More than 30 million people in the United States wear contact lenses in order to see clearly and experience the benefits they offer-clear vision without the restrictions and cosmetic limitations of eyeglasses! Contact lenses are a very popular method of correcting common vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, as well as presbyopia-the age-related loss of near vision. Patients who lead an active lifestyle and participate in any type of sport or athletic activity such as biking, running, playing tennis or golf, skiing, sailing or really any physical activity, find that wearing contact lenses and being free of eyeglasses for these activities helps to make these activities even more enjoyable. Further, patients who have higher prescriptions often do not like the optical distortions and reflections caused by eyeglasses and the appearance of their eyes and facial features behind thicker eyeglass lenses. This, in addition to the limited peripheral vision provided by eyeglasses, motivates a great number of people to seek contact lens correction. Some patients just prefer to have a more natural appearance and feel that no matter how attractive an eyeglass frame they select, they just look better without wearing glasses.
Whether you need Soft Contact Lenses, Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses, Contact Lenses for Astigmatism, Extended Wear Contact Lenses, Disposable or Planned Replacement Contact Lenses, Specialty Contact Lenses that can change the color of your eye or Therapeutic Contact Lenses for irregular corneal shapes from keratoconus or scarring, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is pleased to offer expert consultation & fitting to help you achieve a safe and comfortable wearing experience.
Types of Contact Lenses
There are two major categories of contact lenses: Soft Contact Lenses and Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses. Regardless of the type of contacts that you are interested in, a thorough examination and fitting is required. Within these two major categories are a number of types of lenses for solving different vision problems. These include:
- Soft Daily Wear Contact Lenses
- Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses
- Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
- Extended Wear Contact Lenses
- Disposable or Planned Replacement Contact Lenses
- Bifocal & Multifocal Contact Lenses for Near Vision Presbyopia
- Specialty Contact Lenses
- SynergEyes® Contact Lenses
- Other custom lenses to fit irregular corneal shapes
- Decorative Nonprescription Contact Lenses
Soft Daily Wear Contact Lenses
Soft Daily Wear Contact Lenses are made of soft flexible plastics called “hydrogels”, that also have water content and allow oxygen to pass to the cornea to maintain its health and clarity. Because they are soft, thin and flexible, Soft Contact Lenses are easier to adapt to and more comfortable than Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses. A newer type of Soft Contact Lens is made of a “silicone hydrogel” material that allows an even greater amount of oxygen to reach the cornea than any previous soft contact lens, adding additional safety. Soft Daily Wear Contact Lenses require careful cleaning and disinfection, as they tend to attract deposits of protein from your tear film.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses
Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses (RGPs) are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give clearer, crisper vision. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft contact lenses. They are easier to handle and less likely to tear. However, they are not as comfortable as soft contacts and it may take several weeks of adaptation, as compared to only a few days for soft contacts.
Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
People who have astigmatism usually have an unequal curvature of their cornea so that it is shaped more like a football than a basketball. Contact Lenses that correct astigmatism are called “toric” contact lenses. Toric lenses are readily available in both soft contacts and rigid gas permeable contact lens prescriptions. Toric contact lenses require more intricate fitting sessions and professional expertise to achieve optimal visual acuity.
Extended Wear Contact Lenses
There are a number of Extended Wear Contact Lenses that are available and FDA approved to be worn overnight, 1 week, or even up to 30 days. Most Extended Wear Contact Lenses are Soft Contact Lenses, although there are several Rigid Gas Permeable Contact lens materials that are FDA approved for extended wear. Soft Extended Wear Lenses are made of highly oxygen permeable hydrogel or “water containing” plastics that allow a great deal of oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Currently the highest degree of oxygen permeability is provided by silicone hydrogel materials. The Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses that are designed and approved for overnight wear are typically made of “fluorosilicone” acrylic materials, which do not contain water, but due to the nature of the plastic, are quite permeable to oxygen. How long you are able to wear your contact lenses will depend on the lens type and the specific recommendations of your eye doctor based on your contact lens examination, contact lens fitting and the evaluation of your tolerance for overnight wear. In general, it is important for your eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal. Thus, you must have a pair of backup eyeglasses even if you wear extended wear contact lenses or contact lenses of any type.
