by Jeanette Cheezum

Created on: October 02, 2008   Last Updated: May 03, 2009

Over the years contact lenses and eyeglass lenses have been perfected as far as comfort and visual acuity. However, many people choose to use contact lenses as opposed to heavy or uncomfortable glasses. They have the freedom of not having anything on their face or sliding down their nose and may wear them daily or over night as determined by their eye doctor. There are contact lenses that correct nearsighted, far sighted, astigmatic or bifocal prescriptions.

Most contacts are made from either soft or rigid gas permeable materials.

Patients that only need glasses to read or for the computer are now fit with bifocal contact lenses. Others may be fit with only one lens to achieve the same degree of visual aid and sometimes save time because they don't have to worry where they left-their glasses.

It is rare, but some people have to deal with Keratoconus (A cone shaped eye.) There are lenses for this diagnosis also which allow these patients to obtain a much better level of vision than with eyeglasses.

Novelty contact lenses are fun to wear on holidays such as Halloween, Fourth of July or Saint Patrick's Day. Adults need to make sure their children do not swap or loan out these novelty contact lenses with friends or siblings, because of infection due to lack of proper cleaning and sometimes irritations from contact lenses that were not prescribed for anyone other than the patient.

Special effects contact lenses are used in the entertainment business and for patients that are color blind. They have also perfected beautiful opaque contact lenses for patients with a distorted or damaged Iris.

Some people take contact lenses for granted and do not wear them as their doctor prescribed. These patients are putting their eyes at significant risk of serious eye infections.

Bottom line: Do your homework. Whether you purchase lenses for single vision, bifocal or special occasions make sure you deal only with reputable organizations, and have an annual eye health exam from an eye doctor to make sure you are a candidate for contact lenses before you insert lenses in your eyes. Not everyone can wear contact lensesthose that can enjoy them immensely.

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