Contact lenses are designed to fit most eyes and to clear up blurry vision from myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. The contacts available today offer comfort, safety and convenience as never seen before. New technological advances in contact lens materials, coatings, and designs are giving doctors and patients more to choose from every year. It’s rare for a healthy eye to not be able to wear some type of contact lens with all of the current options available.

Contact lens wear is ideal for sports, school, and any activities where there is a lot of movement. Many people can wear contacts comfortably all day. Sometimes, however, wearing contact lenses while doing prolonged close work, such as reading or computer work, can cause eye strain. In these cases, your optometrist may recommend special computer reading glasses, removing your contacts, or wearing your regular glasses.

Our blink-rate is reduced when staring at something for long periods of time, so contacts can dry out, stick to the eye, then cause redness, corneal swelling, and lead to eye infections. Ask your optometrist about other options if you’re experiencing contact lens computer-related problems.

Soft contact lenses are the most popular as they are very comfortable. They can be worn during waking hours only (daily wear) or overnight (extended wear). Rigid gas permeable are made from a firmer plastic-like polymer and can allow sharper vision than soft contacts, especially for persons with astigmatism. Contact should never be worn overnight unless approved by your eye doctor.

Deposits (mucus, protein, makeup, pollen) and infectious organisms (bacteria, fungus, viruses) can build up on the surface of all contact lenses. For this reason it’s super important to keep them clean and disinfected. A simple rub-rinse-store routine every night does wonders at keeping the lenses clean and the eyes healthy.

Remember, to help prevent contact lens-related eye infections, proper lens wear and use of contact lens disinfecting solutions is crucial. Stick to your doctor’s recommended wearing schedule, which is unique to your eyes. Just because a contact lens manufacturer (or your best friend) says that your lens is approved for extended wear (overnight), that doesn’t mean that your eyes are able to tolerate that kind of wear.

Contact lens wear can be an excellent option to correct blurry vision. The goal is to keep the eyes as healthy as possible for your lifetime.