Contact lenses are practical. But beware of the risks

Wearing prescription glasses does not suit everyone. Glasses can significantly restrict especially active people with many activities, not only physical ones. At the same time, it happens that we forget them somewhere or damage them, which is not exactly the most pleasant situation. Without glasses you are, as the saying goes, “done for.” On the one hand you will have trouble seeing, and on the other you will have to dig into your wallet for an unplanned expense. But contact lenses are not trouble-free either.

In today's article you will learn:

• what advantages contact lenses have compared with prescription glasses
• what the difference is between hard and soft lenses
• that hygiene is the priority when using contact lenses
• when wearing lenses is not recommended
• how to get rid of glasses and lenses permanently

Do not choose contact lenses according to the dioptres of your glasses

If you wear prescription glasses and are planning to try contact lenses, see your ophthalmologist first. The dioptres of glasses may differ from those you will need for lenses. The reason is quite simple. Your glasses are a few millimetres from your eyes, whereas contact lenses sit directly on the eyes, so vision through the same dioptres can differ.

Besides the dioptre power, the curvature, diameter and material of the lens are also important for choosing the right lenses.

In the past, mainly hard lenses were used; nowadays they are applied only in exceptional situations. The biggest disadvantage of hard lenses is that they restrict the penetration of oxygen into the eye. They are also considerably less comfortable than soft lenses.

The most commonly used soft lenses are hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses. Silicone hydrogel lenses are more comfortable for the eyes, as they ensure the best supply of oxygen to the cornea.

By type, lenses are divided into:

• Spherical – used to correct short-sightedness and long-sightedness
• Toric – used to correct astigmatism
• Multifocal – can correct several refractive errors – presbyopia, long-sightedness and possibly also short-sightedness
• Coloured – are more a matter of image; they are not recommended for permanent wear. They can be with or without dioptres

By wearing period, contact lenses are divided into:

• daily – used for only one day / once. They are ideal as a supplement to prescription glasses, for example for sport or for certain professions in which glasses are a limitation.
• multiple-use

• with regular daily cleaning - these are mostly two-weekly or monthly lenses, which need to be taken out every day before going to sleep
• continuous – they can be worn without being removed, usually for one month

Contact lenses are a supplement or an alternative to glasses

If you opt for contact lenses, you will find that they are considerably more practical than prescription glasses. You need not worry that you will lose them – and consequently not be able to see because of it; you can play football, handball or hockey, or train in any other contact sport, without restriction and safely. Even if a lens becomes uncomfortable or falls out when you involuntarily rub your eye, you simply replace it with a new one. And when your dioptres change, you simply buy a new pack at no extra cost.

Wearing contact lenses is extremely sensitive to hygiene

The reason for most people who have opted for glasses rather than contact lenses is that they find it unpleasant to handle an open eye. They are afraid that they will damage their eye and that, instead of benefiting from the practical aspects of lenses, they will complicate their eyesight situation even further.

Their fears are partly justified. When applying contact lenses, hygiene really is the “alpha and omega”. And of course, you need to be patient until you learn to insert and remove them without problems. However, if you follow a few basic rules, you have nothing to fear:

• always handle lenses only with clean and dry hands
• never wear lenses for longer than the period for which they are intended
• get used to putting the right lens into the right side of the case and the left one into the left side, especially if you have different dioptres
• if a lens falls out, replace it with a new one,
• never wash lenses in water, only in solutions intended for this purpose
• if your eyes feel dry and irritated, try to blink more often, or give yourself a break from lenses for a while
• have regular eye check-ups as instructed by your doctor

Lenses cannot be used everywhere

Although lenses are considerably less restrictive during activities than glasses, there are still places where you should not use them:

• in a swimming pool, in a lake or in the shower
• in a wellness centre
• in nature in places with increased dust or, for example, on building sites
• in locations where proper hygiene is not ensured – camping, farms, countries that are risky in terms of hygiene

Is the price of contact lenses really their advantage?

Besides being practical, lenses may also seem financially advantageous to some. It is easier for us to spend an average of 20 euros a month on lenses and solutions than several hundred euros at once on prescription glasses. The fact is, however, that if we calculate the annual costs of contact lenses and the necessary solutions, we will find that for the money spent we could already have bought prescription glasses of average quality. In two years, even good-quality branded glasses. And if you do not break or lose your glasses, they will last you for years.

On the other hand, the price advantage of contact lenses is that if your eyesight worsens, you buy a new pack with stronger dioptres without any increase in price. If you wear glasses, you will have to invest several tens of euros in new spectacle lenses.

Good eyesight once and for all

However, no additional investment awaits you if you opt for laser surgery. It is the only way to obtain excellent eyesight permanently and get rid of all prescription glasses or contact lenses. However, we recommend investing in one of the most modern methods. They are almost painless, with a minimal risk of postoperative complications and a short healing time. Laser eye operations will rid you of long-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia and also cataract. For patients under forty, procedures on the cornea are recommended, for example the revolutionary method ReLEx SMILE 3D.

After forty, when vision at very close distances deteriorates due to the natural ageing of the lens (presbyopia), replacing the lens with a new, artificial one is recommended. Its properties do not change over time, and the artificial lens is also a prevention against the development of cataract. A top-class method of lens surgery is, for example, FEMTO Z-Prelex. You can choose a trifocal lens, which corrects vision at all distances. Thanks to it, you will never again need contact lenses or glasses for distance, for near or for reading.