More and more people are choosing to wear contact lenses because of their
inherent benefits of :
Versatility
Cosmetic appearance
Comfort
Unaffected by rain or misting
Improved leisure performance
Greater sports capability
Convenience
What
lenses are available and what do they offer?
Table
of lens types and performance.
Performance
Daily
Disposable
30
Day Continuous
Monthly
/ Fortnightly Disposables
Traditional
Soft
Traditional
Gas Permeable
Comfort
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
Convenience
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
Can
sleep with lens in
No
lllll
No
No
No
Short
sight
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
Long
sight
lllll
No
lllll
lllll
lllll
Astigmatism
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
Bifocals
lllll
No
lllll
lllll
lllll
Colours
/ tints
No
No
lllll
lllll
lllll
Key
lllll
very comfortable
l
low comfort may be aware of lenses until adapted
lllll
high prescriptions
l
low prescriptions
Risks
in contact lens wear
Patients
should be cautioned that proper use and care of contact lenses and lens care
products includinglens cases are essential. The majority of sight threatening
complications come from abuse or misuse of care products. Although disposable
lenses are thought to reduce this risk, it is imperative that proper hygiene be
maintained.
The
current consensus of medical opinion is that the risk of keratitis
(infection of the
cornea which in serious
cases can become sight threatening) is as shown in the table below.
Type of Lens
Incidence
of keratitis per 10,000 patients per year
Soft
contact lenses
4
in 10,000 patients per year
Gas
permeable lenses
1
in 10,000 patients per year.
Overnight
wear (hydrogels)
20
in 10,000 patients per year
30
day continuous (silicone hydrogel)
less
than 4 in 10,000 patients per year*
*
This figure is a provisional estimate, and has not yet been confirmed by
research.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions
Who
can wear contact lenses?
Practically
everyone. Recent technologies have increased the range of prescriptions helped
overcome some of the problems associated with contact lenses, improved
convenience and comfort.
Are
contact lenses easy to insert?
With
a little expert advice from the accredited practice the vast majority (99.1%)
have no difficulty putting lenses in or removing. Solutions are now very simple
and if you do not like the idea of repeatedly inserting lenses the 30 day
continuous wear is now possible.
Can
I wear contact lenses for sport?
Contact
lenses are the choice of correction for many top athletes from rugby to
swimming. Star such as Jaap Stam and Jonathan Edwards wear contact lenses.
I
was unsuccessful in wearing contact lenses in the past, does that mean I can
never wear lenses again?
No.
Recent advances in technology have enabled patients, previously unhappy or
unable to wear contact lenses, very successful contact lens wearers. This does
require the practitioner is familiar with the new lenses and has available to
him or her full range of specialty contact lenses.
