People wear contact lens for various reasons. Lenses provide you optimal vision with better eye comfort. Aesthetic reasons also make lenses great alternative to spectacles. In some cases spectacles don’t work and lens is the only solution to such conditions. Corneal irregularities are addressed by Scleral Lenses which even out the irregular cornea that cannot be solved by specs. Here is a list of contact lenses and their functions.
Soft Contact Lenses – These lenses are made with permeable materials that allow the oxygen to reach the eyes. The softness of these lenses makes them more comfortable and adjustable when compared to other lenses. The latest versions of these lenses are made with silicone gel material.
Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses – RGP lenses are customised which means that the RGP that using is made for you. They give superior vision quality with crispness of vision. These lenses don’t change their shapes unlike soft contact lenses so you don’t have to face vision fluctuations. They don’t dry out as well. Though the initial down payment for these lenses may be high in comparison to soft lenses but they are cost effective in long run. These lenses are relatively tougher and have a greater longevity. You can know more about these lenses in “everything about lenses.”
Scleral Lenses – Doctors prescribe these lenses to people who have corneal problems like corneal diseases, dystrophies, and degenerations like corneal scars, irregularities and even eye diseases like Keratoconus. These lenses even out the irregularities and work like an artificial cornea.
Ortho-K Lenses – Imagine you didn’t have to wear any spectacles or even lenses every day. Ortho-K lenses are exactly made for this purpose. These lenses are customised and people have to wear this lens overnight. It flattens the cornea by compressing it in a way that the image forms perfectly on retina. After wearing the Ortho-K lens overnight, the cornea remains in the shape for the rest of the day keeping the visual acuity perfect. Some people experience the blurring of vision during the end of the day as the cornea slowly gains back its actual shape.
Important piece of advice for all contact lens users
No doubt, contact lenses are a boon to many. But are they risk free? Yes if they are handled properly. Proper storage of a contact lens is the most crucial step. It is as important as wearing it properly because if you don’t store it properly then you might catch bacterial infection or even corneal inflammation from poor hygiene.
- Always wash your hands properly before handling contact lenses.
- Store your contact lens in the solution provided by the manufacturer.
- Rinsing and rubbing contact lenses to disinfect them gives wearers the safest way to wear these lenses.
- Don’t use solutions beyond expiration-date. Solutions are a cocktail of chemicals and you don’t want “non-recommended” chemicals in your lens.
At The Retina Centre, there is a wide range of lens available. You can visit our store or you can talk to us. You can contact us here for more details and queries related to contact lenses.