Contact lenses have become more popular than ever over the past few years. Not only are they great in allowing better vision, but they also prevent further damage to the eyes. Also adding to their appeal is the fact that they give your eyes unique colors. You can get almost all shades of colors for your contact lenses in Dubai.
Let’s take a look at some important things you should know about contact lenses:
Why Contact Lenses?
Contact lenses are for anyone who’s not willing to go for eyeglasses, spectacles or surgical procedures like LASIK. The important thing that makes them efficient is their ability to conform to the curvature of your eye. This makes them far better than glasses in terms of vision improvement and ease of wearing.
Since they literally cover your eyes, there’s no distortion in your vision. Compared to glasses that you need to adjust every now and then to get a clear sight, lenses are easy. You don’t have to take them off when you are about to do something as you would with glasses. They don’t require regular cleaning and they certainly don’t break all the time. Moreover, even though they’re very little and transparent, you’re still not as likely to lose lenses than you are to lose glasses.
What are They Made Of?
Different types of lenses are made of different materials.
Soft Lenses:
Soft Lenses are made up of hydrogels. These are water-containing plastics that feel like a gel when you hold them. Given their soft nature, they adjust to the surface of the user’s eye with ease. Since they’re thin, there’s little to no irritation when you wear them.
Silicone Hydrogel Lens:
The silicone hydrogel lens is an advanced version of the typical soft lenses. With an increased number of pores in the body, they allow more oxygen to reach the surface of the cornea. These are the most popular types of lenses that are prescribed today.
Gas Permeable Lenses:
Gas permeable lenses are more rigid as compared to soft ones but they do have pores on their surface. This is to let oxygen inside and reach the cornea. Although they are not as soft, they’re better than the traditional hard lenses. However, GP lenses provide sharper and clearer vision than softer lenses, making them ideal for patients of astigmatism.
Hybrid Contact Lenses:
Hybrid contact lenses are the ideal lenses that combine technologies of GP lenses and silicone hydrogel lenses. This means that they’re both gas permeable. In simple words, they allow entry of oxygen to allow sharp vision and are soft to wear. The central zone of the lens is hard to make it possible for oxygen to travel through pores. Surrounding the central zone is the silicone hydrogel material. The only drawback with these lenses is that they’re hard to fit and expensive to buy.
What’s Wearing Time?
Wearing time of the lenses is also called wearing patterns. This is the duration for which you can wear the same lenses before they’re to be disposed of. According to this, two categories of lenses are formed:
- Daily Wear
- Extended Wear
People who don’t know about lenses think that you need to clean lenses daily and you can’t go to sleep in one. That’s where extended wear lenses come in and can be perfect for weeks and even months. These also allow you the ability to sleep while wearing them as well. However, it’s still mandatory that you change them after their respective periods to avoid eye infections.
Daily Disposable Lenses:
Daily disposable lenses need to be discarded every 24 hours. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with lens deposits and contamination.
Disposable Lenses:
Disposable lenses usually last for a maximum duration of 2 weeks and should be discarded before that period expires.
Frequent Replacement Lenses:
Frequent replacement lenses should be discarded after a month or every 4 weeks.
Traditional Lenses:
Traditional (reusable lenses) might last the longest but even so, need to be changed every 6 months.
Which Lens Should You Go For?
This is something that would be best explained to you by your eye care specialist. It’s best if you don’t randomly pick up a daily disposable one or a traditional one of your own preferences without consultation. Select the best eye doctor in Dubai and have them help you.
