Examining Your Contact Lenses

As we all know, contact lenses are the preferred means of vision correction.  They are far superior to glasses, in more ways than one.  Over the years contact lenses have established themselves, and are now used by more than a million people throughout the United States.  Although contact lenses are great to wear if you need vision corrections, there are some things you should know.

Before you put your contact lenses in your eyes, you should always inspect them for tears or defects.  Sometimes, contact lenses can get tears in their material, resulting in serious problems if you put them in your eyes.  You should also inspect your lens for debris or smudges as well, and clean them thoroughly if you find anything wrong.  If the lens is torn, you should immediately discard it and replace it with a fresh contact lens.

No matter type of contact lenses you use, you should always inspect them. Depending on how you handle them, you may sometimes scratch the material.  Scratches on the contact can be very serious, especially if you aren’t aware of it and put the contact in your eye.  It can cause you serious trouble, such as an infection or even scratch your cornea.  The easiest way to prevent this is to examine your contacts before you wear them.

Before you put your contacts in your eyes, simply let them rest on your index finger and look them over.  Once you have inspected that side, simply put the in the palm of your hand and give them a thorough inspection.  You should always do this one contact lens at a time, before you plan on wearing them.  If you wear contacts, you should always make inspecting them a part of your daily routine.

Along with inspecting your contact lenses you’ll need to keep them clean.  You can clean your contacts after you have inspected them, by putting a few drops of your solution in the palm of your hand and gently rubbing your contact around.  This will help to remove any dirt or debris that you find on the contact, and keep them clean.  If you don’t clean your contacts on a regular basis, you may end up getting an eye infection.

Contact lenses are a great investment for anyone who needs vision correction, although you’ll need to take care of them.  Whether you wear soft or hard contacts, you’ll need to clean them on a regular basis and examine them for defects, dirt, or tears.  Contacts can get torn or damaged rather easily, and the only way to tell is to examine them.  If you catch the defect before you put the contact in your eye - you should be able to replace it with a clean lens before it can do any damage.

Dry Eyes And Contacts

If you have dry eyes, contact lenses may be a nightmare.  With healthy eyes, a very thin layer of tears will always form under the contact lens.  When this layer starts to dry out however, the lens will begin to feel dry.  Dry eyes from contact can be very irritating, uncomfortable, and lead you to try to squinch or rub your eyes to seek relief.

Even though contact lenses are indeed a cause of dry others, there are other causes as well, one of which being your natural ability to produce years.  Some people will produce less tears than others, which can indeed be a problem when wearing contact lenses.  As you get older, the tears that you are able to produce will begin to decrease.

The environment is another cause.  If you work in a factory or area that is over heated, or exposed to dust or smoke, your eyes will start to dry out.  The more your eyes are exposed to these types of situations, the more dry they will become.  After a few hours, you may find yourself having to remove your contacts due to the dryness becoming so irritating.

There are however, some types of contact lenses that can contribute to dryness as well.  A majority of contact lenses are made of water and polymers, most being more than 50% water.  Even though the contact is moist and may feel comfortable in your eye, the water will start to evaporate from the contact lens as you wear it.  When this happens, the contact will draw moisture from the tears in your eyes, which results in dryness.  If the contact lens contains a lot of water, then it is almost guaranteed to lose moisture throughout the day.

With dryness being a common problem for most people who wear contact lenses, manufacturers are always working to create contacts that will remain comfortable throughout the day.  Dry eyes are the most common reason for irritation, and the main reason as to why people decide to give up contacts and just go with glasses to correct their vision.

Out of all the different contacts on the market, Acuvue Oasys are among the most popular.  Although they are relatively new, they are specifically made for those who work or live in dry environments.  These contacts contain a special agent for re-wetting purposes, which enables the contact lens to remain moist, even if your eyes aren’t producing enough tears.  They are daily wear contacts, and should be soaked in solution at night and replaced every two weeks or so.

