Switching To Contact Lenses

Switching from glasses to contact lenses is easier than you may think.  Contact lenses are the preferred alternative to vision correction these days, offering you the vision enhancement you need at a price you can afford.  There are a lot of things you’ll to need to know about your contacts, although they are far superior to the traditional correction of glasses.

The first thing you’ll need to do when getting contact lenses is to visit your optician and be fitted for the lenses.  Your optician will give you a prescription for your contacts, examine the health of your eyes, and tell you which type of contacts will work the best for you.  He or she can also tell you which contacts are best for your budget as well.

These days, there are several contact lenses to choose from.  You have many different manufacturers as well, offering many different types, colors, and styles.  Not all are suitable for you though, as no 2 eyes are the same.  When you get fitted for your contact lenses, your optician will be able to help you make that decision.

When you first start wearing your contacts, you should never wear them for extended periods of time.  Contacts will need some time to adjust to your eyes, and your eyes will need some time to rest.  If you wear them too long when you start wearing them, they can harm your eyes.  Your optician will tell you what he recommends, which is normally a few hours during the day then take them out.  With each passing day, you can wear them for longer periods until your eyes gradually adjust.

Another aspect that will take some getting used to, that you don’t face with glasses, is knowing how to handle your contact lenses.  You’ll need to make sure that your hands are clean before you handle your contacts, to avoid scratching or damaging the lenses.  When you take your contacts out or put them in your eyes, you’ll need to handle them - which requires your hands to be clean.

Something you may experience with your new contacts is dry eyes.  Dryness in the eyes when wearing contacts is very common, and should be expected.  When wearing glasses, this is one problem you won’t have.  If your eyes start to dry out when wearing your contacts, you should put a few drops of re-wetting or saline solution in your eyes.  These drops will help to moisten your eyes and give you some relief from the irritation that dryness causes.

Although glasses need to be cleaned frequently, contact lenses need to be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis.  Protein will build up on the surface of the contacts, requiring them to be cleaned with a disinfecting or multi-purpose solution.  The easiest way to do this is to soak your contacts in the solution when you go to sleep at night.  This way, you can wake up in the morning and your contact lenses will be ready to wear. 

All in all, contact lenses are preferred over glasses.  You’ll need to change them out though, normally every couple of weeks.  Changing them out with a fresh pair will make your eyes feel refreshed, and keep you from getting infections.  Contact lenses are great for virtually anyone, and they can give you a full range of sight.  They won’t hang off your face like glasses - yet they will give the freedom in knowing that you can do virtually any activity you choose.

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