Contact Lens: All about Contact Lenses

contact lenses
contact lenses

All about Contact Lenses

Contact lens invention does not have a single name contributing to its birth, but a number of people who have evolved the concept and each step was important in the development of contact lenses that we wear today. Leonardo Da Vinci was the first person to have conceived the idea of ‘contact lenses’ in the 16th century, but it came to reality in the 19th century by F.E. Muller. In the 20th century, modern day soft lenses were invented by Czech chemists Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lim.

What Are Contacts Lenses?

Contact Lenses are thin concaved plastic that is worn directly on the coloured part of eyes, where the lenses ‘stick’ to the eye. Contact lenses are usually worn by people who are near sighted, far sighted, have bifocals but do not want to wear glasses. They can also be worn as a cosmetic, to change or enhance eye colour.

Types of Contact Lenses

There are two major types of contacts-  Soft Contacts and Hard Contacts\ Rigid Gas Permeable Contacts.

Soft Contacts

soft and hard contact lenses
soft and hard contact lenses

These are made from plastic materials containing water which makes them soft, and hence also called Hydrogels. Soft contacts can have low or high oxygen permeability. These have a hint of blue in its appearance and usually are slightly bigger than the coloured circle of the eye. Soft lenses are flexible and can be torn easily if not handled well.

Rigid Gas Permeable Contacts (Hard Contacts)

Rigid Gas Permeable Contacts or RPG Contacts are made from hard plastic and have very high oxygen permeability. Healthy eyes need plenty of oxygen. Oxygen can pass through through RPG lenses which make these lenses more comfortable and healthier. The size of these is smaller than the coloured part of the eye, the material is not flexible but it takes the shape of the eye easily. Hard lenses cannot be torn but can be broken if not handles carefully.

Within each of these contact lenses, there different materials and designs available, for example, number of hours they can be worn, changing schedule etc. Soft lenses are extremely comfortable to wear and need very less time to adapt while RGPs require an adaptation period before they can be comfortably worn. But RPGs give better vision.

The more popular Soft lenses come in various kinds –

Daily Disposables – Wear in the morning, throw in the evening. These are for one time use.
Weekly \ Fortnightly \ Monthly Lenses –  These can be worn during the day  and must be disposed off after the intended period.
Yearly Lenses –  These are worn during the day, must be removed at night. These must be changed annually, and cleaned with Cleaning Tablets every few months.
Apart from replacement schedule, there are a number of hours each lens can be worn at a stretch (for example – 8 hours a day \ 12 hours etc). The lenses must be kept in clean solution for atleast 4 hours in between two wearings.
Wearing one pair of lenses for longer than intended periods can lead to unhealthy protein deposits on the cornea. Therefore, daily or monthly lenses are said to be healthier than yearly lenses.

Pros & Cons of Contact lenses –

contact lenses
contact lenses

Advantages of Contact Lenses

Contact lenses give better vision without any hindrances or obstructions.
Can be worn in rains, they do not fog up.
Some people may feel they look better in lenses.
Better for sports activities

Disadvantages of Contact Lenses

Infections & complications are possible
Need more care than glasses
Slightly more expensive

DO YOU USE CONTACT LENSES? PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE!

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Also Read:

Contact Lenses: How to Use Contact Lens

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35 thoughts on “Contact Lens: All about Contact Lenses

  1. hi smitha…………
    i use contacts…….but my eyes are very senstive……….so i generally face problems with the eyemakeup…..specifically i cant wear kajal on my water line…….any suggestions……..

    one more query…..its not related to this post…sorry…..u said earlier…baking soda nd baking powder are different……so u use baking soda or baking powder fr hands and head bath…..
    do reply…..

      1. MAC Smolder – for your waterline – opthmalogist tested and totally contact lense safe – Ive got lenses and its the only thing I use on my waterline – now even normal kajal burns a lil but this doesnt – give it a try

  2. one more thing……….currently i m using yearly lenses………but i m planning to shift to monthly diposables……….as with the yearly lenses…..i m facing icthiness and dryness of eyes….

