Contact lenses are the fastest selling eyewear these days. That’s clearly because they are easily available, come with and without power and offer clear all round vision unlike spectacles. In short, contact lenses are more versatile than ever before. But apart from the pros we just mentioned is there anything else in specific that should be considered before making the switch? To simplify this for you, we’ve come up with four aspects that need to be taken into consideration when buying contact lenses.
Let’s quickly dive into this.
Oxygen Permeability
Oxygen permeability signifies the amount of oxygen that is able to transmit through the contact lens and reach the eye. It is expressed in Dk/t wherein Dk stands for oxygen permeability and t stands for the material and thickness of the contact lenses. The earlier models of soft contact lenses had a level of oxygen permeability of around 6–8 Dk/t. But the ones available today, that is, silicone hydrogel lenses feature oxygen permeability levels of around 150 Dk/t.
High oxygen permeability makes sure that your cornea receives a lot of oxygen, which it needs in order to keep your eyes healthy. Hydrogel lenses usually present a higher water content and low oxygen permeability, while silicone hydrogel lenses have a high oxygen permeability and comparatively low water content. Therefore, when it comes to choosing between a lot of water or a lot of oxygen, there really isn’t a right answer. It all depends on your needs and your eyes. So, make a wise choice.
Our Recommendation For You:
Aqualens Next Gen Monthly 24 Hours (3 Lens) that allows four times the oxygen to reach your eyes, and Air Optix Aqua (6 Lenses/box) that’s made from Silicone Hydrogel that allows for excellent oxygen transferability to the eye.
Disposability
Disposability completely depends on your needs. Nowadays, contact lenses come in two categories – daily disposables and monthly/yearly.
Daily Disposable Lenses
Daily disposable contact lenses are single-use contact lenses meant to be removed and discarded at the end of each day. Which means you begin with a fresh pair of lenses the next morning. Daily contact lenses are gaining immense popularity among users simply because of its health benefits and convenience. Daily contacts are characteristically very thin and have a high-water content. And since the natural deposits from your eyes build up easily on their surface, they cannot be reused.
Our Recommendations For You:
Aqualens Daily Disposable Contact Lenses and Aqualens 24 H Daily Disposable.
Monthly Disposable Lenses
Monthly disposable contact lenses on the other hand are thicker than daily disposables. It is the thicker composition that makes them more durable and long-lasting. In comparison to daily disposables these are generally more resistant to drying out, however, they must be cleaned regularly in order to ensure healthy wearing
Our Recommendations For You:
Aqualens 24 H Monthly Disposable and Aqualens 24 Hours Toric Contact Lens.
Water Content
Water content is one of the most important aspects to bear in mind when choosing contact lenses. Water moisturizes the lens. It makes the lenses softer and more comfortable to wear. Also, you might want to think that higher the water content, the better the lenses, but there’s a catch!
Contact lenses can be divided into three groups depending on water content. Each category means a slightly different quality in contact lenses.
- Low water content (i.e., up to 45%): Modern silicone hydrogel contact lenses, mostly used in contacts that are intended for frequent wear. These come with 100% oxygen permeability.
- Mid water content (i.e., up to 60%): Hydrogel contact lenses, suitable for most users.
- High water content (i.e., up to 90%): Hydrogel contact lenses for sensitive eyes. Suitable for the prevention of dry eye syndrome.
Our Recommendations For Your:
Looking for contact lenses with a high water content to alleviate dry eye symptoms? Try Soflens 59 (6 Lens per Box) Bausch & Lomb, Dailies AquaComfort Plus(30 Lens per Box) and Aqualens Daily Disposable Contact Lenses (5 Lenses/Box).
UV Protection
If you’ve been thinking that UV rays are just a problem during the summer, you’ve got it all wrong. The truth is that it can cause damage all year round. Believe it or not, snow, glass, concrete and even water are major contributors to damage caused by UV rays. That’s because when the rays of the sun hit these surfaces and it reflects back at us. No matter what you do, being outdoors does expose us to UV radiation, both, directly and from a reflected source. Even when you’re underwater, at a half meter depth, there’s no escaping these hazardous rays. And that’s because UV radiation is still 40 percent as intense as that at the surface.
Besides, not many realize that UV eye exposure is the highest during the early hours (morning) and late afternoon (around 1-3pm) when the sun rays are the strongest) and in non-equatorial regions when the sun is lower in the sky. UV rays can not only pierce through cloud cover but also reflect off all surfaces at different and surprisingly high degrees. For example, UV radiation is still 95% as powerful off water.
Although we don’t recommend wearing contact lenses while swimming, we would suggest that you protect them whilst you’re out. UV rays can damage our eyes in more ways than we can imagine. So better safe than sorry. Look for contact lenses that offer UV protection before you buy one.
Apart from the color and the appearance, it is these factors (mentioned above) that make a contact lens more comfortable for the user (i.e., you, who is patiently reading this, right till the end). So, keep these in mind whenever you plan on buying your next pair of contact lenses and they’ll never disappoint you.
Our Recommendation For You:
