All about contact lenses: Types, the colored ones, and how to wear them

So many hours in front of the computer in the office and the abusive consumption that we make of the mobile, make the eyes suffer after the efforts to which they are exposed daily. That is why as the years go by and we increase our efforts, visual defects increase. To alleviate the visual defects that these excesses can produce, we help you understand which ones are best suited to you.

With contact lenses, it is possible to obtain a great vision correction for patients who for whatever reason do not want to wear glasses. They improve aesthetics and are more comfortable than glasses but… what other advantages do they offer?

Provide a wider field of view than glasses

Contact lenses allow a complete visual field that helps patients in the development of various activities, improving their performance, such as sports or driving.

Real-size object perception

With the use of glasses, depending on the number of diopters and the refractive defect to be corrected, the patient perceives objects of greater or lesser size. This effect is also visible from the outside. In the case of myopic people, it is said that “glasses sadden the gaze” and it is because the lenses that correct myopia make the eyes look smaller behind them. The reverse is true for crystals that correct hyperopia as they make objects appear larger. Well, with contact lenses this effect does not occur.

They are a good system to correct anisometropia

Patients with a significant difference in prescription between their eyes (from 3 diopters) suffer from something known as anisometropia. If you try to correct the retina with glasses, two very different images are formed in terms of size, depth, etc. This is known as aniseikonia and makes the brain unable to fuse the image of both eyes, generating a vision that is difficult for the patient to tolerate. Contact lenses, by not altering the perception of the size of objects, are a good system to correct anisometropia.

They do not generate aberrations (distortions) when looking to the sides

Contact lenses move with the eye by looking away from any direction, so the distortions caused by glasses are not generated as they are fixed lenses and look through non-central areas.

And so on…

How long does a contact lens last?

The daily lenses can be used for a maximum of 1 day and are disposable. These will offer you an optimal quality of vision since a new lens is released every day of use. Therefore, due to its short period of use, you do not have to worry about its maintenance. On the other hand, biweekly or monthly lenses require more care. As the days go by, contact lenses will degrade and vision will not be optimal at all times. Obviously the longer it lasts, the more careful. There are also quarterly, annual, biannual lenses; all are requiring more attention and care.

Types of contact lenses

Differences between contact lenses Depending on the way of manufacture and material, contact lenses can also be classified into: rigid (hard and permeable), soft and hybrid.

Rigid contact lenses

They can compensate for any refractive error, even corneal astigmatism. They were invented and had the problem of not allowing a good passage of oxygen naturally between the lens and the eye. These types of lenses are currently in disuse.

Semi-rigid contact lenses

Semi-rigid lenses are made from polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a type of transparent plastic. These do favor the amount of oxygen that passes to the eye. In addition to PMMA, they include silicone, which makes them more flexible and permeable. Due to the lack of rigidity, your level of care is higher. Semi-rigid contact lenses are advisable for those who naturally produce little tears since they do not have water among their components and do not absorb it, they do not dry out the eye. These types of lenses decrease the likelihood of having conjunctivitis.

Soft contact lenses

They are made with more flexible materials than the previous ones, thanks to which the eye perspires in a more natural way. Above all, if the number of hours of use is exceeded or if proper hygiene has not been maintained with them, the eye can become dry or irritated.

Cosmetic contact lenses

Cosmetic contact lenses are a type of soft contact lens that allows you to “change” the color of the iris. They can be neutral or also graduated. In addition, these allow all types of duration: daily, monthly, or fortnightly. Of course, we recommend that you trust only the brands you know.

Hybrid contact lenses

Hybrid lenses are a combination of permeable and soft, allowing you to get the best out of each of them. The central zone is made of rigid material with high permeability and the peripheral zone is made of soft hydrogel material; This type of lens aims to offer the best vision with maximum comfort.

Colored lenses

Now. We’re going to talk about colored lenses. If you want to buy colored lenses but don’t know which option to choose, it’s the most normal thing in the world. We will explain the alternatives you have. Colored contact lenses are a very popular accessory among those who enjoy changing their appearance by trying new shades of tints, haircuts, makeup, and clothing.

There are also those who do not feel comfortable with the color of their eyes and resort to cosmetic contact lenses to give them a color that they find more flattering according to their face and skin type. In the market, there is a wide variety of brands and options in colored contact lenses. If you are looking for colored contact lenses to improve or change your appearance, here we provide you with relevant information that will be useful to make the best decision.

Types of colored contact lenses

Nowadays contact lenses fulfill two basic functions: the first response to the compensation needs of the most common vision problems such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

The second function is cosmetic and, with this type of lens, it seeks to make changes in appearance. However, it is necessary to know the different types of lenses or colored lenses to make the right purchase. If you want to know them, we will explain it to you right now:

Contact lenses with prescription

This type of contact lenses can be rigid or soft and their differences are as follows:

Rigid lenses

These gas permeable lenses are firm in consistency and slightly smaller than the iris. Depending on whether the need for correction and the care for its maintenance change, it can last up to two years. This type of lens has a longer adaptation process than soft lenses and the iris and the eye tend to come off with relative ease. For these reasons, most people, are not very comfortable.

