Thinking About Getting Contact Lenses? Wha You Need To Know First

1:04 am

If you are considering getting contact lenses for the first time then there are a few points to consider before deciding which sort are best for you. But even before this you should know all the facts to enable you to decide whether contact lenses are really what you want and whether they are suitable for you. Some people are just not suited to contact lenses and find them irritating, annoying or just too difficult to wear. Having said that if you do carry on and get used to them you may well find they are much more practical and comfortable than you had imagined.

For these and many other reasons the first step when you are thinking of investing in contact lenses is to see your optometrist. Contact lenses should only be bought with a prescription. If you buy cheap lenses without a prescription then you may well be buying something that will not be the appropriate contact lenses for your eyes. Any reputable dealer whether online or not should only sell you contact lenses after you have been to a registered practitioner and been given a prescription.

There are many different types of contact lenses available but the two main types are: soft gas permeable or rigid gas permeable. Soft contact lenses are more malleable and for some people easier and more comfortable to wear but can work out more expensive as they often need to be replaced more frequently. This can be anything from one day to one year. Contact lenses generally referred to as rigid gas permeable lenses are preferred by some not only as a cheaper option but also some wearers believe the quality of vision provided is better.

There are also contact lenses that you wear constantly for up to 30 days without removing them. These are a very convenient option if you dislike the daily hassle of putting in your contact lenses, or even if you would just like to have the option to sleep in your lenses when it suits you.

As well as the general contact lenses there are more specialist lenses such as bi focal. These help you with your vision if you have difficulty with both things close to you and also with far away objects. They take a little more getting used to than more conventional contact lenses, but are worth persevering with. When you are used to them you will wonder how you ever did without them.

Lenses for astigmatism are now widely available and many specialist lenses, colors, or contact lenses with designs on them are also obtainable for people with astigmatism. The total cost may be slightly higher but this should not be too expensive.

There are also contact lenses available purely for aesthetic effects such as changing the color of the eyes, for example from brown to blue. You can even use contact lenses to create a dazzling array of effects for the eye. As well as every color you could think of there are patterns such as tiger eyes, hypnotic spiral patterns, flames, cats eyes, contact lenses that make your eyes look completely white and even contact lenses with the logo of your favorite football team on them. Despite the fun aspects of these types of contact lenses it should always be remembered that they are still the same as more usual types of contact lenses and should be looked after and used just as carefully.

There are now contact lenses available that will help you to see better when you are not even wearing them. Although this all sounds a little science fiction there is very good science behind it. You wear the lenses when you go to sleep and they change the shape of the eye as you sleep. The effect is much the same as having laser treatment but without the lasers. The main drawback is that it is not long lasting and the contact lenses need to be worn frequently as the effects only last for about 24 hours. They can however produce extremely good results.

Whatever type of contact lenses you are looking for remember that you should only buy after seeing an optometrist. Then you will be sure that you are getting the right lenses for your particular needs.

Is it Wise to Go for Cheap Contact Lenses?

1:04 am

While opting for a cheap contact lenses, a prudent purchaser has to be aware of certain rules to get the best deal. The first and the foremost is the case of safety. Even though cheap is good, compromise on quality should not be made. Even if cheap contact lenses are purchased, the vision should be checked regularly by a professional and the prescription should be changed whenever necessary.

Next step is to consider the wearing pattern. Generally, the longer period the lenses are worn, the cheaper they would be. For example, contact lenses worn through out the day and night for 30 days continuously are liable to be cheaper over the period than those that are disposed off everyday. While calculating the relative cost of the different types of lenses, the cost of lens solution, which is needed for the reusable lenses, should also be added.

Even branded items come in excellent cheap deals. Some reputed companies offer good deals for customers who opt to buy cheap contact lenses online or in bulk. They are available at discount rates through third party providers also.

Contact lens prices are generally cheaper through Internet than those offered by opticians. The product range is wide and the lenses are available round the clock, which is an added advantage.

