Just what did we do before the revolutionary discovery of contact lenses? You just pop them into your eyes, and within seconds suddenly the world seems such a beautiful place! With the more recent development of soft and pliable lenses, contact lenses have never been more comfortable.
If the idea of contact lenses is a foreign concept to you, then the below list of frequently asked questions might steer you in the right direction or shed a bit of light on your concerns.
Nowadays just anybody can wear contact lenses. Thanks to the technical advancements of over the last 120 years your I doctor can tailor make contact lenses to exact curvature of each individuals eye. As a result of this contact lenses are used to correct a number of vision problems. For example, we now have toric soft lenses for astigmatism (an imperfection in the eye’s curvature), bifocal lenses for presbyopia (farsightedness), and multifocal lenses in various wear schedules, including daily, bi-weekly, and monthly.
Previously consumers could only get their hands on the harder type lenses known as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). However these harder type lenses are virtually obsolete with the introduction of the much softer more pliable made from gel-like plastics, and the newer GP contacts made with a firm yet flexible plastic that allows oxygen to flow through. It’s all about preference.
Sleeping with your contacts is not advised. Contact lenses require air and moisture which neither are likely to happen while sleeping and can lead to irritated eyes or a condition named or oxygen deprivation. Blinking is also very important allowing our eyes to flush out bacteria.
Children absolutely can wear contacts although this all depends on the child. Our eyes and contacts require a certain level of attention and this level of responsibility can differ from child to child. The decision for a child to wear contact lenses will have to be up to the parents and experts involved.
The shape of our eyes is continually changing. Due to the sensitivity of our eyes, it is important that contact wearers pay more attention to their eyes due to the ease of contracting infections. Furthermore, our eyes change shape every year, so If you are a contact lens wearer, you will need to go for an annual contact lens exam over and above your annual routine eye exam.
Contact lenses are not bad for you but failing to take care of your lenses is failing to take care of yourself. The experts recommend that you remove your contacts after 10 – 12 hours or discard the disposable lenses at the advised times.
