Are Contact Lenses Right For You?

If you need vision correction and are wondering if contact lenses are a good alternative for you, there are a few things you need to take into consideration.

Think about your lifestyle. For example, do you participate in any sports? If you jog, do aerobics, or other jarring sports, you will likely find glasses annoying. They will have a tendency to slip and fall off, or you will have to purchase a strap to keep them on. Even then, they may fog up when you sweat or sweat may drip onto them. Contact lenses will save you all this trouble. You will be able to see clearly and won’t have to worry about them falling off. If you play contact sports, you may not be able to wear glasses, or you may have to invest in goggles large enough to cover them, or even more costly, prescription safety glasses. If you are a swimmer however, contact lenses may not be a good choice, as you could lose them if you open your eyes underwater.

Another factor to bear in mind is maintenance. Glasses get smudged and need to be cleaned occasionally to optimize your ability to see through them, but keeping contact lenses clean is critical not only for your vision, but for your health as well. If you don’t clean your lenses properly or often enough, you can put yourself at risk for an eye infection that could possibly leave you with vision loss that cannot be corrected. Using disposable contact lenses can make taking care of your lenses easier, but you still will need to make sure that your hands are very clean before putting them in, and take care of them properly if you take your lenses out and put them back in for any reason. If you don’t think that you can add these steps to your daily hygiene routine, then contact lenses may not be the best choice.

Quality of vision correction is one area where contact lenses are superior to glasses. Since the contact lenses sits directly on your eye and covers the cornea completely, you will have corrected vision all around, whereas with glasses, there is no correction for your peripheral vision. That can be problematic for activities like driving, or if the quality of your vision is important in your profession.

Speak to your eye care health professional about your options. They can explain the pros and cons of wearing glasses or contacts, and help you make the best choice for you.