Comfort and Convenience

Eyeglasses and contact lenses both require care to provide sharp vision. Eyeglasses need regular cleaning to stay smudge-free. You may also need occasional adjustments to temples and nose pads to maintain a comfortable fit.

Contact lenses require more care than glasses. Before you can consider contact lenses, you must be sure you're comfortable touching your eyes to insert and remove the lenses. You'll need to follow your optometrist's cleaning instructions precisely. Weekly or monthly contact lenses must be cleaned nightly, while disposable lenses must be thrown away every day. Failing to follow instructions may increase your risk of an eye infection.

Do you have allergies or dry eyes? Both of these problems can affect contact lens comfort. If you have dry eyes, your eye doctor can recommend lenses that lock in moisture and reduce dry eye symptoms. Seasonal allergies can cause eye irritation. During allergy season, you may find it more comfortable to wear your glasses.

Lens Type

Lens choice is important for both eyeglass and contact lens wearers. If you wear eyeglasses, you can choose from these types of lenses:

• Single Vision. These lenses only contain one lens power and correct one refractive error, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.
• Bifocals and Trifocals. Bifocals separate two lens powers with a line. Three lens powers are included in trifocals and are also separated by lines. Bifocals and trifocals a good choice if you have presbyopia, an age-related refractive error that blurs close vision. If you wear bifocals, the upper part of the glasses offer good distance vision, while the lower half provides good near vision.
• Progressive. Progressive lenses contain multiple lens powers without the lines.
• Sunglass. Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays and may reduce your risk of develop cataracts or age-related macular degeneration. According to the American Optometric Association, sunglasses should block 100% of UVA and UVB light and screen 75% to 95% of visible light. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, you may want to consider photochromic lenses. The lenses darken when you go outside and lighten when you return indoors.

Common contact lens choices include:

• Daily Wear Soft Lenses. Daily wear lenses are thrown away at the end of the day, eliminating the need to clean the lenses.
• Weekly or Monthly Wear Soft Lenses. These lenses are worn every day for a week or more and cleaned every night.
• Multifocal Soft Lenses. Multifocal contact lenses contain multiple lens powers, making them a good choice for people with presbyopia.
• Other Lenses: Rigid gas-permeable lenses, toric lenses, or hybrid lenses may be recommended if your vision isn't sharp enough with standard soft contact lenses due to astigmatism or other vision issues.

Is it time to update your prescription and choose new eyeglasses or contact lenses? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.