Coloured Contact Lenses

There are some people out there who wonder why people spend money on expensive contact lenses or expensive glasses.  If you’re never worn glasses or contacts, then chances are that you have really good vision.  On the other hand, those that don’t have really good vision will need to get either contact lenses or glasses in order to have near perfect vision.

Contact lenses, in most cases, will drastically improve your vision without having to get glasses, which is reason enough to invest in a pair of contacts.They are very lightweight, and they offer you a full range of sight and mobility.  Unlike wearing glasses, contacts don’t hang on your face – when you wear them others won’t able to tell.  If you wear glasses, you may want to look into getting a pair of contact lenses.

You can buy contact lens in several different ways.  You can order them online, which is what most people tend to do.  Companies such as contacts.com offer hundreds of contacts and prescriptions, which they deliver right to your door.  When you order online you can get a great price, and then have the contacts brought right to you – with no travel or waiting in line required to get your contact lenses when you need them.

You can also purchase your contact lens at your opticians office as well.  Buying this way is a great decision if you don’t have access to the Internet.You can also purchase at a local store that sells contacts and glasses, such as Wal-Mart.The prices are great here as well, as they offer a variety of different contacts for those who need them.  You can also buy solution here as well, making it well worth the trip to get your contact lenses.

Even though they are great for your eyes, all contact lenses aren’t equal.  Although your doctor will help you select the best pair for your eyes, you should always know a little bit about the contacts that are available to choose from.  All contact lenses can be separated depending on their wearing schedule, purpose, material, and over transparency.

Materials
Contacts can be separated or best determined by their material.  Contacts are divided into two main groups – soft and rigid (hard).Soft lenses are gas permeable to a certain extent, being further categorized by the amount of water they contain.  Soft contacts can have either a low, which is less than 50 percent moisture, or a high moisture content, which is more than 50 percent.  Rigid or hard contacts on the other hand, are much harder in material and are considered to be gas permeable.

Wearing schedules
Hard contact lens can last for months, possibly even years before they need to be replaced.  Soft contacts on the other hand, have a schedule for replacement.  Some may need to be removed every 2 weeks, monthly, or even daily.  The more advanced contact lenses, such as Night and Day contacts, will allow you to wear them all day and all night.  Just like other contacts however, you will still need to clean them on a regular basis to ensure that the protein is removed.

Contact lens designs
The designs for contacts are divided into three areas - toric, spherical, and multi-focal.  Toric lenses are for those who have astigmatism, spherical is for short sightedness, and the correction of long sightedness, and multi-focal contact lenses are used in the correction of presbyopia.All three designs have their distinct purpose, and you should always ask your optician before you rush out and buy one.

Many different purposes
As you may already know, contact lenses serve different purposes as well.They can be optical, therapeutic, cosmetic or decorative.Optical are the most common, as they are for the correction of vision and anomalies you have may have.  Therapeutic lenses are normally soft contacts that serve to protect your cornea.  They are also used as a reservoir for certain medicines that are used to treat various cornea diseases and malfunctions.

If you are new to contact lenses, there are 2 things that you will need to overcome – putting your contacts in and taking them out.  Even though you may have got in some practice with your doctor during your fitting exam, you'll find things to be totally different once you step in front of your mirror at home and try to do it by yourself.

The first thing you'll notice is that it can be tricky to put your contacts in.  If you are putting them in for the first time, it can be a little tricky getting them in your eye.  With a few days or a few weeks to practice, you’ll be more than comfortable with your lenses.  Always keep in mind that no one is perfect, it takes all of us time to get good at it.  Below, are a few tips that will help you with inserting and removing your contacts.

Putting your contacts in
Before you put your hands on your contact lens, you should make sure that you clean your hands thoroughly, and that you dry them off.Once your hands are clean, sit the contact lens on your index finger.  Next, place a drop of solution in the center of the lens.Now, use your other hand and pull down your lower eye lid with your thumb then look up with the eye you will be inserting the contact lens into.

