Contact lenses are usually made of plastic and they enable a person to see without having to wear glasses. In short, contact lenses are a substitute for eyeglasses. Contact lenses are sometimes used for therapeutic purposes for dealing with particular eye diseases. Wearing of contact lenses entails a lot of interaction between the eye doctor, optician and patient. So let’s take a look at the process of getting checked and consequently getting fitted out for contact lenses.

In the first place, the doctor will conduct an eye test to ascertain if your eyes are in good enough health for wearing contact lenses. Once this is established, then your eyes will be measured and evaluated by a fitter or optometrist who will fit your contact lenses for you and teach you how to use them and maintain them. If you have any problems initially, your optician will give you assistance in sorting out the problem. However, you will probably have to make follow-up visits to your eye doctor who will monitor your progress to make sure that all is well.

What are the Different Types of Contacts?

The two main categories of contact lenses available in the market are soft and rigid contact lenses. Each type has a specific use which is well-defined. There are also some rarer types like sclera lenses and some of the older type of hard lenses but these will not be discussed as they are for all practical purposes not used any more.

Therapeutic Applications

A condition known as keratoconus is a deformity which occurs in the eye causing the eyeball to become more or less conical in shape instead of its usual roundish shape. This is a very common condition and rigid contact lenses are used to correct this. These contact lenses exert pressure on the cornea and over time, they mould the eyeball back into its original shape. Rigid contact lenses are also useful for patients suffering from astigmatism (farsightedness) and myopia (nearsightedness).

Advantage over Surgery

Due to vast advances in the field of eye surgery, some very complicated surgical and microsurgical procedures are being carried out today. However, contact lenses provide an excellent alternative to surgery. The importance of contact lenses over surgery is mainly the cost consideration as it is possible to have eye defects corrected at a fraction of the cost that would be incurred through surgery. The other advantage is that of convenience, especially for those who have to commute to and from office every day. Wearing contact lenses allows a person to move around freely even minutes after having them fitted which is certainly not so in the case of surgery where recovery can entail a severe restriction on movements for a considerable period of time.

The Popularity of Contact Lenses

It has been estimated that over 3.7 million UK citizens use contact lenses. Moreover, in recent times, there has been a growth at over double the rate of previous figures.

Today contact lenses are not just an aid for vision correction. They have gained popularity with celebrities as fashion accessories, especially seen in the case of cosmetic contact lenses. This type of contact lens is the sort that one can use even if they do not have any prescription. These lenses are designed to change the appearance of a person and they have even become popular with film actors and famous sportspersons. 

Motivational Factors to Wear Contacts

1. Enhanced appearance and natural vision
2. Very convenient to wear and maintain and improve the quality of life while wearing them.
3. Contact lenses can be worn as frequently as desired. They can be worn every day or even just once a month.
4. Contact lenses offer clearer vision than eyeglasses.
5. They are an inexpensive and convenient alternative to eye surgery.
6. Almost all age groups can wear contact lenses and they can be used to treat almost all eye problems.
7. One can adapt to wearing contact lenses quite easily and with minimal inconvenience.
8. Not only can contact lenses provide vision correction but in combination with the solutions and eye drops that are used, the eyes are maintained in an exceptionally healthy manner.
9. There are certain eye defects that only contact lenses can correct.

Conclusion

All in all, contact lenses are a vital component in the world of vision correction today. Even though there are still some people who prefer eyeglasses to contact lenses, this number is gradually dwindling as can be seen from the increasing number of people who are opting for contact lenses.