For a variety of reasons, contact lenses are becoming a popular option for vision correction these days. There have been so many advancements in the contact lenses modalities, technology, brand, and materials that almost all of the patients' needs are fulfilled.
There are three different types of length of wear modalities:
Daily disposable contact lenses
Daily disposable contact lenses, also called daily contact lenses or "dailies", are lenses that are worn for one day and discarded.
Biweekly disposable contact lenses
Contact lenses you replace every other week are called bi-weekly contacts lenses. The bi-weekly contact lenses, also known as 2-week disposable contacts, offer a balance between ease of care and comfort.
Monthly disposable contact lenses
You can wear monthly contact lenses each day for about 30 days before you need to switch to a new pair. Monthlies are worn during the day, then taken out at night and stored in contact solution.
What are the different types of contact lenses?
Below you will find an explanation of different types of contact lenses.
Soft contact lenses
A soft contact lens allows oxygen to pass through to the cornea because it is made of soft, flexible plastic. Compared to rigid gas permeable lenses, soft contact lenses may be more comfortable and easier to adjust to.
Toric contact lenses
Toric contact lenses fit similarly to single vision spherical lenses. The difference is that you need to ensure that the toric contact lens does not rotate on your eye because it contains two different powers to correct astigmatism.
Multifocal contact lenses
Presbyopic patients wear soft multifocal contact lenses. In order to be able to read, these patients usually wear reading glasses over their contact lenses, which isn't convenient. Multifocal contact lenses solve this problem by accommodating both distance and near prescriptions within one lens.
Hard contact lenses
Hard contact lenses can be used for more complex prescriptions such as irregular astigmatism, providing clearer vision in cases where soft contact lenses are ineffective.
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses
The rigid gas permeable contact lenses are a popular type of contact lenses used to correct astigmatism since they work in a different way and in a different modality.
Scleral contact lenses
A scleral lens is one of the largest types of hard contact lenses available on the market. Patients with irregular corneas such as keratoconus, post lasik or cataract surgery complications or dry eyes may opt for scleral contact lenses. Scleral lenses are also more comfortable and provide better vision than traditional forms of contact lenses.
Orthokeratology contact lenses
Orthokeratology contact lenses are hard lenses that you wear while sleeping. This reshapes the front surface of the eye so you do not have to wear them during the day. There are many people that benefit from OrthoK lenses such as
- Athletes that do not want to wear vision correction while playing sports
- Children with Myopia
- Emergency responders such as police officers and firefighters
- Combat soldiers
- Anyone who is interested in LASIK but is not a candidate or are nervous about eye surgery
Can specialized contact lenses treat myopia?
The use of special contact lenses may help to reduce the potential for eye complications down the road. These days, a lot of children need a minus prescription at a young age. This minus prescription is for nearsightedness, also known as myopia. The progression of myopia can be slowed down through the use of various types of specialized contact lenses. At our office we fit two types of lenses in our myopia management program, OrthoK lenses and specially designed soft multifocal contact lenses called MiSight.
