According to recent research, today more than 135 million people around the world have various vision problems. The most common are:
- hyperopia (hyperopia);
- myopia (myopia) ;
- cataract;
- glaucoma;
- night blindness;
- retinal detachment;
- astigmatism.
However, in the vast majority of cases, you can not do without surgical intervention. However, to date, people suffering from farsightedness, or vice versa myopia, may not resort to emergency measures. The problem is simply solved with glasses or contact lenses. Moreover, more and more people prefer the latter. What is their advantage, how to choose lenses for the eyes, what exactly should you pay attention to when choosing, will be considered in this article.
Benefits of Contact Lenses
Not all people agree to wear glasses. This is especially true for children and adolescents who are afraid of the nickname "bespectacled man." However, poor eyesight entails many problems. People who do not see well enough often find themselves in funny situations when they do not recognize their friends on the street and do not greet them. In addition, with poor eyesight, it is likely to miss the desired bus and not see any object on the street. At the same time, for many glasses are absolutely unacceptable. And it is for this category of people that the best way out of the situation is to wear lenses that have undoubted advantages. They do not distort the size and do not reduce the field of view, like glasses. At the same time, lenses allow you to lead an active lifestyle, blurring the difference between people with good eyesight and shortsighted.
In addition, not all people can choose glasses that emphasize individual merits, while contact lenses do not require any special correction. Also, no weather conditions will interfere with the wearing of lenses, while glasses can fog or get wet, thereby reducing the level of visibility.
How to start choosing contact lenses
The main rule that should be considered when choosing lenses is that only an ophthalmologist will help you choose them correctly. Therefore, in no case should you purchase them without proper consultation. It is very important to know how specialists choose eye lenses. It should be remembered that there are contraindications to their wearing:
- various inflammatory processes;
- squint;
- glaucoma;
- subluxation of the lens;
- various allergic reactions.
In any of these cases, wearing contact lenses will have to be abandoned. However, the correct selection of lenses will bring a lot of positive emotions and a sense of comfort.
The main criteria for the right choice of contact lenses
Having made a firm decision to start wearing contact lenses, you should know what basic criteria should be considered when choosing them. It:
- radius;
- diameter;
- location;
- material of manufacture.
Only taking into account all the parameters, you can be sure that you have acquired the right lenses for your vision.
Ophthalmologist Tips
The need for a thorough examination by an ophthalmologist is determined by the fact that the correct selection of lenses is crucial for eye health. When diagnosing vision, the doctor determines such parameters as:
- curvature of the cornea;
- intraocular pressure;
- diopter sizes;
- visual acuity;
- condition of the muscles of the eye.
At the same time, these indicators cannot be determined by eye, so the quality of the equipment used for diagnostics is crucial. After a full examination of the eyes, the doctor will advise which lenses for vision are suitable in each case, taking into account the condition of the eyes and age, as well as take into account existing personal wishes.
Indications for wearing lenses
In addition to the personal desire of a person, there are certain indications for wearing contact lenses. They can be:
- cosmetic (eye color change due to various defects);
- professional (when wearing glasses is contraindicated in certain activities);
- medical.
Medical Indications for Wearing Lenses
The most common indication for wearing contact lenses is myopia of varying degrees. In this case, they contribute to the improvement of binocular vision and accommodation apparatus, which is impossible when wearing glasses. Thus, the greatest correction of myopia is possible precisely with lenses.
Another equally common eye disease that good lenses correct is astigmatism. It should be borne in mind that you need to choose lenses specifically taking into account the disease, since ordinary ones can worsen the state of vision. If the selection was carried out correctly, this will guarantee a high quality of vision.
Hypermetropia, or farsightedness, is not always corrected by lenses well enough. This is due to the fact that the size of images on the retina with lenses is much smaller than with glass glasses. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to adapt to wearing lenses.
Wearing lenses by people suffering from presbyopia, or in other words, senile farsightedness, requires the use of complex designs, which does not always guarantee sufficient comfort.
With keratoconus, it is the lenses that become the best way to improve the quality of vision. With this disease, the cornea takes the form of a cone, which cannot be corrected with glasses. At the same time, correctly selected contact lenses significantly reduce the level of optical changes, which contributes to a high corrective effect.
