Approximately 45 million Americans wear contact lenses. The chance that you’ll join the number is high. Nothing to worry there—most individuals who wear prescription glasses can switch to contact lenses without problems. Read on to learn if you are a candidate for contact lenses.

Types of Contact Lenses

In the past, eye doctors recommended contact lenses only for patients with little to no corneal or eye imperfections. But technological advancements ensured that most people who could not wear contact lenses due to eye conditions or abnormalities can now wear them. Below are the different types of contact lenses and their uses:

• Soft lenses – You wear them once, then discard at the end of the day.
• Soft lenses – Daily contacts for 14 or 30 days.
• Hard gas-permeable lenses – Allow oxygen to permeate through to the eye and last for long.
• Bifocal lenses – Allow for long and short-distance vision.
• Monovision lenses – Allow far vision in one eye and near vision in the other.
• Ortho-k lenses – Reshape the cornea overnight to help with clear vision during the day.
• Toric lenses – correct astigmatism.

How Do Contact Lenses Correct Vision?

Contact lenses rest on the clear outer eye surface called the cornea. They adhere to your tear film to remain in place. As you blink, your eyelids glide over your contact lens and cause them to move slightly. As a result, your tears offer the necessary cornea lubrication and flush away the debris between the contact lens and cornea.

Contact lenses are medical devices that correct farsightedness, nearsightedness, presbyopia, and astigmatism. The conditions cause light to enter the eye, not to focus on the retina. You experience blurred vision when light entering the eye does not focus directly on your retina.

Contact lenses function as the original optical element of your eye when they sit in place on your cornea. The optics of your eye and the contact lens combine to help focus light on your retina. As a result, you experience clear vision.

Advantages of Wearing Contact Lenses

Most contact lens wearers do not like the appearance of eyeglasses; instead, they prefer showing the beauty of their eyes. Contacts offer better vision correction, unlike the obstruction caused by eyeglass frames. You also get better peripheral vision.

Contact lenses do not fog up when it gets warm. They also do not splatter when it rains. They also do not get in the way during recreational and sporting activities.

How to Know You Are a Candidate for Contact Lenses

You are probably an ideal contact lens candidate if you have healthy eyes and wear eyeglasses frequently. You also qualify if you want them for aesthetic reasons instead of wearing prescription glasses. They are ideal if you want to engage in activities like sports.

When Are Convectional Contacts Not Recommended?

Contact lenses are ideal for correcting and improving various vision problems. However, they may not suit everyone. Some eyes can make wearing contacts impossible or uncomfortable. 

Conditions such as eyelid inflammation, severe allergies, complex eye, and severe dry eye may not be suitable for contact lenses. Your eye doctor may recommend specialty lenses to help correct your vision if you have such conditions.

For more on contact lenses, visit Vision Concept at our office in Houston, Texas. Call (281) 407-4886 to book an appointment today.