Soft contact lenses

They are somewhat larger in diameter than the iris, they are very comfortable and adaptation to them is very fast. Among the soft contact lenses we have three types:

  • Disposable, single-use.
  • The reusable ones that, although they are disposable, can be used for up to four weeks. With this type of lens, a strict cleaning plan must be followed.
  • Extended wear lenses can be used 24 hours continuously and can be used for up to a month. The continued use of these lenses is associated with the risk of infections, so it is preferable to keep strict control of periodic check-ups.

Hybrid contact lenses

This type of lens is a combination of gas permeable contact lenses (in its central area) and soft lenses (in its periphery), with this combination it is intended to increase the stability of the lens and the amount of vision of the user.

Colored contact lenses (cosmetic)

Today, you can find prescription and non-prescription colored contact lenses. Knowing their differences will help you make a better purchase:

Prescription colored contact lenses can compensate for hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism.

So if you need high prescription colored contacts, you can take the opportunity to change your appearance either by highlighting the current color or with a new color in your eyes.

Colored contact lenses without a prescription

These lenses, also called cosmetic lenses, are designed to change the color of your eyes without correcting vision. They are an accessory for cosmetic use.

In the market for colored or cosmetic contact lenses, there are different types that allow you to choose the tint according to the effect you want to achieve, such as:

Enhancement contact lenses

The tint of this type of contact lenses of natural colors seeks to enhance and brighten the color of the eyes without changing it.

Light colors

These lenses are used for a complete eye color change. For example, if you have brown eyes, you could choose blue or green tints. Blue contact lenses are the most popular.

Fantasy contact lenses

Due to their curious designs, they are widely used to complement costumes; There are them with the appearance of cat eyes, rainbows, and other designs. Colors are usually very different from the natural shades of the eyes.

However, before buying any colored prescription contact lens, we recommend that you visit an eye health professional so that he or she can guide you about the most suitable lenses for your eyes.

You may need some correction, and with a thorough evaluation, you will be able to choose colored contact lenses that will also help improve your vision.

How much do colored contact lenses cost?

The price of contact lenses varies depending on whether the contact lenses are prescription or not, the type of manufacturer, and the discounts that may be available.

You can find colored lenses starting at 10 dollars, although the highest price among the best-selling lenses can reach 100 dollars.

However, if it comes to designer contact lenses, they can be around 5,000 dollars.

We hope that these differences will help you make the ideal purchase.

Now you know the type of contact lens that suits your needs?

Here we will talk about how to use it!

How to wear contact lenses?

You may be a lover of glasses or have never considered it, but whatever it is, you must know the world of contact lenses.

You may wonder: is it better to wear glasses or contact lenses? The answer depends mainly on what you are looking for and the lifestyle you lead. We want to explain to you what is better and how to wear contact lenses correctly.

First of all, tell you that contact lenses or contact lenses can offer you more freedom and better peripheral vision, especially if you are an athlete. In addition, you will forget what it is that your glasses fog up, glare, or reflections.

Now you just need to know if you can really wear contact lenses. What do you think it depends on?

The main ametropia for which you can wear contact lenses is myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, eyestrain, and presbyopia.

Wear contact lenses for myopia

If you are nearsighted, it means that you have difficulty or trouble seeing distant objects.

In your case, wearing contact lenses can help you see better than with your glasses, and this is due, among other factors, to the fact that we eliminate the distance from the glass of your glasses to your eye.

Wearing lenses for farsightedness

If you are hyperopic, you can also wear contact lenses. Although it is true that, you can see objects at a distance without a problem if it is low hyperopia, but if it is a little high when focusing on an object or letter, both close and far, you have difficulty. In your case, you should know that contact lenses for hyperopia help you eliminate the dead angles of vision that remain with the use of glasses.

Wearing contact lenses for astigmatism

If you have astigmatism and need to wear colored contacts with prescription, it does not mean that you have trouble seeing objects up close or far, but rather that you see blurry or your vision is distorted whatever the distance. In case you had doubts, although the degree of astigmatism varies with differences in the shape of the eye individually, thanks to technological advances you can also enjoy contact lenses for astigmatism. These are special in that they are toric contact lenses.

Wear contact lenses for presbyopia or eyestrain

If you suffer from the inconvenience of not being able to see objects clearly up close because you have already reached a certain age and you suffer from tired eyesight, don’t worry, there are also lenses that compensate for this lack of vision.

They are progressive or multifocal calls, with them you can continue with your usual life without using glasses to see closely.

Now that you know how you can wear contact lenses, we recommend that you consult with your optometrist about which type of lenses is the best for you. Covering your vision needs, whatever the lifestyle you lead, is possible thanks to contact lenses. Take advantage of them!