear, sharp image for all refractive errors.
• Lenses must be removed and cleaned when dirt or dust gets between them and cornea.
• Vision may be temporarily blurry after removal (”spectacle blur”).
• Once adapted, should be worn same number of hours each day.
• Eyelid sensation with each blink.
• Tend to pop out or move off center.

Soft Lenses

• Comfortable almost immediately; adaptation to all-day wear is only about 1 week.
• Cleaning more involved and slightly more expensive; disinfection necessary.
• More delicate, less durable—most need replacement after 2 years.
• Less satisfactory correction, especially in astigmatism.
• Dust and dirt rarely get under lenses.
• No spectacle blur.
• Can wear intermittently for special reasons (evening, sports, etc.).
• No eyelid discomfort.
• Less chance of popping out or moving around eye—best for sports.

HARD Lenses

• Relatively low in cost.
• Prescription of lens can be reground to accommodate slightvisual changes.
• Danger of overwearing and corneal damage.
• Some side glare and reflections from edge of lens; increased sensitivity to light.
• Average daily wearing time: 8 hours.
• Unaffected by atmospheric conditions; doesn’t absorb foreign substances.
• Routinely tinted. May put dot on right lens.
• Difficult to wear with dry eyes.
• Scratches on lenses may be polished.

SOFT Lenses

• Higher cost.
• Vision change requires new lens.
• Less danger of injury from overwearing.
• Little side glare—better for night driving; little or no increased light sensitivity.
• Average daily wearing time: 14 hours.
• Can be uncomfortable in dry air; can absorb and accumulate substances such as hair spray, chemical fumes, even eye secretions.
• Tinting is possible, but not yet routine nor widely available.
• Almost impossible to wear with dry eyes.
• Scratched lens has to be discarded.

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