Modern contact lenses offer much more comfort and convenience than a few years ago. Many people choose flexible wearing regimes, swapping between spectacles and lenses entirely as they wish. The choice of contact lenses available has increased dramatically over recent years and a suitable option can be found for almost every prescription and wearing schedule.

Gas Permeable Lenses
Modern gas permeable lenses are much more comfortable than the old “hard” lenses. These rigid lenses offer high degrees of oxygen transmission and ease of maintenance. This means that although they may take a few more days to get used to than soft lenses, they are very safe to wear, and frequently give a better standard of vision. Having no water content of their own, they are less likely to dry out over longer periods. They are best suited to those wishing to wear contact lenses “all day and every day”.

Soft Contact Lenses
Although there are now a huge number of different soft lens types available they all have the same basic properties. They are large, thin and extremely flexible, making them very comfortable to wear and highly stable on the eye. This means that they are ideal for flexible wear as well as more regular contact lens wearing regimes. They are particularly suitable for sports and social wear and the combination of disposability and modern cleaning methods makes looking after them very straightforward. The main types of soft lenses are available are: -

Conventional Daily Wear Lenses
Designed to last around a year and sometimes slightly longer, these lenses still have their place in the modern contact lens practice. They can work out a little cheaper than disposables and are a must for those who require custom –made lenses.

Disposable Lenses
These lenses are designed to be thrown away after a fixed period of wear, typically a month, a fortnight or on a daily basis. Their main advantage is that cleaner lenses are being worn for more of the time. This is particularly important because the majority of the problems that can occur arise through wearing old and dirty lenses. They are also easier and cheaper to look after and a supply of lenses means that if one is lost or damaged it can be replaced very quickly. Disposable lenses are now available to suit almost every prescription.

Cosmetic Lenses
With these lenses you can change the colour of your eyes to virtually anything you want! Available in both conventional and disposable form, most people choose disposables so that they can change colours as often as they want. Anything is possible from a subtle enhancement of your own natural eye colour to a dramatic

Extended wear
Sleeping in contact lenses for anything up to a month at a time is now possible. This is particularly suited to those with a busy lifestyle, interrupted nights or who simply cannot be bothered to handle and clean their lenses on a daily basis! Modern materials with ultra-high oxygen permeability make this a safe and viable option, which should certainly be considered as an alternative to laser surgery.


Back to Top