Disposable Contact Lenses
What are disposable contact lenses?
Disposable contact lenses are lenses that can be worn for a
short period of time and then thrown out and replaced with
new ones.
There are different types of disposable contacts.
- Daily disposable lenses. These are designed to be used
for one day only and then thrown away. You put in new
lenses every morning and discard them at night.
- Daily wear disposable contacts. These are worn each day,
removed and disinfected each night, and discarded at the
end of 1 or 2 weeks.
- Frequent replacement (also called planned replacement)
lenses. These are worn each day, removed and disinfected
each night, and thrown away every month or 3 months
(depending on the brand).
- Disposable extended wear contacts. These can be worn
overnight. Ask your eye doctor how long you can safely
keep them in. Even though these contacts are approved for
longer wear, most eye doctors recommend removing and
cleaning them every night to prevent infection. You
usually need to throw disposable extended wear contacts
away after about 2 weeks.
What are the advantages of disposable contact lenses?
There are many advantages to disposable lenses:
- They can provide excellent vision and comfort.
- Cleaning costs are less and they are easier to care for
than regular soft contacts.
- If a lens is lost or torn, you almost always have a
replacement lens on hand and do not have to wait for a
new contact to be ordered.
- The lenses are replaced before proteins and other
deposits can build up on them. These deposits can lead
to eye problems.
- They are an inexpensive way to have another eyewear
option other than your glasses. You may only want to
wear contacts now and then (such as for special events
or sports).
What are the disadvantages of disposable contact lenses?
- The biggest potential disadvantage of the lenses may be
related more to the contact lens wearer than to the
contacts themselves. Some people may think they can wear
the lenses longer than the recommended time or reuse the
lens to save money. Wearing the lenses too long or
reusing them greatly increases the risk of eye irritation
or serious eye infection.
- Disposable lenses cost more than soft contact lenses.
- Although disposable lenses are available in fewer powers
and sizes than some other types of contact lenses, most
people are candidates for these lenses. As with other
types of lenses, tearing problems and other eye
conditions may get in the way of successful wearing of
disposable lenses.
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