Disposable or Planned Replacement Contact Lenses
Today, most daily wear and extended wear soft contact lenses are prescribed with a very specific “planned replacement schedule”. That is, the prescribing eye doctor will give you instructions on how frequently to replace your lenses based on your tear film, how often you may be removing the lenses and how quickly you soil the lenses, even after cleaning and disinfection. True “Disposable” Contact Lenses are worn only once and then discarded. In order to have a “daily wear disposable schedule”, a brand new pair of lenses is used each day.
Specialty Contact Lenses
SynergEyes® Contact Lenses
SynergEyes® Contact Lenses use a “hybrid” platform to combine the superior visual acuity of a rigid gas permeable lens with the comfort of a soft contact lens by being fabricated with a rigid lens center and a hydrogel or “soft” lens peripheral skirt. At The Eye Care & Surgery center, we fit and prescribes several different versions of the SynergEyes® lens. The SynergEyes® “A” lens is often used in situations where sharper vision is required than can be achieved with a soft lens, but where a hard lens provides inadequate comfort. The ClearKone® and SynergEyes® KC lens are designed for patients with keratoconus, and the SynergEyes® Multifocal Lens for patients with presbyopia. The SynergEyes® PS contact lens was created for patients with flat corneas resulting from laser and corneal surgery as well as for those with scarring from trauma. We offer several other varieties of lenses for those with other needs not addressed by conventional contact lenses. Among them, we prescribe the Duette™ HD Lens for astigmatic patients who are looking for a contact lens that delivers exceptional vision as well as the Duette® Multifocal Lens for patients over 40 who are seeking great vision for a full range of vision.
Decorative Nonprescription Contact Lenses
There is a type of specialty contact lens that has become popular among people who have solely a cosmetic goal with no need for vision correction. These lenses are specifically designed to change the appearance of your eyes. These are sometimes called “Plano”, “Zero-Powered” or “Non-Corrective” lenses. Wearers of these contact lenses will appear to have a different eye color. For example, one can “change” brown eyes to blue and can even create different themes such as Halloween or Dracula by modifying the eye’s appearance.
EVEN THOUGH THESE DECORATIVE LENSES DO NOT CORRECT VISION, THEY ARE A MEDICAL DEVICE AND THE FDA STRICTLY REGULATES THEM .
This is because, even with correction, they pose the identical risks to patients that “regular’ contact lenses pose. These include:
- Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye
- Corneal Abrasions
- Corneal Ulcers
- Vision Impairment
Many patients are simply unaware of the need for proper fitting and prescription of these lenses and have purchased decorative contact lenses from beauty salons, record stores, video stores, flea markets, convenience stores, beach shops and the Internet. Buying contact lenses without a prescription is dangerous and illegal.
Caution When Refilling Contact Lens Prescriptions
Patients need to be cautious if they do not have their contact lens prescriptions filled at The Eye Care & Surgery Center. Contact lens sellers refer to some soft contact lenses as “disposable”, but actually, they are for frequent/planned replacement. With Extended Wear lenses, the lenses may be worn continuously for the prescribed wearing period (for example, 7 days to 30 days) and then thrown away. If you are wearing your lenses on a planned replacement basis or even an extended wear basis, when you remove your lenses, ALWAYS make sure to clean and disinfect them properly before reinserting them. This is necessary in order to protect the health of your eyes and allow you to continue to wear your contacts comfortably and safely. We generally recommend that extended wear be kept to a minimum, due to the increased risk of infection and corneal ulceration. Your doctor at The Eye Care and Surgery Center will discuss your individual health and needs and make an appropriate recommendation about wearing schedules.
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