For each of these diseases, the question of how to choose lenses for the eyes is strictly individual and requires careful observance of all the features.
Basic requirements for contact lenses
When deciding to purchase lenses, the reviews of people who have already used them are of no small importance. However, if you want to get a really high-quality product, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:
- oxygen permeability level;
- degree of moisture content;
- terms of wearing;
- appointment.
At the same time, one should not underestimate the importance of these indicators, because their non-observance will lead to vision problems of various severity. The eye needs oxygen, so the higher this value for contact lenses, the better. And moisture content is crucial for eye health, as excessive dryness can have a variety of consequences.
Lens wearing time
One of the most important indicators of proper lens wear is their life. They are divided into lenses:
- daily replacement;
- planned replacement;
- the traditional period of wearing;
- prolonged wearing time.
Daily lenses are a one-time product, the useful life of which is one day. At a price they are more expensive than other options, but at the same time they guarantee eye health. In addition, daily lenses do not require any special care and do not give any complications. The most common brand of this category are contact lenses 1 day.
The life of wearing scheduled replacement lenses varies from two weeks to three months. This type is preferred by the largest number of people. Such lenses offer a fairly high level of oxygen permeability and moisture content. The best choice in this category would be two-week lenses.
Traditional wear lenses require replacement no earlier than once every six months. Such increased product strength is achieved to the detriment of indicators such as oxygen permeability and moisture content. In addition, they require careful care, which is not always comfortable for the consumer. The cost of this product is the lowest, however, the risk of corneal damage is extremely high.
Long-wearing lenses, which are also called silicone-hydrol lenses, make it possible to use them for more than a day, including sleep time. However, despite the fact that such lenses saturate the eyes with oxygen and during sleep, ophthalmologists do not recommend sleeping in them without urgent need. Knowing the features of each type of product will help you choose the right lens.
Lens Care
Regardless of the type and duration of wearing the lenses, careful care is required. Having decided to start wearing contact lenses, you should think about choosing a good fluid for them, which will not cause eye irritation or dryness. With the wrong choice of fluid, the wearing time of lenses decreases dramatically, and the risk of various complications increases significantly. That is why it is necessary to pay due attention to acquiring a good liquid for contact lenses. In addition, every time you place the lenses in a special container, you need to change the liquid so that they pass through cleaning and disinfection.
The container itself is recommended to be washed before each use, and when replacing the lenses, purchase a new one. The best choice for this is two-week lenses, which are reasonably affordable in price, and the service life does not allow the product to become soiled to such an extent that it causes any complications.
It is also extremely important to observe the rules of hygiene when handling contact lenses. Wash hands thoroughly with soap every time you use. It is strictly forbidden to transfer your lenses for use to another person, as well as to take strangers. It is also extremely important to observe the terms of their wearing and to acquire new ones on time.
Possible problems for beginners when wearing lenses
Having made a firm decision to start wearing contact lenses, you should be prepared for the fact that some feelings of discomfort are possible, especially at the initial stage. This is primarily the adaptation to a foreign object in the eye, which is different for everyone. In addition, many experience difficulties in putting on lenses, as well as removing them. At the same time, if you decide to start wearing lenses, the reviews you can hear do not always prepare for all these difficulties. Therefore, it is desire and patience that will become the key to the successful application of this corrective product.
Signs to stop wearing lenses
Despite all the advantages of contact lenses, all people are different, and they may not be suitable for everyone. It is quite possible the occurrence of various reactions that require immediate rejection of the corrective product. As a rule, these are various manifestations of allergies and constant dryness in the eyes. If the problem is not solved when changing lenses, it means that none of them are suitable and you will have to abandon them.
Thus, it is incorrect to think that lenses are a panacea for poor vision. Having learned how to choose lenses for the eyes, after conducting all the necessary examinations and stopping at any option, you should be prepared for the fact that the adaptation process will not go as smoothly as we would like. It should be remembered that the lens manufacturing process is constantly being improved. And even if you find the most suitable, you will still have to change them for more modern and high-quality ones over time.