Whether you’re wearing contact lenses for the first time or 
you’re a current wearer seeking a new option, the choices have 
never been so diverse and plentiful. The technology and designs 
available will make you’re contact lenses wearing experience a 
comfortable and convenient one. Some of the wonderful contact 
lens types include; disposable contact lenses, colored contact 
lenses, rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, toric and bifocal 
lenses and extended wear lenses.

The first step for anyone wanting to wear contact lenses is a 
visit to an eyecare practitioner, even if you just want to 
change eye color. Ophthalmologists, optometrists and in some 
states opticians are considered to be eyecare practitioners and 
can write a valid contact lenses prescription. In the United 
States contact lenses can only be legally purchased with a 
written contact lens prescription.

You’re eyecare practitioner will first check to see if you can 
safely wear contact lens, most people can, there are however 
some who cannot. Next you’re eyecare practitioner will do a 
thorough examination of both eyes and a contact lens fitting 
to determine you’re contact lens prescription. It is important 
to remember that contact lenses are medical devices and if not 
properly prescribed and fitted a person could suffer discomfort, 
abrasion, swelling and in some rare instances permanent eye 
damage. Regular eye exams are necessary to ensure any problems 
are looked at and taken care of.

There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses. Contact 
lenses are so delicately designed that the wearer doesn’t even 
know they are there. Contact lenses eliminate the barriers that 
eyeglasses provide with the line of sight from above, below and 
the sides of the eyes, allowing for incredible peripheral vision 
while reducing and often eliminating image distortion often 
caused by eyeglasses.

Disposable contacts are the most common type of contact lenses. 
They offer both health and convenience benefits, and are a 
favorite among eyecare practitioners and consumers alike, 
because of the wonderful health benefits and convenience they 
offer. Disposable lenses designs should be worn for a certain 
amount of time, thrown out and replaced with a fresh pair of 
lenses. There are three main types of disposable contact lenses; 
disposable contact lenses which can be discarded and replaced 
every two weeks or sooner; the traditional or reusable contact 
lenses that are replaced approximately every six months or 
longer and the frequent replacement contacts which are replaced 
monthly or quarterly. There can be confusion between what is 
known as the replacement schedule and the wearing schedule. 
The replacement schedule is the difference between disposable, 
traditional or reusable and frequent lenses, and exactly how 
often they are discarded and replaced. Whereas the wearing 
schedule refers to how often you’re contact lenses are removed 
but not necessarily discarded. Usually the name of the contacts 
such as daily wear or extended wear will refer to how often the 
lenses should be removed.

Color contact lenses are a great way to either give yourself a 
subtle or dramatic change to your look. The color contact lenses 
are available in both prescription and plano (non prescription) 
form. There are four types of colored contact lenses; visibility 
tints, enhancement tints, opaque color tints and light-filtering 
tints. The visibility tints usually come with a green or light 
blue tint added to the lens, and this is primarily so you can 
see well during insertion and removal or if the contact lenses 
are dropped. The visibility tints do not affect eye color. 
Enhancement tints are a solid (yet translucent) tint that also 
does not affect eye color. What they do as the name implies is 
enhance the existing eye color of the wearer.

Color tints are the deeper, opaque tints that dramatically 
change the wearers eye color. These lenses are great for anyone 
wanting a dramatic change in their eye color and appearance. 
The color contacts are available in a wide variety of colors, 
including green, hazel, violet, blue, amethyst and gray. Lastly 
the light-filtering tints are a great option for sports 
enthusiasts. These special contact lenses are designed for 
specific sports use as they enhance certain colors. One color 
of the light-filtering tints is the optic yellow, because this 
is the color of tennis balls and some golf and softballs the 
lenses enhance the yellow while muting other colors, making 
the ball stand out against the background.

Rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP) are probably the highest 
quality lenses available today. They offer excellent quality of 
vision (some will say crisper vision), durability, and retain 
their shape better when blinking. The lenses allow for oxygen 
to reach your eye therefore creating more comfort and better 
eye health. The lenses have a more lengthy adjustment period 
than the soft lenses and must be worn everyday to maintain the 
comfort level, otherwise if not worn everyday it will take time 
to adjust to again.

A comfortable and convenient way to correct presbyopia (aging 
eyes) is with bifocal contact lenses. These contact lenses can 
replace the bifocal eyeglasses that we are used to seeing on 
people. The bifocal contacts are available in both soft and 
rigid gas permeable lenses, and in disposable or frequent 
replacement wear. Toric contact lenses treat the eye condition 
known as astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea). The toric 
contact lenses have only become available recently in soft 
contact options. The lenses are available in disposable, 
frequent replacement, multifocal and color varieties of 
lenses.

Extended wear contact lenses are the most convenient of all the 
contact lenses. Extended wear allows for overnight wear up to 
thirty days. Most of the extended wear contact lenses available 
can be worn without removal for up to seven days, there are only 
a couple of brands that can be worn for up to thirty days of 
continuous wear. There is a higher health risk compared with the 
nightly removal lenses. The nice thing about the extended wear 
lenses is you don’t have to worry about lens care, you must be 
sure however to discard and replace your lenses according to 
their wear schedule to avoid any risk of infection. A nice 
option in the extended wear lenses is the flexible wear lenses. 
This allows you to nap or occasionally sleep in your lenses, 
perhaps on a weekend trip, while only wearing the lenses on a 
daily wear basis.

Everyone’s individual needs and preferences will come into 
play when selecting their contact lenses. With the wonderful 
assortment of contact lenses available there is a lens that 
will offer both comfort and convenience to the most particular 
of consumers.