    1. Shilpa!! you definately should switch to monthly disposable ones!! they are so good in all ways!! firstly becoz its your eyes…the precious most.. you will be doing them a favour. Monthly disposable ones have almost negligible chances of protein built-up so all the less chances of typical problems associated with lens ..dryness. itchiness etc..so 80% of the problem solved..And like u mentioned wearing kajal is a problem..you will definately see a huge difference there!!I have been wearing lenses for almost 10 yrs now..only monthly disposable ones..never had a problem…!! and I wear kajal everyday!! :yes: other than that you must be aware os the storage , cleaning process!!..thats all you need to do and you will do fine..! 😀

    2. As Anupam suggested you could switch to monthly or even daily contacts.
      I wore kajal even with yearly contacts, i hardly had any problems. I guess sensitive eyes do need more care.

    3. Hi. I used contacts for a long time, and with eye makeup lots of times. All the suggestions given here are excellent. A little thing I’d like to add is that some people have these probs with a specific brand. I and quite a few of my friends had probs with bausch&lomb and none with others. So you might consider switching your brand. I got LASIK done later and now life’s much sweeter. 🙂 🙂

        1. You should def consider it!!! Its such an amazing feeling after years of specs and contacts when you only have to wear your eyes and nothing else 😛 😛 🙂

      1. U got lasik done ??? I’m very curious about it!!! How long ago did u get it ?? Did u have any inhibitions at all ? I have sooo many !! :shutmouth:

  3. i’ve been wearing contacts for more than a decade now.. people always discouraged me from wearing them when i was young.. they said that my number would increase exponentially and that i would repent later. let me tell you that’s just a load of bullshit. i always encourage people to wear contacts, no matter how young they are. as long as you’re careful and hygienic, i don’t think there’s a problem. also, i’ve seen many people get hurt with their own specs (when i was in class six, i got hit with a basketball and my spectacles literally broke on my face). i guess wearing contacts saves you from that trouble.
    i’ve experimented with coloured contacts too (grey ones) and all i want to say in that regard is – stay away! what was i thinking?! *shudder*

    1. The only reason why very young people shouldn’t be wearing contacts is that contacts need a lot of responsibility and care. If a kid is responsible enough then theres absolutely no reason why contacts shouldn’t be worn.
      How young were u when u started wearing contacts Rima ?

    2. hi Rima, can you please tell me what brand of contact lenses you use? I was using Bausch and Lomb monthly but they hurt my eyes after 3 hours and my eyes go read, i want something very comfortable and i don’t want it to feel like it’s in my eyes.

  4. I have been fond of contacts, to get a diff look! but some how chickened out for the fear of hurting my eyes, but this is good info before you invest! Thanks Smita :yes:

    1. 🙂 thank u uzma

      Don’t chicken out Uzma.. they are soooooooooooo worth it !! They are just awesome ,u should atleast try daily ones for a couple of days \ weeks, if u like them u can continue, otherwise not.

  5. Hi,
    I have been using contact lenses for a couple of years now. My problem is that when i put my kajal on my waterline it transfers on the lens after some time and is a real pain because then my vision gets blurry and i have a hard time seeing anything clearly. How can i stop this from happening. If i need to change the brand of my contact lense which one should i opt for. i do use a smudge free kohl from colorbar, which other brands can i try that have dark black colour.

  6. Hi…
    I hav been using contact lenses for 6yrs nw. Initially i did hav some probs.. bt nw i am quite comfortable wit it. I see to it tht i change d lens liquid daily and wash the lens case often. Also i wear sunglasses to avoid dust to get into d eyes and while driving two wheelers. When it come to eye makeup i apply kajal n eyeliner only after wearing my lens, n remove the lens b4 removing d makeup.. true tht lenses require more care than glasses.. bt its worth d effort

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