Thanks to advances in optical technology, almost everyone can now wear contact lenses, regardless of the type or extent of their vision problems. That includes patients with astigmatism and those who need bifocal or multifocal lenses.
Dr. Johnson is a leading contact lens specialist. At a contact lens evaluation, Dr. Johnson will determine the best contact lens option for you.
Daily Wear Soft Contact Lenses
Made of a flexible plastic polymer, daily wear lenses are put in each morning and taken out each night. They rest in a cleaning solution while you sleep.
Extended Wear Soft Contact Lenses (Continuous Wear)
Extended wear soft contact lenses can be worn all the time, including while you sleep. Depending on whether you have 7-day (standard) or 30-day lenses. Extended wear lenses are made of soft silicone that retains moisture longer than daily wear contact lenses, thus allowing more oxygen to reach the eye.
Disposable Lenses
Disposable soft lenses are intended to be thrown out and replaced after you have worn them for a certain length of time. This makes them even easier to maintain than regular soft contact lenses. Many disposable lenses are designed for replacement each morning, every two weeks, or monthly. Daily wear disposables are worn during waking hours only, while extended wear disposables can be worn for longer periods.
Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses (RGP)
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses offer several benefits over soft lenses:
- Correct a wider range of vision problems, including a high degree of astigmatism;
- Provide sharper vision than most soft lenses;
- Allow more oxygen to pass through to the eye;
- Are more durable than soft lenses and do not need to be replaced as often, lasting as long as two or three years.
Since they are much harder than flexible contact lenses, RGP lenses may take some getting used to when you first start wearing them. Patients soon grow accustomed to the feel of gas-permeable lenses and are satisfied with the improvement in vision they offer without the need for glasses.
Hybrid Contact Lenses
These contact lenses feature the soft skirt of soft lenses as well as a breathable rigid center that offers the visual clarity of a “hard” lens, providing crisp vision even at night. For some patients, hybrid lenses eliminate many of the problems caused by other types of lenses, so patients no longer have to settle for inconsistent vision or discomfort.
Overnight Controlled Corneal/Vision Reshaping (Precision Corneal Molding)
This is a nonsurgical alternative to refractive surgery that reshapes the cornea using custom-designed, rigid contact lenses that are worn at night. These lenses will flatten the cornea overnight, as needed for each individual patient, to provide improved vision throughout the day.
Patients can achieve clear vision with no need for glasses or contact lenses without having to undergo surgery. While results are only temporary, they can be effectively maintained by continuing to wear overnight contact lenses.
Overnight wear of cornea reshaping lenses is a proven technique approved by the FDA.
Transition Contact Lenses
ACUVUE® OASYS with Transitions™ can sense lighting conditions in your environment and seamlessly adapts from clear to dark. These lenses take the technology of transition ophthalmic lenses and adapts it for contact lenses. These contact lenses go beyond vision correction by reducing exposure to bright light—both indoors and outdoors. With its photochromic technology, the lens activates in less than a minute and fades back within 90 seconds. These are the only contact lens that provides 100% protection against UVB rays.
Multifocal Contact Lenses
If you find you are having a hard time seeing at all distances, near and far, you might be a candidate for multiple prescriptions. The only way to achieve multiple prescriptions in a single contact lens is through the use of multifocal contact lenses. These contact lenses help you have optimal vision at most distances.
Healthy Habits for Contact Lens Wear
- Replace your contact lenses as often as recommended
Wash Your Hands
- Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling your lenses.
- Dry your hands well with a clean cloth before touching your contact lenses every time.
Keep contact lenses away from all water
- Water can introduce germs to the eyes through contact lenses
Properly Clean Your Lenses
- Rub and rinse your contact lenses with contact lens disinfecting solution—never water or saliva—to clean them each time you remove them.
- Don’t “top off” solution. Use only fresh contact lens disinfecting solution in your case. Never mix fresh solution with old or used solution.
- Use only the contact lens solution recommended by your eye care provider.
Take Care of Your Contact Lens Case
- Have a spare case
- Replace your contact lens case.
Talk with the Doctor
- Have a conversation with Dr. Johnson during your next appointment to discuss your contact lens wear and care habits and to help prevent eye infections.
- Remove your contact lenses immediately and call if you have eye pain, discomfort, redness, or blurred vision.
Be Prepared
- Carry a backup pair of glasses with a current prescription—just in case you must take out your contact lenses