Even though there are other contact lenses out there that are great for dry eyes, Acuvue are considered to be the best brand.  No matter which type of contact lens you wear, you should always take care of them.  You should always clean them once removed, and soak them in solution at night.  This way, you’ll remove the protein build up and ensure that you are putting clean contact lenses back into your eyes.

Even though dry eyes are very common, you can always help to rectify the situation by using right pair of contacts.  You can also get re-wetting or saline drops as well, to put in your eyes when they start to feel dry.  These drops are the preferred way of dealing with dry and irritable eyes, as they help to produce enough moisture for comfort.  You can buy re-wetting or saline drops at most department stores - and they cost a little of nothing.

Contact Lens Eye Exam

Before you can get a pair of contact lenses, you’ll need to have your eyes examined and fitted by an optometrist and get your prescription.  Normally, fittings for contact lenses will take longer than the standard eye exam.  If you are looking to get fitted for contacts, you should let your optometrist know up front that you are interested in getting contacts.

When you first begin with your eye exam, your optometrist will first examine the health of your eyes.  Your eye doctor will also want to know why you want contacts, if you have any known problems with your eyes, and what you hope to get from your visit.  Overall, your contact fitting and exam will be based on the information that you have provided.

During your exam, you’ll go through several tests that will let the optometrist know the health and vision of your eyes.  Once the exam is finished and your optometrist has the information he needs, you will be a given the prescription to get your contact lenses.  Without a prescription, most places won’t sell you contacts.

When it comes to fitting your contact lenses, your optometrist will measure the curvature of your eyes and other factors that will affect how your lenses will fit in your eyes.  Some people are more prone to dryness in their eyes than others, meaning that the contacts you are prescribed shouldn’t aggravate the dryness.  In order for your optician to give you a prescription for contact lenses, your cornea will need to be free of any type of problems that can prevent you from wearing them.

Normally, your optician will give you a trial pair of contact lenses to try out, and then check them for fit once they have settled in your eyes.  Sometimes, you may need to try out several different pairs before you find the perfect fit.  The lens you choose should give you better vision, fit comfortably in your eye, and not do any damage to the cornea.

It’s very important that your lens not be torn, scratched, or damaged in any way.  Before you try the contact out, you should always inspect it to make sure that there are no defects.  Your optician will show you how to inspect the contacts before you put them in your eyes, starting with your trial pairs.  The optician or associates working there will need to verify that your test contacts meet your standards and the requirements for your eyes, according to what the optician recommends.

At your fitting exam, your eye doctor will also go offer with you what brands of contacts you should and shouldn’t use.  When you try out your test contacts you’ll use certain types of solution as well, to see if affects your eyes.  Some solutions will work well for some, while they may cause irritation for others.  Normally, your optometrist will try you out with one of the latest and greatest brands of contacts, to see whether or not they work for you.

After you have been fitted for your contacts and found the perfect pair, you should make sure that you always go to your follow up visits.  Your first follow up will be in a few short weeks, after which your optician will check your eyes and contacts again, to make sure that everything is still going good.  After that, you should always attend any follow ups that you have - to make sure that your contacts are working good - and your eyes are still in good health.

Contact Lenses Without A Prescription

Even though you can get non prescription contacts, they aren’t meant to correct your vision.  Known as plano, the most common type of non prescription contact lenses are the opaque color contact lenses.  Even though they don’t require a prescription, those who want them need to consult with an optometrist first to ensure they get the right fit.

Locally or on the Internet, you can find many different varieties of non prescription contact lenses available.  You can find lenses that enhance the natural color of your eyes, lenses that enhance your look, and many others.  There are also Halloween contact lenses as well, which are great for Halloween or other times when you want to look different.

With non prescription contact lenses, you’ll have the choice of daily wear and disposable lenses.  If you are looking to change colors on a frequent basis, disposable lenses may be your best choice. The best thing about disposable lenses is the fact that you don’t need to clean them at all, simply wear them during the day then take them out and discard them at night.

