According to the latest research, today more than 135 million people around the world have various vision problems. The most common are:
- hypermetropia (farsightedness);
- myopia (nearsightedness);
- cataract;
- glaucoma;
- night blindness;
- retinal detachment;
- astigmatism.
In the vast majority of cases, surgical intervention is indispensable. However, today people suffering from farsightedness or vice versa myopia may not resort to emergency measures. The problem is quite simply solved with the help of glasses or contact lenses. And more and more people prefer the latter. What is their advantage, how lenses are selected for the eyes, what exactly should be paid attention to when choosing, will be discussed 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". At the same time, poor vision entails many problems. People who do not see well enough often find themselves in curious situations when they do not recognize their acquaintances on the street and do notgreet them. In addition, with poor eyesight, there is a high probability of missing the right bus and not seeing 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 undeniable advantages. They do not distort the size and do not reduce the field of view, like glasses. At the same time, the lenses allow you to lead an active lifestyle, blurring the difference between people with good vision and nearsighted people.
In addition, not all people can choose glasses that emphasize individual dignity, while contact lenses do not require any special correction. Also, no weather conditions will interfere with the wearing of lenses, while the glasses may fog up or get wet, thereby reducing the level of visibility.
How to start choosing contact lenses
The basic rule to consider when choosing lenses is that only an ophthalmologist will help you choose the right lenses. Therefore, in no case should you purchase them without appropriate consultation. It is very important to know how specialists select lenses for the eyes. It should be remembered that there are contraindications to wearing them:
- various inflammatory processes;
- strabismus;
- glaucoma;
- lens subluxation;
- 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 positiveemotions and a sense of comfort.
The main criteria for choosing the right contact lenses
Having made a firm decision to start wearing contact lenses, you should know what are the main criteria to consider when choosing them. This is:
- radius;
- diameter;
- location;
- material of manufacture.
Only taking into account all the parameters, you can be sure that you have purchased the right lenses for your vision.
Ophthalmologist advice
The need for a thorough examination by an ophthalmologist is due to the fact that the correct selection of lenses is crucial for eye he alth. When diagnosing vision, the doctor determines parameters such as:
- corneal curvature;
- intraocular pressure;
- diopter sizes;
- visual acuity;
- the 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 complete eye examination, the doctor will advise which lenses are suitable for each case, taking into account the condition of the eyes and age, as well as taking into account 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 (change in eye color due to various defects);
- professional (when wearing glasses is contraindicated whencertain 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 with lenses.
Another equally common eye disease that good lenses correct is astigmatism. It should be borne in mind that it is necessary to choose lenses taking into account the disease, since ordinary ones can worsen the condition of vision. If the selection was carried out correctly, this will become a guarantee of high quality vision.
Hypermetropia, or farsightedness, is not always corrected well enough by lenses. This is due to the fact that the size of the 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.
In case of 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, properly fitting 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 lenses are selected for the eyes is strictly individual and requires careful observance of all the features.
Basic requirements for contact lenses
When deciding to buy lenses, feedback from people who have already used them is 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;
- wear dates;
- destination.
In this case, one should not underestimate the importance of these indicators, because their non-compliance will lead to vision problems of varying severity. The eye needs oxygen, so the higher this indicator for contact lenses, the better. And moisture content is critical to eye he alth, as excessive dryness can have a variety of effects.
Terms of wearing lenses
One of the most important indicators of the correct wearing of lenses is their lifespan. They are divided into lenses:
- daily replacement;
- planned replacement;
- traditional wearing period;
- extended wear.
Daily lenses are a disposable product with a one-day lifespan. At a price they are more expensive than other options, but at the same time they guarantee eye he alth. In addition, daily lenses do not require any special care and do not give any complications. The most popular brand of thiscategories are contact lenses 1 day.
The period of wearing lenses for scheduled replacement varies from two weeks to three months. It is this type that most people prefer. These lenses offer a fairly high level of oxygen permeability and moisture content. The best choice in this category would be two-week lenses.
Regular wear lenses need to be replaced no earlier than every six months. This increased product strength comes at the expense of oxygen permeability and moisture content. In addition, they require careful maintenance, which is not always comfortable for the consumer. The cost of this product is the lowest, but the risk of damage to the cornea is extremely high.
Extended wear 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 during sleep, ophthalmologists do not recommend sleeping in them unless absolutely necessary. Knowing the characteristics of each type of product will help you choose the right lenses.
Lens Care Rules
Regardless of the type and duration of wearing lenses, careful care is required. When you decide to start wearing contact lenses, you should consider choosing a good liquid for contact lenses that won't irritate your eyes or dry them out. With the wrong choice of fluid, the period of wearing lenses is sharply reduced, and the risk of various complications increases significantly. That's whyDue consideration should be given to acquiring a good contact lens fluid. In addition, each time you place your lenses in a special container, you need to change the liquid so that they are cleaned and disinfected.
The container itself is recommended to be washed before each use, and when replacing lenses, purchase a new one. In this case, two-week lenses are the best choice, which are quite affordable in price, and the service life does not allow the product to become dirty to such an extent as to cause any complications.
It is also extremely important to follow the rules of hygiene when handling contact lenses. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after each use. It is strictly forbidden to transfer your lenses for wearing to another person, as well as to take someone else's. It is also extremely important to observe the terms of their wearing and to acquire new ones in time.
Possible problems for beginners when wearing lenses
After making a firm decision to start wearing contact lenses, you should be prepared for the fact that there may be some discomfort, especially at the initial stage. This is primarily an adaptation to a foreign object in the eye, which is different for everyone. In addition, many experience difficulties in the process of putting on lenses, as well as removing them. Moreover, if you decide to start wearing lenses, the reviews that you can hear are not always prepared 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 stopwearing lenses
Despite all the benefits of contact lenses, everyone is different and may not be suitable for everyone. It is quite possible that various reactions will occur that require the 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 by changing lenses, then none of them fit and you will have to discard them.
Thus, it is wrong to think that lenses are a panacea for poor vision. Having learned how lenses are selected for the eyes, having carried out all the necessary examinations and settled on 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 process of manufacturing lenses is constantly being improved. And even having found the most suitable ones, you still have to change them over time for more modern and high-quality ones.
