| Product: |
Disposable Contact Lenses in General |
| Date: |
23/03/08 (111 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Easy to use.
Disadvantages: Can be costly.
Since my eye sight had gotten worse within the last 12 months I was more and more reliant on my glasses needing them 24/7 so it seemed like a more flexible option for me was to try contact lenses.
Why??
Well I love my glasses but sometimes they are just a little impractical, ever been at a theme park and had to keep taking your glasses on and off due to the worry that you might lose them during a ride? Or wished you hadn't had to wear your glasses to that wedding or for that special occassion?
Well I did and I was fed up of not feeling as glam as I used to when I went on a night out so I booked myself an appointment at my local opticians to go for a Contact Lens Assessment.
*~*What is a Contact Lens Assessment?*~*
Normally this could be done during an eye examination but I had only had my eyes tested in November so I booked for a separate assessment when I felt ready to try.
The assessment normally lasts anything between 30-60 minutes depending on your opticians, this is to enable the practitioner or contact lens fitter to determine your suitability for contact lenses.
Corneal health is verified; ocular allergies or dry eyes may affect a person's ability to successfully wear contact lenses, fortunately for me I had the opposite my eyes are forever watering!
At the assessment, provided that lenses will be suitable for you they then put the lenses in for you, this may seem scary at the thought of someone putting something into your eye but I found it fine I just focused on something on the wall and then decided to keep focused on that point until I was asked to look down or left to ensure that the lens was fitted correctly and once it was on I could barely feel it but the fact that I could see in one eye and not the other was a little bit strange and took a while to get used to but once the other lens was in my vision was much better than with my glasses and I looked different, I looked like the old me!!
I was then asked to walk around for 20 minutes to see how my eyes adjusted to them and how they felt and how my vision was before returning back to learn how to take them out.
At the end of my session I was provided with some trials to practice using and then given a follow-up appointment to see how I had got on and to order some lenses should they be suitable.
*~*What are contact lenses?*~*
I have corrective contact lenses which are designed to improve my vision, I am very lucky that my eyesight is the same in both eyes so there was not the worry that I might put a lens in the wrong eye.
Contact lenses are lightweight and once on the eye they are virtually invisible they are a concave shape and are designed to fit on top of the cornea of the eye.
Disposable lenses are designed to be replaced more often than regular lenses. Almost all disposable lenses are of the soft variety and you can replace your lenses yearly, six monthly, three monthly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly and daily. Lenses disposed of three monthly and above are often referred to as "Frequent Replacement" lenses as well.
The main advantage of disposable lenses is that they are thrown away before getting too dirty and are therefore more healthy for your eyes as well as not having to last as long so that they can be made thinner to improve the comfort, and reduce their thickness to further improve the ability of Oxygen to pass through them.
*~*So are they easy to use?*~*
For someone who hates getting anything in their eye, I do like contact lenses.
At first I was a little squeamish about putting them in myself or taking them out but all that is needed is practice and it just gets easier.
Before touching the contact lens or the eye you should ensure that you hands are clean preferably with an unfragranced soap or just water as perfumed soaps or antibacterial soaps could cause infection in the eye or irritation.
Contact lenses are typically inserted into the eye by placing them on the index finger with the concave side upward and raising them to touch the cornea. The other hand may be employed to keep the eye open.
I found this a little difficult at first as to get them in you need to look straight ahead not as easy as you think as who wants to look at their finger coming straight towards their eye? I find that it is better to keep the eye as wide open as possible and get your finger as close to your eye as you can without touching so that you can line it up and then just place it on the eye and it moves into place.
It has been said that problems can arise with disposable soft lenses as the surface tension between the lens and the finger may be too great and the lens can turn itself inside out or fold itself in half, a good way to check that you are putting the lens in correctly is to look for the 1-2-3 mark printed faintly on the lens if it reads 3-2-1 then it is inside out and should not be inserted into the eye.
I have found that when the lens first touches my eye, there is a slight period of irritation as the eye acclimatises to the lens and it should not exceed one minute, if it does then take the lense out as there may be some dirt on the lens causing an irritation.
Removing the lens was the most dreaded part for me as this seemed to be that little bit more difficult.
I was told to remove the lens by holding the eyelids open and grasping the lens with opposing digits.
I do find this causes slight irritation and is a little difficult due to the blink reflex.
I try to push the lens off the cornea to that it curls making it easier to remove.
There are other means to remove the lens but I have not yet decided to use them.
Daily disposables are great as you don't need to clean them and can just use them as and when you like. Acuvue were the first ever brand of disposable contact lenses and are highly recommended for those looking to not use them daily.
*~*Purchasing Contact Lenses*~*
There are many places you can obtain contact lenses and the internet is now one of the most popular but you must know your prescription.
You can order online and they will be delivered to your home, a 1 month supply is generally about £29 which is for 30 pairs so this will last you a long time if you do not plan on wearing them daily and they have a pretty good shelf life too so you can order them in advance if you know you are going to need a few pairs and are out of stock or you can order as and when you want them, even picking them up from your local opticians.
*~*Did you know??*~*
A small percentage of people do receive some minor complaints from using contact lenses this is generally through excessive wear.
The air-conditioning found on modern aircrafts designed to de-humidify the air on board, i.e. to dry it out, can cause soft lenses to dry out and even stick to the eye. This is obviously not comfortable or healthy. Wear your glasses instead.
You should not swim in your contact lenses, firstly it is very easy for the lenses to be washed out of the eye by a small wave or if you place your head under the water. Secondly the lenses, especially the soft variety, will absorb any chemicals or germs in the water which will then stay in or on the lens for several hours, irritating the eyes and possibly causing infection.
Summary: A great alternative to glasses.
|
|
