What Are Contact Lenses?
Contact lenses are thin, clear plastic disks you wear in your eye to improve your vision. Contacts float on thetear film that covers yourcornea.
Like eyeglasses, contact lenses correct vision problems caused by refractive errors. A refractive error is when the eye does not refract (bend or focus) light properly into the eye resulting in ablurred image.
Contacts can improve vision for people with these refractive errors:
- myopia (nearsightedness)
- hyperopia (farsightedness)
- astigmatism (distorted vision)
- presbyopia(changes to near vision that normally happen with age)
Types ofContact Lenses
Contacts are made from many kinds of plastic. The two most common types of contact lenses are hard and soft.
Hard contact lenses
The most common type of hard contact lens is a rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lens. These lenses are usually made from plastic combined with other materials. They hold their shape firmly, yet they let oxygen flow through the lens to your eye.
RGP lenses are especially helpful for people with astigmatism and a condition called keratoconus. This is because they provide sharper vision than soft lenses when thecornea is unevenly curved. People who haveallergies or tend to get protein deposits on their contacts may also prefer RGP lenses.
Soft contact lenses
Most people choose to wear soft contact lenses. This is because they tend to be more comfortable and there are many options. Here are some types of soft lenses.
Daily wear contacts. You wear these when you are awake and remove them when you go to sleep. Many are disposable, meaning that you wear a new pair of contacts each day. Or you might choose contacts that last longer and only need to be replaced once a week, every two weeks or every month. Some ophthalmologists recommend disposable daily wear contacts if you use them just once in a while.
Extended wear contacts. You can wear these while you sleep, but they need to be removed for cleaning at least once a week. Fewer eye doctors recommend these contacts because they increase the chance of getting a serious eye infection.
Toric contacts. These can correct vision for people with astigmatism, though not as well as hard contact lenses. Toric lenses can be for daily or extended wear. But they often cost more than other types of soft contact lenses.
Colored (tinted) contacts. Vision-correcting contact lenses can be tinted to change the color of your eye. You can get them as daily wear, extended wear, and toric lenses.
Decorative (cosmetic) contacts. These lenses change the look of your eye but do not correct vision. They includecolored contacts and lenses that can make your eyes look like vampires, animals or other characters. Also, they are used to hide certain eye problems either present from birth or caused by injuries. Even though they do not correct vision, you need a prescription for decorative contacts. To avoid getting dangerous eye infections, these lenses must be treated like prescription contacts. This means cleaning them regularly and thoroughly as directed.
Decorative contact lenses can lead to serious eye problems.
Your eyes are very important—and very delicate. Make sure your contact lenses are medically safe and FDA-approved.
Contacts are not fashion accessories or cosmetics. They are medical devices that require a prescription from an eye care professional.
Non-prescription costume contacts can cause cuts, open sores and potentially blinding infections in your eyes. In addition to suffering severe pain, you may need surgery (such as a corneal transplant). In some cases, you could go blind.
Want decorative contact lenses? Ask an eye care professional.
Other types of contact lenses
Contacts for presbyopia.Presbyopiacontacts are designed to correct the normal vision problems people get after age 40, when it becomes harder to see close objects clearly. There are different options for these corrective lenses.
These options include: bifocal or multifocal contact lenses, and monovision correction, where one eye wears a near vision lens and the other eye wears a distance vision lens.
Hybrid contact lenses. These lenses have a rigid center surrounded by a soft outer ring. It combines the crisp vision of a hard lens with the comfort of a soft lens.
Scleral contact lenses. These gas permeable (GP) lenses stretch over the cornea and rest on the sclera or white part of the eye. Their large size helps correct vision problems caused by an irregularly shaped cornea (like corneal scars, keratoconus or surgery). But others may find they provide better comfort than normal GP lenses.
Bandage lenses. These contacts do not have a prescription built into them. Instead, they cover the surface of your cornea for comfort after aninjury or surgery.
FAQs
A contact lens is a synthetic lens that sits on the surface of the eye and helps correct vision problems such as long-sightedness, short-sightedness, presbyopia (the lens is unable to focus) and astigmatism (blurred vision).
