Various types of contact lenses for teens

For convenience and a wider filed of view, more and more people choose contact lenses instead of eyeglasses. The 2007 Contact Lenses in Pediatrics (CLIP) study showed that 169 teenagers and children age 8 to 12 who have worn contact lenses for three months felt more confident and performed activities better than before. During sports, they don’t have to worry about glasses’ getting knocked off or fogging up. Although contacts are getting more and more popular, there are still lots of things you should be aware.’

Make an eligibility test

Before buying contact lenses, you should check out if you are a good candidate for them. Certain vision problems may make contacts an unrealistic choice. For instance, patients with a severe presbyopia are harder to get satisfactory aid from multifocal contact lenses, whose capability of powers provision is usually limited. Other situations such as eye infections or dryness also reject contacts. Most eye care practitioners will try to learn about a patient’s history of eye infection or disease, before prescribing contact lenses.

Contact lenses that meet different visual needs

Because the conditions of people’s eyes are different, choosing personally suitable contact lenses is very important. People who have sensitive eyes should choose soft contact lenses. And differently designed ones, such as toric soft lenses can correct astigmatism. People who want to reduce the risk of developing contact lens-related eye infections are encouraged to choose rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses, which are more economical in the long run and provide sharper vision than soft lenses. If you expect the possible sharpest vision but cannot tolerate conventional RGP lenses, hybrid contact lenses are your perfect choice, but they tend to cost more.

Contact lenses that offer non-optical benefits

People who take use of orthokeratology (ortho-k) need to periodically wear retainer lenses designed with special RGP lenses to keep their eyes in an appropriate shape. People who want to enhance or change their eye colors can choose tinted lenses. Some contacts with special tints can improve contrast during sports. And it is amazing to watch scary movies wearing theatrical contacts lenses. Some soft contact lenses protect people’s eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which may lead to cataracts and other eye problems.

About replacement schedule and removal schedule

Based on how long you wear contacts and how long you want them to last, there are daily wear, extended wear, planned replacement, or disposable contacts lenses. Daily wear and extended wear contact lenses differ greatly in removal schedule. People are needless to remove the latter type during sleep. From the perspective of replacement schedule, there are daily disposable, weekly disposable, two-weekly disposable and monthly disposable and so forth.

Take good care of your contact lenses

The most common problem of contact lens use is that some people don’t clean contacts properly when they get dirty. To avoid itching, blurring, lens movement or possible infection, wearers should always keep contacts clean. Generally, rigid gas permeable lenses get dirty more easily than soft contacts, which fit closer to the eye. In this case, you can use contact lens drops and rinse contacts with a recommended solution. No matter how busy you are, you should clean your contact lenses periodically as suggested by the doctor. Different lenses require different cleaners, e.g. RGP lenses may require an enzymatic cleaner. In addition, you should neither leave your lenses in a longer period than that is recommended nor share your contacts with others. If you do that, you may experience certain infections or even diseases.