Soft Contact Lenses
Let's face it, if you are
going to load something into your eye day in and day out
you want it to be darn comfortable, right? Well more than
80% of contact wearers use soft contact lenses.
Many among them claim they
find those soft lenses initially more comfortable than
hard contact lenses or rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP).
With soft contact lenses, there will be no more contact
lenses popping out of your eyes. Never!
Soft Contact Lenses or SLC's are made from complex
polymers and often referred to as hydrogel lenses. Soft
Contact Lenses are now available in colors as well.
Advantages of soft
contact lenses:
- Your eyes adapt to them
quickly.
- You seldom feel your
soft contact lenses when blinking.
- They are harder to
accidentally dislodge due to their greater eye surface
coverage.
- Soft contact lenses
eliminate unsightly pressure marks on your nose from eye
glasses.
- They can be colored to
enhance or even change your eye color.
Disadvantages of soft
contact lenses:
- Soft contact lenses are
highly sensitive to oils, bacteria and contaminants on
your hands.
- Because they are fragile,
it is possible to tear or otherwise damage soft contact
lenses during cleaning.
- The longer you leave a
pair on your eyes the greater the chance for eye
infection
(soft contact lenses should not be worn longer than the
period suggested by your physician).
- Some users experience
excessively dry eyes and must switch to rigid gas
permeable contact lenses. Otherwise, they have to make
regular use of appropriately designed eye wetting
solutions.
Inserting and removing soft
contact lenses with clean, dry hands is an absolute must.
An advice for you is make sure you have your eye doctor
train you in the proper insertion and removal of your soft
contact lenses. You are the paying customer; make sure
they take the time to show you the easiest and safest way
to do it. Have them stick with you until you fully
understand and can perform the process on your own.
Be patient with yourself and know that millions before you
have passed through the exact same initial discomfort and
learning process. If your soft contact lenses still don't
seem to fit properly, have your eye doctor re-examine your
eyes until you have a prescription that works properly and
comfortably for you.
Don't forget you also have
the right to obtain your written prescription so you can
use it to buy soft contact lenses from the provider of
your choice.
Many users of soft contact lenses sing the praises of the
convenience of daily disposable contact lenses. In fact,
daily disposables have captured a very large share of the
world. They may cost a bit more, but they do at least
relieve you of the chore of daily lens cleaning. You can
also have ready replacements at hand in case you
unexpectedly damage or lose a pair of soft contact lenses.
With the exception of the daily disposables, there is a
possibility of tearing soft contact lenses during the
cleaning process. Newer solutions now offer a "no-rub"
cleaning process, which can thus minimize such damage.
Some users experience more eye dryness with soft contact
lenses than with rigid gas permeable lenses because the
rigid gas permeable lenses (RGB) transmit a greater
percentage of oxygen to the cornea of the eyes, and they
allow for greater water transfer (tears).
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