Contact Lens Overview

Are contact lenses for you?

The vast majority of people requiring vision correction can wear contact lenses without any problems. New materials and lens care technologies have made today's contacts more comfortable, safer and easier to wear.

What are the advantages of wearing contact lenses?

Many wearers feel that contact lenses show their eyes in a better light or they don't like the appearance of eyeglasses
Better vision correction due to the reduced obstruction from the eyeglass frames
No fogging up in warm rooms
No splattering during rain showers
Less hassle as they don't get in the way during sports and other recreational activites

What are the disadvantages?

Contact lenses require getting used to. New soft lens wearers typically adjust to their lenses within a week. Rigid lenses generally require a somewhat longer adjustment period.
Except for some disposible varieties, almost all lenses require regular cleaning and disinfection, a process that, although requiring only a few minutes, is more than some people want to undertake
Some types of lenses increase your eye's sensitivity to light

What lifestyle do you lead? What kind of work do you do?

For those involved in sports and recreational activities, contact lenses offer a number of advantages. In addition to providing good peripheral vision, eliminating the problem of fogged or rain splattered lenses, and freeing you from worries about broken glasses, contact lenses also mean you can wear non-prescription protective eyewear.

Looking sideways through the lenses of glasses leads to prismatic effects because you are not looking through their centers. Your eyes have to coordinate differently to cope with this. This does not happen with contact lenses because you always look through the centers of the lenses as they move with your eye movements.

Your occupation and work environment should also be taken into consideration. People whose work requires good peripheral vision may want to consider contacts. Those who work in dusty environments or where chemicals are in heavy use are likely to find spectacles more comfortable.

Consider the question and answers below to help assess whether they are a choice you should consider.

Contact lens wear may be difficult if:

Your eyes are severely irritated by allergies
You work in an environment with lots of dust and chemicals
You have an overactive thyroid, uncontrolled diabetes or severe arthritis in your hands
Your eyes are overly dry due to pregnancy or medications your are taking

After a thorough eye examination, your suitability for contact lenses and the specific contact lens option that best meets your requirements will be determined.

Do you like wearing glasses?

Do you like the way that glasses feel? Do you like how you look in them? No longer is it necessary to choose between either contacts or glasses. Some of today's contacts are so easy to wear that you can use them intermittently --for special occasions, while playing sports or to match your fashions.

New single use, one day disposable lenses are comfortable and do not require cleaning. They can be easily interchanged with glasses.