Have you recently been thinking of how tired you are of dealing with your eyeglasses? Are you considering making the switch to contact lenses? If so, you aren’t alone. In fact, there are roughly 45 million Americans who currently wear contacts, according to the American Optometric Association.
Individuals wear contacts to help correct a wide range of refractive errors, such as near and farsightedness, presbyopia, and astigmatism. Contacts are often used to treat eye diseases like keratoconus as well as damage to the cornea that is caused by injury or infection.
The most important question that you have to ask yourself is whether or not contacts are right for you as an individual. One way to determine whether they are is to talk to your eye doctor about samples. You can try contacts for a short time to see if you like them or not. In addition, you should weigh the pros and cons of switching to contacts from eyeglasses. While the below information is in no way exhaustive, it will shed some light on some of the top advantages and disadvantages of contacts.
While contacts are available in the exact same prescription strength as eyeglasses, contacts will provide wearers with a complete field of vision regardless of where thy look. Since the contacts move with the eyes, they help tract action with direct, sharp, and peripheral vision. Making the switch means that you will no longer have to deal with distortions or reflections that are common issues with eyeglasses.
Whether you currently or would like to lead an active lifestyle, contacts give you more flexibility and freedom to just that. Contacts are less obtrusive and lighter than eyeglasses, meaning that you can move and run with greater ease. In the event that you participate in contact sports, such as lacrosse, football, basketball, etc. contacts will not interfere with the headgear nor will they fall off during play.
While there is not a thing wrong with wearing glasses—after all, some individuals love how they look in them, and they look great, too! —others simply feel better about themselves and see themselves in a different light when they are wearing contact lenses. The CDC has reported that some children and teenagers report feeling significantly better about their overall appearance while wearing contacts.
When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting contacts, things can be extremely inconvenient and a bit complicated even. The contacts themselves require far more maintenance and care than traditional eyeglasses. If you are looking for a simple and easy alternative to wearing eyeglasses, contacts may not be the right answer; instead, you may want to consider LASIK surgery.
While the risks associated with contacts are mostly related to inadequate maintenance and hygiene, the fact of the matter is that contacts have more risks associated with them than eyeglasses. Failing to properly care of contacts can result in irritation, dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis, and other irritable and uncomfortable eye issues. The CDC has reported the below statistics related to complications and risks factors associated with contacts:
While no one is saying that prescription eyeglasses can’t be expensive, particularly if you choose progressive lenses or designer frames, contact lenses can be just as pricey. In some cases, they can cost even more. The price of contacts tends to depend on a variety of factors, and due to the frequency of replacement (bi-weekly or monthly usually for disposable contacts), the yearly and long-term costs can quickly exceed the cost of eyeglasses.
If you have been thinking about switching to contacts from eyeglasses, you may want to think about laser vision correction surgery. At Performance Vision Inc., we use state-of-the-art laser technologies to deliver unmatched accuracy that most often leads to 20/20 vision or better and also reduces or eliminates the complete need for contacts or eyeglasses. Contact us today for a consultation.