Hard lenses or soft? Daily disposable or reusable? With so many different types of contact lenses available how do you choose? We help you understand the different types available. Read more...
Almost everyone can wear contact lenses. If you’re new to contact lenses, your first step is to see an Eye Care Professional and book an appointment to be fitted for contact lenses. Once your eye care professional has examined your eyes, he or she will make sure that the right contact lenses are fitted for your eyes.
What are contact lenses?
Contact lenses are small, thin, optical lenses worn directly on the eye to correct your vision. You can wear contact lenses to correct common vision problems such as:
• Myopia (Short-sightedness)
• Hyperopia (Long-sightedness)
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia
What are the different types of contact lenses?
With so many different contact lenses available, it can be confusing. We can group contact lenses by the material they’re made from (hard or soft) and how long you wear them for (the wear schedule). Lenses will also be prescribed by your eye care professional based on your vision problem (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia).
Most contact lenses today are soft or ‘hydrophilic’ which means they have certain percentage of water (this is how they stay soft). Soft lenses are extremely thin and made from materials that allow oxygen to pass through them to the eye. Today’s advances in contact lens technology have virtually eliminated the earlier hard lenses. There are 3 types of soft contact lenses:
Contact lenses for myopia and hyperopia
These are spherical lenses. They correct basic vision problems including short-sightedness (myopia) and long-sightedness (hyperopia).
Contact lenses for astigmatism
These are toric lenses. They correct astigmatism by compensating for the irregular surface of the eye.
Contact lenses for presbyopia
These are bifocal or multifocal contact lenses. They are used to correct presbyopia (the inability to focus sharply for near vision).
Daily disposable or reusable lenses?
ACUVUE® soft contact lenses come in 2 basic wear schedules:
Daily disposable lenses
The healthiest, most convenient way to wear lenses. At the end of each day you simply throw your ACUVUE® lenses away and use a fresh, new pair the next morning.
See the ACUVUE® daily disposable contact lenses available:
Reusable lenses
These are lenses you can reuse and keep rather than throw away. At the end of each day, you take the lenses out and clean and disinfect them. The next morning you put the same pair back in again. ACUVUE® reusable contact lenses worn as a daily wear are replaced every two weeks with a new pair.
See the ACUVUE® reusable contact lenses available.
Extended wear lenses
You can also wear some contact lenses continuously, even while sleeping. ACUVUE® OASYS® can be worn for up to six nights before you discard them and replace with a fresh pair. If you remove them before the end of the wear schedule, you’ll need to clean and disinfect them before you reapply.
See ACUVUE® OASYS® with HYDRACLEAR® Plus.
