There are two types of general contact lenses. Soft lenses and rigid gas permeable lenses are the two types of lenses. The rigid gas permeable is also known as RGP’s.
Soft contact lenses are easier to wear because they are more moveable than that of RGP’s. This makes them more comfortable to have in your eyes. The soft lens also allows oxygen flow freely to your cornea leaving your eyes feel better.
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are sturdier and give you better sight making things look clearer. They have a longer life expectancy than that of a soft lens because of their durability.
The soft lens and rigid gas permeable both come in a disposable lens. The more popular of the two for disposable contacts is the soft lens. A disposable lens can have a life of seven to thirty days depending on the type and brand of the contact. However, disposable contacts are usually given to those that wear soft contact lenses.
There is also another category of lenses for those of you have a busy lifestyle and need your contacts almost all of the time. They are called extended wear lenses. These lenses are soft contact lenses because of the high demand of oxygen your cornea needs. There are however, a few RGP’s that can be worn as extended wear contact lenses.
There is one last category of contact lenses. These are known as specialized contact lenses and there are two of these. Orthokeratology-K, which is known as Ortho-K, helps to change the curve in your cornea helping them with temporary improvement with how your eyes see objects. Ortho-K is not a permanent fix. Without the Ortho-K lenses as a treatment your eyes would still and always keep the curvature of the cornea.
The second type of specialized contacts is decorative contacts. These contacts change the color of your eyes. They are also used for Halloween to make your eyes look creepy or weird to go along with the theme of your costume. These contacts do not help or change any type of eye problem you may have., but they still have the same risk factors as corrective lenses.
Anyone who wears contact lenses knows there is everyday care for your contacts and for your eyes that you should follow. Always have a pair glasses around to fall back on just in case you would lose a contact or the contact would start irritating your eyes. Washing your hands before putting your contacts in helps with reducing infection.
Another thing to do that can help ensure the safety of your contacts and eyes is to clean out your contact case every time lenses are out of their case. The cleaning of your case will help keep bacteria from growing where you store your lenses. These are just a few important ways to care for your contact lenses and especially your eyes.
Before getting any type of contact lens you need to see your eye doctor for an examination and a prescription for lenses. This will help you decide what types of contacts are best for you.