If you are going to use the same color or the same pair of contacts for a while, you may want to go with daily wear lenses.  Daily wear contact lenses will last you a lot longer than the disposable lenses, although they will need to be disinfected and cleaned on a regular basis.  As long as you clean and disinfect them on a regular basis, they will last you for quite a while.

Without the supervision of a doctor, may doctors don’t advise the use of non prescription contact lenses.  Doctors will tell you that when they don’t monitor the fitting, usage of the contacts, and the overall effects, they may cause you serious problems and possibly even blindness.  While a lot of people use non prescription contacts, few of them experience serious problems.

When an individual buys non prescription contacts without going to see an optician, they tend to forget the fact that contacts aren’t for everyone.  The amount of tears, shape of the eye, and need for correction varies from person to person.  To get the right fit, you must consult an optician, as he will need to carefully examine you.

Even though they may work great for some, non prescription lenses aren’t for everyone.  Anytime you use them, you should be very carefully and take the necessary care for your lenses.  If you are a diabetic, you’ll need to be very carefully, for the simple fact that eye infections will take a long time to heal.  Even though you may not get an infection, there is always a small chance that it could happen.  Therefore, you should always be carefully anytime you use these types of contacts.

Contact Lenses Versus Glasses

As you probably already know, there are quite a few differences between contact lenses and eye glasses.  Glasses have been around a lot longer than contacts, although most people prefer to wear contacts instead of glasses.  Contacts have become popular over the years, proving to be the best alternative to wearing bulky glasses.

When you compare contacts against glasses, there are several things that stick out like a sore thumb.  The first difference in the two is the field of vision.  Glasses offer good front vision, although their peripheral vision is quite poor.  Contact lenses on the other hand offer you a great field of vision, including peripheral.  You won’t be hindered to just looking straight ahead, as contact lenses allow you to look anywhere you want without any problems.

Another major difference is the weight.  Glasses are uncomfortable weight on both your ears and your face.  They also need to be tightened on a frequent basis, along with adjusting.  Contacts on the other hand don’t weigh anything at all.  When you wear contacts you don’t need to worry about tightening them or worry about them constantly sliding your face - which can be very annoying.

Glasses are also known to fog up frequently, and they are very distracting during any kind of sports you play.  Contacts however, don’t fog up.  You can carry out any activity you choose without having to worry about them all. They won’t fall off or slide down your nose when you run, nor will they limit what you can do when you play sports.

Another bad thing about glasses is the fact they need to match what you wear.  If you have casual frames, they may not suit your evening attire.  The colors may also clash, which is a bad thing for those who crave style.  Unlike glasses, contact lenses will compliment everything you wear, for the simple fact that they don’t stick out.

Although there are quite a few differences between the two, they do have a few things in common as well.  Both glasses and contacts require cleaning and careful handling.  You’ll need to spray your glasses and wipe them off a few times each day.  Contacts need to be cleaned as well, before you put them in and soaked in solution when you aren’t using them.  You may also need to use eye drops as well throughout the day when wearing contacts, especially if your eyes start to dry out.

Glasses and contact lenses can both correct astigmatism as well.  If you have astigmatism, you can wear either glasses or contacts.  Astigmatism is an odd cornea shape that impairs vision, common with older people.  Although most people think that only glasses will correct this problem, contacts can fix the problem as well.

The best thing about both contacts and glasses is the fact that they are both affordable.  You can get contacts and glasses at very affordable prices.  Considering the fact that you will probably be wearing them for the rest of your life, they will be the best purchase that you’ll ever make.  Over the years, you’ll get your money back and then some for each day you wear either of them.

No matter which one of the two you decide to go with, you are sure to get the vision you need.  If you aren’t lucky enough to have perfect vision, contact lenses and glasses are the perfect way to correct your vision.  If you’ve been living with not so great vision, contacts and glasses are the ideal way to do the things you love - with perfect vision.

