For a long time, tinted soft lenses were not available in this country because of lack of FDA approval. Because the lenses are large and extend beyond the iris onto the white part of the eye, a complete dark tint would also look rather odd. But the transparency of a nontinted lens makes it difficult to see, especially when dropped. The advertising campaign based on the soft lens’s near-perfect resemblance to a drop of water is no exaggeration. No tint also means no glare reduction, but since photosensitivity in soft-lens wearers is relatively rare, this is a minor disadvantage.
However, this ban may no longer be an issue for soft-lens wearers, because in June of 1981 a tinting process for soft lenses was made available. The physician may send any FDA approved soft contact lens to a special laboratory in North Carolina in order to be tinted according to certain specifications. Read the rest of this entry »
You should expect to pay about 30 to 40 percent more for soft contact lenses than for conventional hard lenses. Besides a higher initial expense for the lenses themselves, there are additional costs in the maintenance of soft lenses. For one thing they’re less durable: the average life span of a soft lens is one to two years, compared with approximately ten years for a hard lens. Though relatively tough, soft lenses can tear if handled indelicately, and the lens must be replaced. They also tend to accumulate deposits from eye secretions and absorb other substances such as aerosol sprays, cigarette smoke, eye drops, makeup, creams, oils, etc. Most of these can be removed if you clean your lenses as directed, but not always. Eventually the lens clouds up, absorbs water unevenly, permits less oxygen to pass through, and must be replaced. In addition, the cleaning, rinsing, soaking, disinfecting, and enzyming solutions used to keep soft lenses in tiptop condition can add up to a sizable investment–about one hundred dollars a year. Finally, the prescription of a soft lens can’t be altered in the manner of a hard lens. On the contrary, you will have to buy a whole new lens whether the prescription change is major or relatively minor. (Of course, contact lens insurance plans are available to reduce the cost of frequent replacement.)
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Contact Lenses Care .