Do corrective contact lenses work? ›
Like eyeglasses, contact lenses correct vision problems caused by refractive errors. A refractive error is when the eye does not refract (bend or focus) light properly into the eye resulting in a blurred image. Contacts can improve vision for people with these refractive errors: myopia (nearsightedness)
Do contacts count as corrective lenses? ›
Corrective lenses are worn in front of the eyes to help improve the patient's vision. The most notable type of corrective lenses are contact lenses, which are worn on the corneas of the eyes. They are used to address a range of vision problems, including but not limited to: Myopia (nearsightedness)
How much vision can contacts correct? ›
Many people are surprised to learn that contact lenses can be prescribed for very high degrees of myopia, even for people who require correction of more than - 20 Diopters. In particular vial lenses can go over -30 Dioptres. It is advisable to get these high powered lenses properly fitted by the Optometrist.
Do contacts correct vision as well as glasses? ›
Because they sit on the surface of your eyes and move with them, contact lenses provide seamless vision correction. Their benefits extend to your peripheral vision and they won't have the same types of visual disruptions that glasses do, such as reflections or fogginess.
Can I get contacts if I have really bad eyesight? ›
Eye care professionals have a huge variety of options to choose from to fit contacts for patients who not only have nearsightedness or farsightedness but also astigmatism (a curvature on the eye's surface) and presbyopia (nearsightedness due to aging).
Can you get 20/20 vision with contacts? ›
Contact lenses, like eyeglasses, can improve visual acuity beyond 20/20, with some contact lens wearers reporting acuities of 20/10 when wearing their contacts. Approximately 45 million Americans wear contact lenses, making them the second most popular form of vision correction.
Can you fix your eyesight without surgery? ›
Habits like getting important nutrients from your diet and wearing protective eyewear, among others, can help support eye health. Getting regular eye checkups is just one of many ways you can improve your eyesight and prevent injuries or illnesses that could harm your vision.
What is the downside of ortho-k? ›
Disadvantages of ortho-k lens wearing:
In the absence of adverse events, regular aftercare visits (3-6 monthly) are still essential to ensure the health of the eyes. Ortho-k cannot cure myopia. The myopia reduction effect will wear off gradually after stopping of lens wear.
Why is my vision blurry with contacts but not glasses? ›
You may find yourself constantly blinking, squinting, and rubbing your eyes to get a clearer view. Some of the possible causes of blurry vision while wearing contacts include a change in your prescription, deposits (like dirt) on the lens surface, dry eyes, allergies, infections, or other eye health problems.
Orthokeratology, or ortho-k lenses, are specialized custom contact lenses that gently reshape your cornea, correcting your vision while you sleep. This results in a full day of lens-free, accurate and clear vision.
Why do cops ask if you wear contacts? ›
Before checking the subject's eyes, the officer is trained to ask the subject to remove eyeglasses and ask whether the subject is wearing hard or soft contact lenses. While the removal of the eyeglasses makes it easier for the officer to observe eye movement, glasses do not effect the HGN test results.
Why do I see better with contacts than glasses? ›
For many people, the vision correction from contact lenses feels more natural compared to glasses. Some contact lens wearers are especially impressed with how contacts may improve their peripheral vision since the lenses site directly on the eye.
What is the highest corrective lens? ›
The highest eye prescription for glasses generally goes up to -20.00 for myopia and +20.00 for hyperopia. However, it can vary depending on the individual and their specific eye condition. It is best to consult with an eye care professional for an accurate prescription.
Is it better to wear contacts or glasses? ›
Because the world has used eyeglasses for centuries and contact lenses for less than 100 years, physical frames have the reputation of being safer than contacts. That is the general truth, as contact lenses run a higher risk of eye infection due to the lens being on your eye for long stretches of time.
Is it okay to switch from glasses to contacts? ›
Glasses and Contacts
Having both options help you to protect your eyes much better. It is safe to transition from one method to the other. However, you might experience some temporary distorted vision when switching your eyewear. If you get tired of wearing contacts, you can always go back to your glasses.
Can contacts correct reading vision? ›
A lot of patients ask if they can get contacts that would let them get rid of their reading glasses. For most people the answer is yes!
Why can I see better in glasses than contacts? ›
When you wear contact lenses there is no minimizing or maximizing the images you see. When you wear glasses, image size is being introduced into the equation. Think about it like using a magnifying glass.
