Advantages of contact lenses

This section discusses the benefits of wearing contact lenses and as compared to wearing glasses. Many people who wear lenses are very pleased with them and state that they would not return to wearing glasses unless there was an urgent need to do so.

If you wear glasses and are thinking about whether to switch to contact lenses then it is important to weigh up both the pros and cons of doing so.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages and contact lenses are no different. Make sure that you look at our disadvantages of contact lenses section as well so that you can make an informed decision.

Benefits of wearing contact lenses

These include:

• Improved all-round vision
• No glare/light sensitivity
• Easy to use
• Convenient
• Practical for sportspeople
• Better suited to people with a high prescription
• Improved appearance
• Suitable for all weather conditions
• Treats certain eye conditions
• Easy to keep clean
• No artificial barrier

Improved all-round vision

Contact lenses means clear peripheral (all round) vision. One of the problems with glasses is that they only let the wearer see objects clearly in front of them. Anything to the side is out of focus and blurry.

This all round improvement is ideal for sportspeople and motorists where perfect vision is needed. Plus your vision feels natural rather than the slight distortion experienced when wearing glasses.

No glare/light sensitivity

There is no risk of glare from looking at a bright light or the sun as compared to glasses. People who wear glasses often find it difficult when looking into the sun as this creates glare and makes it difficult to see.

Easy to use

Contact lenses are quick and simple to use. They are placed on the end of a finger and inserted onto the eye in a matter of seconds.

Glasses are also easy to use in that they are popped on and off the face in an instant. But they can feel heavy or uncomfortable, especially when resting on the bridge of the nose.

Convenient

This is often the main deciding factor between glasses and lenses. What attracts people to contact lenses is their convenience: they are easy to use and fit in with any situation or a change of environment.

Daily disposable lenses are a popular form of lenses which are seen as particularly convenient in that they do not require any aftercare. These lenses can be worn once and then thrown away afterwards.

Practical for sportspeople

If you are an athlete or participate in sports then you may have found wearing glasses awkward and distracting. Glasses can have the habit of slipping down the nose or becoming steamed up which is annoying during a competition or training.

Plus there is a safety aspect as well. There is a risk of falling over and breaking a lens or the entire pair of glasses which may a serious eye injury.

Better suited to people with a high prescription

A high prescription refers to the extent of the refractive error, e.g. short sightedness. The higher the number (dioptres) the greater the degree to which the lens bends light as it enters the eye. This refraction is a sign of a fault within the lens.

If you have a high prescription then you are said to have a high amount of refraction which also means seriously blurred vision.

This problem with visual acuity means having to wear glasses with thick, ‘bottle top’lenses which can be uncomfortable. But you can opt to wear a slim contact lens instead which you will hardly notice.

Improved appearance

There are people who feel self-conscious about wearing glasses and in some cases, less attractive. Whereas contact lenses cannot be detected by the casual observer and enable him/her to see your eyes.

Plus there is no issue about whether your contact lenses will compliment a particular outfit or not. Contact lenses go with anything and everything.

There are even novelty lenses if you are after something a bit different or daring.

Suitable for all weather conditions

One advantage of contact lenses is the fact that they do not steam up, collect rain or other deposits on the lenses due to the weather. Glasses do have a tendency to steam up when you go from a cold environment into a warm room. Plus they become misty in bad weather conditions.

Contact lenses do not suffer any of these and are kept clean by the blink of an eye.

Treats certain eye conditions

Contact lenses can be effective at treating certain eye conditions such as corneal ulcers or keratitis. The sufferer can wear a special bandage lens which helps to protect the cornea against further damage and also acts as a form of medication.

There are types of lenses which are able to transfer drugs to an infected cornea or other similar eye conditions.

Easy to keep clean

If you wear daily disposable lenses then these are worn and then discarded at the end of the day. They do not require any care or cleaning. Other lenses are cleaned via soaking in a special lens solution which is simple enough to do.

Your eye acts as a form of cleaner in that every time you blink this removes any dirt or debris which has accumulated behind the lens.

No artificial barrier

Wearing contact lenses means that you not have the sensation of viewing the world through a screen. Plus other people are able to see your eyes whereas they appear hidden when you wear glasses.

This is not designed to be a rant or set of complaints about eyeglasses. Glasses have been around for a long time and have proven to be an effective means of correcting faulty vision.

In fact, there are several similarities between glasses and contact lenses which are:

• Glasses and lenses need to be handled with care. This means taking care when placing contacts into your eye and removing them. Likewise, taking care when putting glasses on and off and remembering to clean them.
• Both of these are effective at dealing with astigmatism
• They are both affordable and easy to use

The advantages of contact lenses outweigh the disadvantages but consider both of these before deciding which corrective device to wear.