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Associate Article

 13 May 2008 13:22 BST

Focus on contact lenses – a general guide to pros and cons

A contact lens is a small lens placed on the cornea of the eye. It can be used in three different ways: correctively, cosmetically or therapeutically.

Corrective contact lenses are designed for those people with sight deficiencies, such as long or short sightedness. This works with the lens focusing light correctly onto the retina of the eye, improving vision. Many people have a difference between the refractive power of their eye and the actual length of their eyeball. This causes a refraction error that is cancelled out by corrective lenses.

Cosmetic lenses are used to change the appearance of the wearer’s eye. Originally used in theatre and film productions, they are now widely available - although, it should be noted that certain designs on lenses can interfere with the wearer’s vision. These lenses are now a major part of the fashion industry and are pretty readily available.

Therapeutic contact lenses are used to aid recovery from conditions where the eyeball may be dry or damaged. Usually soft lenses, they offer a protective barrier between the air, the eye and the eyelids.

Most contact lenses have to be stored in a solution that cleans them, keeps them soft and maintains their permeability. There is usually a prescribed period of time in which the lenses have to be placed in this solution - most people put them in at night, having worn them for the day.

Given that technology has advanced the quality and capability of these lenses, most can be worn continuously for a week with no adverse reactions. However, when worn for longer periods of time, perhaps months, the lenses can accumulate dirt and give rise to eye infections and other eye-related problems.

For those contemplating a switch to contact lenses the costs could seem somewhat prohibitive. One option is to buy online - there are countless online contact lens suppliers springing up at the moment (Vision Direct Online Contact Lenses, Opticzone and Coastalcontacts to name three) offering dramatic savings compared to what you might pay in a high street optician. Vision Direct Online Contact Lenses, for instance, claim to offer savings of up to 70%.

Insurance policies for contact lenses are a prudent idea; many wearers have lost or dropped their lenses and may not have the time to source out another set as quickly as they would like. An insurance policy can take care of that for the wearer and also reduce the costs where any new purchases are required.

New research is linking the effects of ultraviolet light to cataracts. Contact lenses are now available that carry an ultraviolet screen as an invisible standard. Although not in the same league as sunglasses, which cover the entire eye and not just the cornea, it is worth asking whether your prescribed contact lenses have this safety feature.End of story

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