Cheap Contact Lenses

Although they may not sound like it at first, cheap contact lenses may very well be appealing to a large audience.  As the name implies, cheap contacts don’t cost a lot of money.  While some brands of contacts may be very expensive, there are other brands that don’t cost a lot.  When you compare them, there really aren’t that many differences.

A lot of contact lens users feel that the cheaper brands of contacts are reliable, dependable, comfortable, and above everything else - affordable.  Even though cheap lenses are praised by some - others don’t look at them that way.  Some feel that cheaper lenses should be avoided at all cost, for the fear that they may damage vision or not offer the same quality that the higher priced brands of contacts offer.

Those who don’t wear contacts but have interest in them, may find a cheap pair of contacts to be the ideal way to try them out.  If you buy a cheap pair of contacts it won’t cost you a lot of money, yet it will give you the satisfaction in knowing whether or not contacts are for you.  Unlike glasses, contact lenses won’t break or hang off your face.  Contacts are an ideal choice for many, for the simple fact that they feel natural - almost like a pair of eyes that you never knew you had.

Something to keep in mind, is the fact that cheap contact lenses aren’t the best of quality.  As the name states, these types of lens are cheap in price - and also quality.  Normally, they are the way to go for people who can’t afford the better brands.  Even thought the quality isn’t the best in the world, those who wear cheap contacts normally don’t have any complaints.

Although some people will view cheap contacts as the ideal purchase, others see them as a waste of money.  This is all about preference, and what you feel is the best for you.  If you have the money to spare, you would be better off getting a pair of brand name contacts.  On the other hand, if you are on a limited budget, cheap contact lenses would do you good - at least until you get the money to buy one of the better brands.

Cheap contacts can be found on the Internet, or at your local optician’s office.  They won’t set you a back a lot of money, yet they will give you the vision you need.  Contacts are a great alternative to glasses, especially for those who need glasses but hate to wear them.  Contact lenses are what they are - the ideal way to get the vision you need without wearing glasses.  Cheap contacts are an ideal solution to glasses - at a price anyone can afford.

Caring For Your Contacts

Its no secret that contact lenses are the best alternative to glasses.  They are easy to use, although they must be taken care of.  There are several ways that you can take care of your contact lenses, which will ensure that they stay healthy and remain comfortable when you wear them.

Before you put your contacts in, the first thing to do is wash your hands with soap and warm water.  You should also make sure that you dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel, as soap residue or chemicals may get on the contacts, causing them to be very uncomfortable and possibly even burning your eyes when you put them in.

If you can’t seem to get your contacts to go in your eyes, you shouldn’t force them.  Instead, you should put some solution in the palm of your hand, and gently rub the contact in the solution.  Then, before you put it back in your eyes, you should put some solution on it and it should go in your eye without any complications.

Anytime you are not wearing your contact lenses, you should always soak them in fresh solution.  This is especially important overnight, as the solution gets the protein out of your contacts.  If you don’t soak them in solution, they can end up causing damage to your eyes.

If you experience any type of burning with your contacts after soaking them in solution, you should try another solution.  Depending on your eyes, some types of solutions may leave you with a burning sensation.  This is very common, although switching to a different contact lens solution will more than likely stop the burning or irritation.

Throughout the day, you may need to use rewetting drops or saline solution to keep moisture in your eyes.  Sometimes, contacts can dry your eyes out, and make them feel very uncomfortable.  When you put some drops or saline in them though, the dryness will normally subside.  You should always keep some rewetting drops or saline with you at times, just in case your eyes start to dry out.

If you are new to contact lenses, you should ask your optician or staff any questions that come to mind.  Normally, after you have been fitted for contact lenses, the optician and his staff will show you how to put your contacts in, how to care for them, and anything else you need to know about them.

Taking care of your contact isn’t hard to do.  As long as you take care of them, they will take care of you.  You should always change them out with a fresh pair as recommended, to prevent any type of damage to your eyes.  Contact lenses are a great alternative to glasses - although they need to be cared for in the proper ways.