There are two reasons for retailers selling cheap contact lenses. One is, they maintain larger stock of lenses and therefore deliver lenses more quickly than any other retail outlet. The second reason is that Internet retailers have lower premises and other overhead costs and sell mainly lenses unlike opticians who sell spectacles also.

Therefore the customer saves a great deal of money by buying cheap contact lenses on the Internet than buying from a traditional optician. The customer while opting to buy contact lenses should consider the delivery fee before ordering for the contact lenses. Even if the contact lenses are purchased at a cheap rate through the Internet, it is better to maintain a regular contact with the optician since the capacity of the eye is subject to constant change. Online purchase of cheap contact lenses should be pursued continuously because we may not get the product in time. Contact lenses are generally a periodic purchase and therefore minimizing the cost becomes imminent.

While looking for cheap contact lenses, the customer should be careful in choosing the material of the lenses. Silicon allows oxygen to pass through but has trouble with increased dry eye. Silicon hydro gels rectify this problem. Another method of lowering the cost of contact lenses is to buy bulk production. Rebates and specials have a large effect on price. Some retailers offer cheap contact lenses when they are purchased with an eye test or some others offer rebates to first time customers.

So, a person who is well informed of all the facts gets a fair deal while purchasing cheap contact lenses.

Eye Spy: Spectacles or Contact Lenses?

1:04 am

As many as six out of every ten people need corrective lenses, and as many as three million people in the UK currently use contact lenses as opposed to spectacles in order to improve their vision. Contact lenses provide a more natural form of vision correction, and many people actually see better with their contact lenses than they do with spectacles. Furthermore, contact lenses are not only more aesthetically pleasing but they also offer many practical advantages for sports and recreational use.

“Perfect vision” occurs when light rays converge at a point directly on the retina and contact lenses are used to refocus light rays for those whose vision requires aid. Most common vision impairments, such as Myopia (short-sightedness), Hyperopia (long-sightedness) and Astigmatism can be treated with contact lenses, while recent technological advances have produced many more options for treating each kind of problem.

Earlier contact lenses were made from a material that restricted the flow of oxygen to the cornea and often made blinking uncomfortable due to their small size, while lenses were prone to fall out. Furthermore, lack of oxygen to the cornea was often an instigating factor when a person contracted an eye infection. Nowadays, however, contact lenses are made from materials which allow oxygen to pass more freely to the eye, allowing the eye to ‘breathe’ comfortably. This allows today’s lenses to be bigger in diameter, affording greater comfort and peripheral vision while reducing the image distortion which can be caused by some spectacles.Contact lenses offer several advantages over spectacles. For one, contact lenses help provide unobstructed peripheral vision as they are worn next to the eye and so don’t distort objects the way spectacles can sometimes do. Secondly, since contact lenses move with your eye, you’ll always be looking through the optical centre of the lens, where vision is best. Other advantages of contact lenses include the fact that they won’t become fogged up, smudged or rain spattered, plus they won’t slide down your nose. You’re also highly unlikely to sit on contact lenses and break them!

Most contact lenses are worn on a ‘daily wear’ basis, being removed from the eye in the evening and put back in the next morning. However, everyone has a different lifestyle and, to reflect this, there are a number of different wearing schedules. Daily disposable lenses are designed for daily wear and are worn once before being thrown away, while extended wear lenses are specially designed to be worn continuously for up to a week or a month at a time before being discarded, although they should be removed nightly and cleaned with an optometrist-recommended solution.

Contact lenses should only be fitted by or under the supervision of a registered optometrist, qualified dispensing optician or medical practitioner, and it is important to have regular check-ups to make sure your eyes remain healthy and to reassure yourself that you are using the best lenses for your particular needs. The latest technological advances have seen almost constant improvement in the quality of contact lenses, meaning that almost anyone who requires vision correction and wants to wear contact lenses opposed to spectacles can do so.