Contact lenses are a convenient option compared to traditional eyeglasses. If you are new to contact lenses, it is important to choose the right ones so that you can achieve maximum eye comfort and impact your vision positively.
You will need to visit a contact lens specialist which can be an optometrist or an ophthalmologist in order to carry out a comprehensive eye exam. You can research eye care professionals in your area and schedule an eye exam once you have selected a clinic. They will assess your eye health and determine the prescription. If there is any underlying issues that can affect the choice of your contact lenses this will be identified here and the specialist will provide you with a solution.
Your refractive error will be measured during the eye exam along with the overall health of your eyes and eye shape. This will help them provide you with the right recommendation for contact lenses. There are also different types of contact lenses. The most common type of contact lenses you will come across will be soft contact lenses and these are great for addressing a variety of vision needs such as presbyopia, farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism etc. You can find these in different options such as biweekly, monthly and daily disposable. These are also quite comfortable to wear.
RGP contact lenses are made of rigid oxygen permeable material
And this is an option considered if you have severe astigmatism, irregular corneas or a specific issue that cannot be corrected with the use of soft contact lenses. You will have a small period to adapt to RGP lenses. Astigmatism can be corrected by Toric contact lenses. You can find RGP and soft varieties in this and different powers of Toric contact lenses can also be found.
If you need to correct near and far vision in your eyes, the eye care professional will recommend multifocal contact lenses. While disposable contact lenses are recommended only for the specific duration, you can find contact lenses that are approved for continuous or extended wear. You can even wear them when you are sleeping but you need to have an eye care professional approve them.
You have to consider your lifestyle when selecting contact lenses as well
The eye care specialist will ask about your activity level when determining which option is best for you. If you have a highly active lifestyle or if you play sports, it is best to go for daily disposable or soft contact lenses. Some people tend to have allergies or dry eyes and daily disposable contact lenses are recommended for this situation as well. The reason to choose them is that the risk of building up allergens is reduced.
There are also specialised contact lenses that can be used to reduce eye strain especially if you’re used to sitting in front of a computer screen for the majority of your work day. There are different materials for contact lenses as well such as hydrogel, silicone hydrogel and PMMA. The type suitable for your prescription will be recommended by the eye care specialist.
