Disposable Contact Lenses
Disposable contact lenses first appeared on the market in 1987. Since then they have become one of the most popular options for contact lens wearers. They’re comfortable, safe and come in a variety of different types.
Disposables are designed to be worn and discarded either daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. But it’s important to keep in mind a distinction, that between the replacement schedule and the wear schedule. Some are designed to be worn daily and discarded daily. But some that are labeled dailies are removed daily, cleaned and stored, then reused up to their intended lifetime. That lifetime can be one week, two weeks, or even as long as a month. Make sure you note which is which when you choose your lenses.
The more often you change your contacts the lower the odds of health problems. Even the best of contacts reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the surface of the cornea. That increases the chances of suffering an infection. Longer wear cycles also increase the odds of corneal abrasion, conjunctivitis and other eye health issues.
However, changing lenses more frequently can increase the odds of introducing other kinds of health problems. One example would be where some wearers can suffer an allergic reaction to the preservative solutions used with contact lenses. Wearing a pair of disposables continuously for a week, then simply throwing them away, eliminates that possibility. They come packaged in a sterile solution, so they never need to be cleaned unless they’re removed and re-inserted.
Convenience is a huge factor in disposables, not surprisingly. The daily ritual of the insertion and removal of the lenses still necessitates sterilization and cleaning. While many contact lens wearers establish a routine, others find the practice something they would prefer to avoid. Disposables offer that option. Many are designed for single use and then discarded. Many types of extended wear disposables can stay in overnight, or a week, or even up to a month.
Since those are inserted only once, they never need to be cleaned or sterilized at all. You just clean your hands, insert them, then throw them away after the wear period. No muss, no fuss. But, that convenience comes at a price.
Cost of course is a factor that has to be considered and the cost is not always small. While prices vary over time, disposable contact lenses are typically more expensive over the long run. You pay for the convenience. However the cost per day is lower as the contacts are only intended for use over short periods of time.
One way manufacturers can do that, of course, is to use different materials and production methods. The result is a safe, comfortable lens but one that may not provide the same optimally sharp vision that another style can.
Still, many sports enthusiasts enjoy disposables thanks to their tight fit, which results in them being very hard to knock loose. And if the quality is good enough for them, it will probably be good enough for most everyone.
Investigate your options in disposable contact lenses and you may well find one that is just right for you and your lifestyle.
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Contact Lenses vs Laser Surgery
Every choice carries benefits and risks. Weighing them can be tricky. But the pros and cons of buying contact lenses versus having laser surgery can be boiled down to a few simple guidelines.
Any decision made between getting contacts or laser surgery on your eyes should be made in consultation with your eye care professional, of course. But getting them to stand still long enough to answer your questions can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines that will help you go in prepared.
Cost is the first consideration for most people, and it’s a valid one. While everyone rightly considers his or her health paramount, most people won’t look into the health risks until they know whether they can afford the options.
Contact lenses are not cheap. But, they’re relatively low cost compared to laser surgery and are more often covered by insurance programs. A pair of contact lenses may run anywhere from $20 to $100, but there are other costs associated with this option, including cleaning solution and doctor visits. Still, the total may be less than $200 per year, not including the value of your time spent in the doctor’s office.
Laser surgery, by comparison, can cost anywhere from $2,000 per eye to $5,000 per eye. Include doctor visits and the total is about $4,500 to $11,000. On the upside, it is a one-time cost and some insurance programs will help in part to offset it.
The convenience factor involved is no small matter to most people, either. The thought of having one procedure that is (usually) painless, brief and reliable versus having to wear contacts for a lifetime is very attractive to many. And, rightly so. While contacts have evolved considerably over the years, they still require daily to monthly changing and replacement every two to three years. Disposables are changed from every day to once per month.
Still, the health risks – while low for either option – should not be dismissed.
Laser surgery rarely results in any long-term negative health impact. But some patients do experience dry eye (lowered ability to produce tears, leading to discomfort and reduced vision). While rare, it’s possible for surgery to actually reduce vision acuity. More often, though still very uncommon, patients report halos, reduced ability to see clearly in fog or lower light, and other issues that interfere with good vision.
