• Using Contact Lenses
• Toric Contact Lenses
• Soft Contact Lenses
• Prosthetic Contact Lenses
• Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
• Extended wear contact lenses
• Contact lenses for children
• Contact lens maintenance
• Colored Contact Lenses
• Choosing Contact Lenses
• Bifocal Contact Lenses

Since they became available in approximately 1986, many contact lens wearers have opted for Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses. Modern designs allow for up to five times more oxygen diffusion through the contact lens material 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 less flexible than other types of contact lenses, making them less comfortable for some wearers. For users with severe astigmatism, however, they are generally considered to give better sight correction because of their rigidity. They also can last up to two to three years, which is longer than typical soft contact lenses.

Many contact lens wearers would prefer some type of soft lens, made from special hydrophilic (water-loving) plastic polymers. These 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.

Unfortunately, for many, a hard lens is still the only option. While often less comfortable, and even though there is a slightly increased risk of scarring or infection, their inflexibility is important. The eyes of some patients simply require the rigidity of this type and the choice they have is either to continue wearing glasses or use rigid contact lenses. 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 are intended to be worn during the day, then removed before bed. They're used by about 80% of contact lens wearers. With these contact lenses, 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. They give the added advantage that when you open your eyes after sleeping, you can see with corrected vision without having to find glasses.

Daily wear contact lenses (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 contact lenses 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.

Regardless of the contact lens type you and your eye professional choose, touching the eye and/or the contact is also not completely without risk, and the process is a little inconvenient. 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 than daily wear contact lenses. They also reduce the air-eye contact, which increases the risk of infection slightly.

Some models, particularly the 30-day type, are somewhat stiffer and therefore slightly less comfortable. In every case, the risk 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.

If you're the kind of person that can be bothered to maintain your contact lenses properly then you might consider disposable contact lenses which require no maintenance. But if you can't wear disposables and you are using daily lenses that need to be cleaned you want to be sure to follow your eye doctor's instructions for proper lens care.

Typically contact lens maintenance involves using multipurpose solutions that clean and disinfect your lenses. These solutions are the same ones you will use for storing the lenses that can be usually bought in any pharmacy. When you remove your lenses, you should always wash your hands with soap and water to avoid getting bacteria in your eye. Once the lens is removed you want to squirt it on both sides with a steady stream of the solution for 20 seconds - or the amount of time specified on the bottle. Some solutions might specify that you need to rub the lens with your finger in the palm of your hand and if that is the case you want to do this carefully so you don't rip the lens. This step can be important as it may be necessary to remove any protein or microscopic dirt that has built up. After rubbing, you’ll want to rinse again to wash off the debris that you've rubbed off.

Now if you're storing your contact lenses, you want to fill the little storage cases with the solution. Then you want to be sure to put the lens into the appropriate side because some people have a different prescription for each eye and you want to make sure that you're putting the right lens in the right eye when you take them out the next day. While your lenses are soaking in the storage unit the solution will be disinfecting them.

Usually you'll be following the same maintenance steps whether you wear gas permeable or soft contact lenses. Because people very often skip these steps you want to make sure that you make the cleaning as easy and mechanical as possible. Simply make it part of your daily routine just like brushing your teeth.

Remember that proper contact lens maintenance means that everything that touches your lenses has to be clean. This means that you need to wash your fingers before you handle your lenses and make sure that the tips of your solution bottles are clean. Also, you'll need to clean out your storage containers after every time you remove the lenses.

The key behind this advanced technology is oxygen flow. Previously, air couldn't permeate the lens to get to the cornea and lenses needed to be removed in order for the eye to "breathe". But the extended wear lenses let oxygen pass through them to the cornea. This is important because if the cornea is deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time it can result in eye problems including corneal edema and giant papillary conjunctivitis.

Extended wear contact lenses are ideal for today's busy lifestyles since they require minimal maintenance. These lenses are disposable so you simply throw them away after the wear period is over. Then pop in a new pair and you are good to go. No messy cleaning or disinfecting needed.

The first models of extended wear lenses were actually designed to be worn over and over again. These lenses were cleaned and disinfected and then put back in your eye. But these lenses were impossible to completely disinfect and a number of infections in eye irritations happened with this type of lens so manufacturers made a disposable version which is quite convenient. Of course, there is still a slight chance of infection with any contact lenses but if you practice proper hygiene you should minimize your chances of getting an eye infection.

Although the extended wear lenses are very convenient they may not work for everyone. Some people simply do not get enough oxygen in their eyes and will need to wear daily disposable lenses. Others just can't fathom sleeping with the contact lenses in their eyes and are afraid that they'll get lost somewhere inside the eye during sleep (this actually cannot happen although if you rub your eyes in your sleep they may fold over or come out).

