Consumer Guide to Contact Lenses
Today there are more healthful and convenient contact lens options than ever before. Thinking about contacts? Our contact lens basics article is the place to start. You can also browse types of contact lenses, or read the features below.
Learn how to apply and remove contact lenses, as well as what to do to protect your eyes when you wear makeup.
You need a prescription for contact lenses, even if they're just for looks. Here's what all those numbers and terms mean on the Rx form.
Should your teen wear contact lenses? Read this Q&A to help you decide.
We provide solid advice for your specific symptoms or situation.
Today almost everyone can wear contacts, but sometimes you need a little extra help.
Find out if you really know how to care for your contact lenses.
How can you choose between eye doctors, retail stores and Internet sites? Our buying tips and price charts will help.
Learn how to get the best price and value when shopping for contacts online.
Five invisible, concentric zones allow you to see clearly both near and far.
How to make sense of all the different products, and properly clean and disinfect your contacts. Also: Caring for RGPs, and what you need to know about Acanthamoeba keratitis.
You might still need specially-designed contact lenses after refractive surgery.
Both eliminate hassle. Compare the safety, effectiveness and cost of contacts and LASIK.
Contact Lens News & New Products / Eye Doctor Q&A / Contact Lens FAQ
Types of Contact Lenses:
About Contact Lenses
Modern contact lenses fall into two categories: soft lenses that are made from water-containing plastics, and GP or "oxygen permeable" rigid contact lenses.
Contact lenses may also be classified by wearing schedule. Daily wear lenses must be removed, cleaned and stored each night, while extended wear contact lenses are made from materials which are safe for sleep. You may also have heard of "continuous wear" contact lenses, a type of extended wear that can be worn for up to 30 days.
Various lens designs are available for different vision problems. Spherical contact lenses correct nearsightedness or farsightedness and are indicated by a minus or plus in your prescription, respectively. Bifocal contact lenses are similar to multifocal eyeglasses in that they use different optical zones to correct presbyopia (the decreased ability see at both near and far distances). Toric contact lenses correct astigmatism, which can accompany either nearsightedness or farsightedness.
All of the contact lenses mentioned above can be custom fabricated for unusual prescriptions, and many other contact lens designs are available as well, including designs for conditions like keratoconus.
Contact Lens Designs
Many lens designs come in colors that can enhance or change your natural eye color. Special-effect contact lenses are also available for novelty use and are used extensively in theatrical and filmed productions. Prosthetic lenses are colored contact lenses that can cosmetically mask eye disfigurement. Many contact lenses come with an embedded UV inhibitor as well.
Which is the Right Contact Lens for You?
First, your contact lenses must correct your vision problem. Second, each lens must properly fit your cornea, so contact lenses come in tens of thousands of parameters, meaning the combination of size, shape and power.
Your eye care practitioner will evaluate your eyes to determine which lens is right for you, and will take into account your special needs such as dry eyes, a desire for color change or the need for overnight wear.
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