Contact lenses, even today though, are not entirely without risk. All contact lenses reduce the amount of air that gets to the surface of the eye. That increases the odds of corneal infection. Modern RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses allow five times more oxygen through than contact lenses of the past. But it’s still not the same as wearing no contacts at all.
Contact lenses can also lead to corneal or sclera scarring. Sclera is the relatively hard surface tissue of the outer eye that protects the eyeball. That is more likely if a piece of grit gets between the contact and eye. Unlikely, but not unknown.
Still, both options carry very little health risk overall. The overwhelming majority of people come through laser surgery with greatly improved vision. Nearly everyone who wears contact lenses of any type daily, whether extended wear or daily-wear, have no problems at all. They adjust rapidly, keep them clean and sanitary, and don’t need to think about them during use.
Look to your budget and consult your eye care professional about the options, making sure to have a frank conversation about risks and likely benefits. You’ll then arrive at the choice that’s best for you.
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Contact Lenses – Choosing Contact Lenses
Contemporary contact lenses are comfortable, long-lasting (unless by design, as in disposables) and very safe. Yet, there are some risks and limitations in wearing them and knowing what those are can help you choose the type that’s best for you. Of course, any such decision should be made in consultation with your eye care professional.
Since 1986 many have opted for Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses. Modern designs allow for up to five times more oxygen diffusion through the plastic than those of the past. That feature is important in minimizing the odds of corneal infection. The less oxygen that makes it to the eye, the higher the odds of an infection.
On the downside, RGP lenses are a little less flexible than other types, making them less comfortable for some. But, they may be better for correcting astigmatism as a result. They also can last up to 2-3 years, which is longer than typical soft contact lenses.
Many will want some type of soft lens, made from special hydrophilic plastic polymers that provide a lens that is flexible and therefore more comfortable. Current manufacturing techniques make possible a lens that doesn’t suffer from a high likelihood of tearing, as did those in previous decades, but they do require more frequent replacement. Soft lenses also stay in place extremely well and require a shorter adjustment period.
Yet, for many, a hard lens is still the only option. While often less comfortable, and even though they raise the odds of scarring or infection slightly, their inflexibility is important. The eyes of some patients simply require the rigidity of this type and they prefer not to fall back on glasses. Those with certain types of astigmatism may not be able to wear soft lenses and require these instead.
Beyond those categories there are still several options.
Daily wear contacts lenses are intended to be worn during the day, then removed before bed. They’re used by about 80% of contact lens wearers. Here the pros and cons become more evident. It can be a minor hassle to insert and remove contact lenses every day. Whenever they’re removed they have to be sterilized, usually overnight, before re-inserting the next morning.
But daily wear contacts (currently) provide the best possible option for those looking to achieve the absolute minimum risk of eye infection and scarring. Allowing the eye to relax and get exposed to air keeps it in the best health. All contacts today reduce oxygen exposure somewhat and usually well below the level the eye would receive without them.
Removing them at night also reduces the odds to zero of having the contact slide off the cornea during sleep, where it could be a pain (literally and figuratively) to retrieve in the morning.
Still, touching the eye and/or the contact is also not completely without risk, and the process is a little inconvenient. Fewer changes can also be good. For those whose doctors say it’s safe, extended wear contacts are a good option. They’re designed to be worn anywhere from overnight (2 days) to a week or even up to a month at a time, depending on the design and the patient.
That convenience factor comes at a price, in dollars and risk.
They tend to be more expensive though prices change over time, of course, usually falling from a high. They also reduce the air-eye contact, which ups the odds of infection slightly. Extended wear lenses also up the odds slightly of something going wrong, since they sit in the eye longer.
Some models, particularly the 30-day type, are somewhat stiffer and therefore slightly less comfortable. In every case, the odds of problems with contemporary contact lens models is still quite low for those individuals whose eyes allow long-term wearing.
Investigate the options in consultation with your eye care professional and you’ll soon find the right pair of contact lenses for you.
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