Whether you choose extended wear contact lenses or daily wear soft lenses I can assure you that you will find the convenience to be quite pleasant. For people that are into sports, there's nothing like contact lenses to replace eye gasses which can actually be a safety hazard if they break or fall off during play. Plus, the disposable lenses are virtually maintenance free you just need to remember to order enough so that when you dispose of the pair you're wearing you have a new pair to pop right in.

If your child has vision problems then contact lenses can help enhance vision and can also be comfortable for them to wear. Fitting a child for contact lenses is the same process as fitting an adult and they have all the same options in purchasing lenses including extended wear, disposable, and daily wear.

For kids that play sports, contact lenses may be a far superior choice to eyeglasses. Eyeglasses can easily become damaged or broken and can even be dangerous during sporting events plus eyeglasses cost a lot of money and if you have to keep buying new ones because they're broken during sports that can be expensive!

The other advantage with contact lenses for kids is that sometimes children can be cruel and kids who wear glasses often get teased. This can really affect your child's self-esteem and self-confidence especially with young children that can really be hurt by these taunts.

But one thing the parent needs to consider is the maturity of the child. Wearing contact lenses carries with it certain responsibilities and you need to make sure that your kid will be able to maintain the contacts properly in order to keep their eyes healthy. If your kid is pretty responsible about school assignments and chores at home and it's a good bet that there be a good candidate for properly taking care of their contact lenses.

Some parents still want their kids to have contacts even though they may not be ready for the responsibility and in this case the parent will need to take over to make sure that the contacts are properly cleaned and maintained. This is critical because good eye health is important and not caring properly for your contacts can lead to eye damage.

Contact lenses for kids need to be considered carefully because they do have the same risks as for adults and this includes a higher risk of eye infection, abrasion and dryness. Some children may not be good candidates for wearing contact lenses. Either way you want to see your eye doctor can discuss the situation with him before you get your child fitted and a prescription for contact lenses.

Now this is not the same as a glass eye, it is just a lens replacement that fits right over the eye just like any type of contact lens. These prosthetic lenses also usually require the same type of maintenance as regular contact lenses and they feel just the same on.

These lenses might be used by someone who has had a disfiguring eye injury or some sort of a eye defect that they've had since birth. Anyone who has an abnormal looking eye might be able to change the look of it with a prosthesis. For example, some people have one eye that is lighter than the other (known as albinism) and others have a darkened iris that looks like a large pupil.

Sometimes prosthetic contact lenses will be used to bring an eye that has crossed back into alignment. This means that no surgery needs to be done but when you put the lens on it makes the colored part of the eye appear in the normal position of the white area instead of over towards the corner. Prosthetic lenses can hide such inconsistencies which can make the eyes look less awkward and gives the affected person a much higher level of self-confidence.

Unlike traditional contact lenses these prosthesis's are not necessarily used to correct a problem with vision but they can also be made to double for this task as well. Usually, however they are just cosmetic. In most cases the reason for the prosthetic lens is unique and must be manufactured specifically for the individual.

Caring for a prosthetic contact lens is usually the same routine as the care for regular contact lens. Typically these lenses are not disposable because they must be custom-made so the wearer must submit to the rigors of daily cleaning and disinfecting as well as weekly enzyme cleaning. This is all very critical as clean lenses are key factors in the health of your eye.

The toric lens is actually made from the same material that traditional contact lenses are made from but the lens is designed differently to deal with the astigmatism. These lenses curve at different angles creating two powers. In addition they also have a way of keeping stable when you move your eye or blank so that they provide crisp clear vision.

While it will take your eye doctor longer to fit you with the toric contact lens, you'll be happy to know that they are available in disposable, multifocal and even colored. Be that as it may, you can expect to pay more both for your lenses and for the fitting. Fitting an eye with these lenses does take a certain amount of expertise so you might want to make sure that your eye care practitioner is experienced with these types of lenses.

You can get toric lenses in soft or rigid gas permeable. With this type of lens, some people actually like the rigidity of the RGP lenses because they provide a bit crisper vision which is important with an astigmatism.

Many of the manufacturers today make soft toric contact lenses and your eye doctor will be able to recommend a brand that is best for your eyes. You can get them as disposables, daily disposables frequent replacement and silicone hydrogel for 30 day wear. If you have presbyopia, you'll want multifocall tprics which are usually an RGP lens and not disposable although there are some manufacturers who do make a soft toric multifocal lens.