Take your index finger with the contact on it and place it into your eye.  Don’t close your eye immediately, rather leave it open a few seconds to let the contact settle.  After a few seconds, close your eye and your contact lens should be perfectly in place.  If it feels uncomfortable, take it out and try again.  It may take you a few tries, although the more you put them in the better you’ll get at it.

Switching from glasses to contact lenses is easier than you may think.  Contact lenses are the preferred alternative to vision correction these days, offering you the vision enhancement you need at a price you can afford.  There are a lot of things you’ll to need to know about your contacts, although they are far superior to the traditional correction of glasses.

The first thing you’ll need to do when getting contact lenses is to visit your optician and be fitted for the lenses.  Your optician will give you a prescription for your contacts, examine the health of your eyes, and tell you which type of contacts will work the best for you.He or she can also tell you which contacts are best for your budget as well.

These days, there are several contact lens to choose from.  You have many different manufacturers as well, offering many different types, colors, and styles.  Not all are suitable for you though, as no 2 eyes are the same.  When you get fitted for your contact lenses, your optician will be able to help you make that decision.

When you first start wearing your contacts, you should never wear them for extended periods of time.  Contacts will need some time to adjust to your eyes, and your eyes will need some time to rest.  If you wear them too long when you start wearing them, they can harm your eyes.  Your optician will tell you what he recommends, which is normally a few hours during the day then take them out.With each passing day, you can wear them for longer periods until your eyes gradually adjust.

Another aspect that will take some getting used to, that you don’t face with glasses, is knowing how to handle your contact lens.  You’ll need to make sure that your hands are clean before you handle your contacts, to avoid scratching or damaging the lenses.  When you take your contacts out or put them in your eyes, you'll need to handle them - which requires your hands to be clean.

Something you may experience with your new contacts is dry eyes.  Dryness in the eyes when wearing contacts is very common, and should be expected.  When wearing glasses, this is one problem you won’t have.  If your eyes start to dry out when wearing your contacts, you should put a few drops of re-wetting or saline solution in your eyes.These drops will help to moisten your eyes and give you some relief from the irritation that dryness causes.

No matter what type of contact lens you have, you’ll need to clean them on a regular basis.  Normally, you should clean them at night when you take them out.  If you have night and day contact lenses, you'll need to take them out on a regular basis and clean them.  There are a few products you can use to clean your contacts, which we will look at below.

1.  Saline
Saline is a common product for rinsing contacts, most used for storing and rinsing your lenses.When you take your contacts out at night, you'll normally put them in saline solution.Even though it is perfect for storing and rinsing your contacts, it should never be used to clean or disinfect them.

2.  Daily cleaner solution
Daily cleaner is used to clean your contacts.  Simply place a few drops of the cleaner in the center of your hand and then rub the lens gently in the solution.  You should rub the contact around for about 30 seconds, ensuring that you clean both sides.  When you need to rinse and disinfect them, simply use other products that are designed for that purpose.

3.  Multipurpose solution
This is about the best type of solution you can get for your contacts, as it cleans, rinses, disinfects, and stores your lenses.  You can do everything with this type of solution, including soaking your contact lenses at night.  Once you have finished cleaning your contacts, simply rinse them with this same solution and they will be ready to wear.  With multipurpose solution, you won’t need any other products.

4.  Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a solution that cleans, disinfects, stores, and rinses your contacts.  You don't need to rub your contacts in the solution, simply allow them a few minutes to soak.  Hydrogen peroxide is a no rub solution, and contains chemicals that doesn’t burn your eyes.  Before you put the contact lenses into your eyes, you should always rinse them with another produce first.

5.  Cleaning and disinfecting
As the names imply, this is for both disinfecting and cleaning your contacts.Cleaning is normally achieved by either ultrasonic waves or agitation, where the disinfecting is done by multipurpose solution or UV light.  The instructions for the brand you selected will be on the bottle, and you should always follow them to avoid damage to your eyes or your contacts.

6.  Enzymatic cleaners
These types of cleaners are ideal for removing protein on your contacts, normally on a weekly basis.  They come in the form of tablets, which you can use with either disinfecting or saline solution to clean the protein from your contacts.