A: Contact lenses are dangerous if you have a faulty lens, or do not maintain proper ocular hygiene, or don’t follow the recommended wearing and handling procedures. For instance, corneal abrasion can occur when the lens isn’t inserted properly. Corneal edema occurs if you overwear the lens. An eye infection may be caused by fingers or contact lens solutions that are contaminated. And foreign bodies can sneak under the lens and irritate the cornea.
With regard to the vast number of contact lens wearers, though, such complications have been remarkably rare. Read the rest of this entry »
Contact lenses that you can wear while you sleep—this earth- shattering concept arouses no less interest and excitement than the Pill did when it was first introduced. This is the glamour lens that everybody wants to know about and have, and is probably the lens of the future. Like the Pill, which forever altered our sexual standards, the extended-wear contact lens promises to usher in a new era and change our attitudes toward visual correction. But the similarity doesn’t end there: Though this lens seems to be the answer to every contact lens wearer’s prayers, it has not yet been perfected. It is definitely not for everyone, and some practitioners are reluctant to prescribe it at all.
Canada, Australia, and Europe enjoyed several types of extended-wear contact lenses several years before we did. However, there is no Food and Drug Administration in those parts of the world, and because of this lack of strict monitoring control and quality, these lenses have posed a health problem, especially as related to corneal complications. Read the rest of this entry »
The eventual comfort of gas-permeable lenses lies somewhere between that of soft and hard lenses. Novice contact lens wearers will experience some of the initial foreign-body sensation similar to that of the hard lens, but the point at which they can be worn full time comes much sooner. In addition the number of hours meant by “full time” is longer: sixteen hours is common, as opposed to the eight that’s usual for conventional hard lenses. Some who switch from conventional hard lenses to gas-permeable lenses are not initially impressed with the difference in comfort and wearing time, but this gradually improves as the eye recovers from the effects of wearing (and overwearing) their original hard lenses. Read the rest of this entry »
These lenses offer a unique blend of the advantages of both hard and soft lenses. They provide excellent visual acuity, and correct most types of astigmatism better than soft lenses (but not quite as well as conventional hard lenses). The gas-permeable lenses correct astigmatism in the same manner as the hard lenses by forming a perfectly round, smooth inner surface filled with tears. Multifocal gas-permeable lenses are also available for the presbyope. They are almost as durable as hard lenses, and much more so than soft lenses. You can expect gas-permeable lenses to last up to five years. Since the lenses are firm in consistency, they are handled easily and with greater confidence than are soft lenses. They can be accurately reproduced, so there are none of the surprises that can occur when reordering a soft lens. Read the rest of this entry »
Cleaning with a surfactant cleansing solution and disinfecting may not remove all the deposits that cling stubbornly to the lens surface. To remove these deposits a special enzyme solution is used; this “digests” and dissolves lens proteins much the same way the enzymes in your body help break down protein.
You should use the enzyme cleaner once a week to help prevent buildup of protein deposits. (To help you remember, perform this procedure on the same day every week—the first or the last day, or every Wednesday, etc.) Once deposits are established, they will increase and can pit the lens surface, leaving it damaged even after it’s purged of the accumulations. Enzyming is especially important for those who tend to produce tears heavily laden with protein. Factors such as air pollution, makeup, and eye irritation increase production of this protein. 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 .
