Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are small, ultra-thin, optical lenses worn directly on the eye to correct vision problems including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia. Contact lenses can be hard or soft, can replace glasses or bifocal glasses and can also enhance or change the colour of your eyes.

Most contact lenses are soft, or “hydrophilic,” which means that they are made of water, this is how soft contact lenses stay soft. Soft contact lenses are extremely thin and are importantly manufactured from materials that allow necessary oxygen to pass through them and reach the eye surface.

Almost everyone can wear contact lenses - even some babies are fitted with contact lenses when they have eye problems! Most people start wearing contacts in their early teens, but interestingly even children as young as 8 years old can learn to wear and take care of their contact lenses.

Types of Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses come in four basic categories:

• Spherical (Regular) Contact Lenses: These lenses correct basic vision problems like near-sightedness –‘myopia’ and far-sightedness – ‘hyperopia’. Most people who wear soft contact lenses wear spherical contact lenses.
• Contact Lenses for Astigmatism: Vision correction with contact lenses for astigmatism can be as good as what you would get with glasses. These lenses correct astigmatism by compensating for the shape of the eye.
• Contact Lenses for Presbyopia: Bifocal contact lenses are used to correct presbyopia which is caused due to inability to focus sharply for near vision related to aging. Bifocal Contact Lenses are a comfortable, effective alternative way to wearing glasses or regular contact lenses with special glasses for reading.
• Colour (Cosmetic) Contact Lenses: Colour (Cosmetic) contact lenses are regular spherical contacts that have a special colour layer within the lens allowing the colour to blend with your own natural eye colour, while never touching your eye. This unique colour layer allows anyone to change or enhance their eye colour, whether you have light eyes, dark eyes, or even 20/20 eyes.

Wear And Replacement Schedules

Soft lenses are recommended for three basic wear and replacement schedules:

• Daily Wear: You wear these lenses during the day, take them out at night, clean and disinfect them, and put the same lenses back in the next day. Daily wear lenses are worn for two weeks and then discarded and replaced with a new pair.
• Flexible Wear: These lenses can be Worn all day and all night, even while sleeping. Continuous wear lenses are replaced with a new pair after continuously wearing them for 6 nights and 7 days.
• Daily Disposable: Daily disposable contact lenses can be thrown out and replaced every day. You wear them for one day and then throw them away.