There are several types of contact lenses depending on the material:
- Soft contact lens
- Rigid gas-permeable lens
Soft contact lenses can be made of hydrogel or silicone hydrogel. They are the most commonly used and can correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and eyestrain.
WHAT DO CONTACT LENSES CORRECT?
- myopia is a refractive defect that causes blurred vision of distant objects. People who suffer from myopia have a higher curvature of the structures of the eyeball, this causes the light coming from the outside not to focus exactly on the retina as it should be but behind the retina. Focusing behind the retina causes difficulty in focusing on near objects.
- Farsightedness is characterized by difficulty in focusing on near objects and causes a lot of eye fatigue. Unlike myopia, light coming from the outside is focused in front of the retina causing blurred vision.
- Presbyopia is a refractive defect that generally affects people over 40 years of age. It causes blurred vision of objects or documents that are close to the nose. People suffering from presbyopia often have difficulties to read well on the phone for example.
- Astigmatism is characterized by difficulty in focusing on small details both near and far. A person with astigmatism tends to see details with shadows. For example, they may confuse the letter B with the letter R because they see a slight shadow that does not allow them to focus clearly. They also tend to see lights with halos.
TYPES OF SOFT CONTACT LENSES
Hydrogel contact lenses are soft lenses: They generally allow less oxygen to pass into the eye, which affects the quality of vision and the comfort of wearing them, as the oxygen supply to the eye is very important. The lack of oxygen in the eye (hypoxia) usually causes conjunctival hyperemia, which is the stinging and redness of the eyes.
Silicone hydrogel contact lenses: these are soft lenses that are generally more comfortable to wear. They are the most commonly used, although some people may have an allergy to silicone and cannot wear them.
Generally, soft contact lenses can be worn for about 8 hours. If you can take a break between hours and remove them, it is a perfect option to improve eye health.
Depending on the time of use, they can be:
- Daily: they are for single use only. It is the best option to avoid infections and responsibilities of having to store and clean them. They are ideal for sports or for occasional use throughout the week.
- Monthly: use the same contact lens for 30 days. They should be removed after use and stored in a special container and special liquid for storing soft contact lenses. As long as they are kept clean and hygienic, this is a very good option for people who want to wear contact lenses every day or several days a week.
- Biweekly: there are many people who use monthly contact lenses and by the third week they may start to feel some discomfort even though they shouldn’t, but some eyes are more sensitive than others. In this case it is the best option because every two weeks you have to change the lens. They are very comfortable to wear and you have to maintain the same maintenance system as monthly contact lenses.
The most important factor for the proper use of contact lenses is hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap before using contact lenses and maintain a very strict system of disinfection and maintenance of contact lenses.
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