Contact lenses are an excellent choice for those who do not like how they look wearing glasses, or feel that glasses are an inconvenience to their daily activities. Let’s address how contacts work and some questions to ask yourself to determine if you should invest in contacts.
Contacts: an introduction
Contact lenses are made of silicone or plastic. They are the shape of a disc and sit on the center of your eye on a thin layer of tears, directly over the cornea. After your eye exam, your doctor will write up a prescription identifying the specifications that will help determine the exact type of lenses that will correct your refractive errors.
Contact lenses are an easy, safe, and effective way to treat astigmatism, farsightedness, nearsightedness and presbyopia. Lenses that adjust for astigmatism are called toric lenses. This type of lens is custom made and may cost more than normal contact lenses.
Consider the following questions to determine if contact lenses are right for you.
- Am I willing to take the time needed each morning and night to properly clean my contact lenses?
- Do I have a job or hobby that makes wearing glasses annoying?
- Does my job involve exposure to particles, chemicals, or vapors that will stick to contact lenses?
- Do I have dry eyes or problems with my cornea? If so, wearing contacts may prove difficult.
- Do I have a condition that would make handling the lenses difficult? For instance, severe arthritis can make it hard to clean contact lenses and insert them.
- Do I have uncontrolled allergies or asthma? This will make wearing lenses hard to do.
- Do I only wear eyeglasses part time? If so, you may be less likely to be successful at wearing contact lenses.