As people live more active lives today, they find wearing glasses cumbersome, so they’re looking at wearing contact lenses but doing so might not be the best decision for everyone.
Many people find that wearing eyeglasses is a hassle. They fog up when you come indoors from the cold. They can fall off sometimes. They’re not good for sports, especially contact sports like basketball. Glasses need to be cleaned often, too. Because of these issues, people either choose to wear contact lenses full time or even just for times when it’ll be more convenient to wear them.
The convenience of wearing contact lenses is great for people who play sports or exercise. Since the technology used in contacts keeps progressing, people are now able to wear their lenses longer and even through the night with no discomfort. The days of your lenses drying out your eyes are virtually gone and more people are enjoying wearing them.
If you are considering wearing contacts, you should see your eye doctor and ask about them. Most people can wear them but there are some instances where it’s just not possible – with some eye conditions. The good news is, the amount of people that can wear them is increasing. Years ago, people with severe astigmatism could not wear contacts but now the technology is better and the kinds of lenses they need are now available for most.
Other people who cannot wear contacts include those with dry eye conditions, people with extreme nearsightedness, and people who are allergic to lens cleaning solution.
Your vision is important as you only have one set of eyes so you want to take care of them and treat them well. Relative to other parts of your body, eyes do heal faster. They also do not need time to warm up like muscles do but they’re ready to go, right away when needed. They are amazing but when they’re strained, your whole body feels that stress. You can relieve the stress in your eyes – that you might not even realize you have – with the right prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses so that your eyes do less work.
Going to Your Eye Doctor
Seeing your eye doctor once a year is a must anyway, especially as you get older. When you get into your 40s, your eyes don’t adjust as quickly as they used to as they’re starting to wear out. Your vision isn’t as sharp and you may find yourself straining or squinting to see things. This is how you know it’s time to use reader glasses once in a while or see about getting glasses or contacts to wear all the time.
Getting an exam at an optical department at a department store is fine. There are also small vision centers in strip malls. Going to places like this is fine and costs less than an eye specialist, so it’s a good place to start. There, you’ll go through the exam and get a prescription, which is good for one year.
Getting Free Samples of Contact Lenses
After you get your eye exam and your prescription for contact lenses, it’s time to get your free or trial pairs. These free contact lenses are for you to wear and for your eye doctor to see how they fit. Sometimes, a setting in the prescription like the base curve needs to be adjusted. The best way to find out is with trial pairs. It’s much like trying on a pair of shoes to see how they fit.
You’ll wear them for a little while and then go to see your optometrist for a follow up visit. They will take a look at how they sit on your eyes and ask you if you’ve had any discomfort or problems. If so, they’ll order another pair for you. If not, you can then order a few boxes of contact lenses. They usually come 6 to a box and you need one set for your left eye and one set for your right eye, so 2 boxes of 6 in total.
What trial lenses do is make sure you’ve got the right fit but you also want to try several brands because the materials used can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some brands can be worn 24 hours a day, while others are meant to just be worn during the day. Some brands hold moisture better than others. When they don’t, you’ll find yourself blinking more and your eyes won’t feel their best.
Trying several brands can help you find the brand that works the best for both your eyes and for your lifestyle. Again, just like trying on shoes. Some brands work better for certain people. That’s just how it is.
Learn more about how to get free, trial contact lenses over at HelpWithContactLenses.com. When you get there, you’ll get all the links for getting trial lenses for different brands. You’ll also learn more about colored contact lenses, which can even be worn by people who do not need any vision correction. In this case, they’re for cosmetic use only, which is a fun idea for Halloween costumes, theatrical performances, or to just change your eye color.
Photo credits: media.defense.gov, Marco Verch – Flickr, pxhere.com