Contact Lens have changed immeasurably since they were first introduced and there are many different types. The aim is to give a brief idea of what is available on the market, what the different options require in terms of use and the way to get appropriate treatment
a) What is wrong?
The first step is to find out what eye correction is needed and it is imperative to obtain the correct optical prescription and this should be done by a good qualified optician. Once a prescription has been obtained then there are 3 more choices
• 1) Glasses
• 2) Contact Lens
• 3) Laser Treatment
Only contact lens will be dealt with here. Glasses and contact lens do the same job but Laser treatment provides a more permanent cure but has other considerations. See laser treatment
Types of Contact Lens
The second step is to decide which type of lens is for you. This depends on the person, the situation where they worn and the financial consideration. Basically the lens range from the hard contact lens which last for some time but require a very high maintenance procedure to a disposable contact lens which can be discarded immediately after one use.
The 3 main types of lens are as follows:-
• 1) Disposable contact lens usually called soft lens
These come as daily, weekly, monthly disposable option for a healthy and time saving usage. Daily ones can be thrown away after one use and require no maintenance others (say 14 day lens) may be disposable but require a strict daily cleaning regime during their life
• 2) Extended Wear
Generally the advice has been to take contact lens out at night and clean but the extended wear contact lens have been developed so they can be used overnight. It is possible to get lens to use for anything up to 30 days Day and Night if approved and prescribed by an Optician or Medical Practitioner but the norm is for a much shorter time (often daily).
• 3) Rigid Gas Permeable
These are generally the most expensive and these can take some getting used too but durable gas permeable lens can provide unbeatable vision. Talk to the examiner to get the best advice for your eyes.
Contact Lens can also be provided for other uses such as to help astigmatism with contact lens that reshape the eye. They also come in bifocal form and these days are becoming more used in cosmetic form with coloured contact lens. A qualified optician will give appropriate advice.
It may also be appropriate to explore Laser Treatment for a permanent option to contact lens and there are an increasing number of medical practitioners who can advise and treat. Se(see laser treatment)
b) Prescription contact lenses
Contact Lens need to be prescribed by a suitably qualified Optician or Medical Practitioner. However once the prescription has been obtained the contact lens can be obtained from the same Optician or Medical Practitioner or there is the generally right to obtain the prescribed contact lens from any qualified contact lens supplier and there appears to be a booming market of supply directly from the manufacturers on the internet.
c) Caring for contact lenses
The major problem with contact lens is the cleanliness and retained form of the lens. The original hard lens lasted a long time but they developed a protein build up which could cause problems if not rigorously dealt with and hence the development of the soft lens and hard lens have been super-ceded in many cases by the soft lens.
There is a continuous problem that can develop with all lens if the care and maintenance is not adequate which will affect the eyes. Obviously daily throwaway soft lens remove virtually all the major problems and whilst they cost a little more the expenses are not as great as would be expected when the cleaning solutions are taken into account but many people go to a half way house where the lens are retained for 14 to 28 days and then discarded.
For lens which are retained and used after night removal then there are a variety of cleaning solutions and it is imperative that the regime for usage given by the manufacturers is maintained. If you find yourself allergic to any treatments instantly stop and seek professional advice. There are many options and change of treatment is usually possible. This is not a treatment which can be cut short as there are major problems which can occur to the eyes if cleaning is not correctly carried out rigorously.
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