| What they are and how they work. |
| A contact lens is a hydrophilic (water loving) disc that floats on
your cornea. Like prescription glasses, a contact lens is specifically
shaped to focus light into the retina of your eye (and to fit your eye).
But because it covers your cornea, it actually corrects your entire
field of vision (unlike glasses, which you can see over and under).
Contact lenses float on the tears that bathe they eye when you blink-so
you want to keep your eye hydrated and well-moisturized when you’re
wearing contact lenses. |
Contact lenses can generally be divided into tow large categories: soft
contact lenses and hard contact lenses. |
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| SOFT CONTACT LENSES |
Are the common type that most people use, including colored
contacts, disposable and Toric lenses. While most people choose soft
contact lenses because of their benefits, there are also some
disadvantages. Soft contact lenses easily absorb pollutants like lotion
or soap from your hands, which can irritate your eyes. Soft contact
lenses are also more fragile than hard contact lenses and can rip or
tear easily.
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Rigid gas permeable lenses
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Also known as hard contact lenses, are more rigid than soft contact
lenses and therefore more durable. Unlike older versions of hard contact
lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses are made with silicone polymers,
allowing oxygen to circulation to the cornea of the eye. Compared to
soft contact lenses, hard contacts maintain their shape better and offer
clearer vision for some types of corrections. They are also easy to take
care of and are extremely durable. However, this type of contact lenses
is usually limited to therapeutic uses in certain disease types, that’s
to say, only under a doctors supervision.
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As a rule, never ever use any kind of contact lenses unless
instructed by your physician. Although seemingly simple, a contact lens
is actually placed inside your eye; unless supervised by a doctor,
contact lenses can cause serious infections and may ultimately lead to
blindness.
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| KNOW THE TYPES |
Get the best contacts for you.
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Soft contact lenses are generally either permanent (daily) or
disposable. Each one of those may be transparent or colored.
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| Permanent Contact Lenses |
Permanent (daily) lenses are those that come in vials. You can use
them every day for as long as tow years so long as you take good care of
them. They are usually more expensive than disposable but more durable.
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| Disposable contact lenses can last no longer than 3 months. Some of
them maybe weekly or daily, depending on the type and brand. Being able
to have a fresh pair of soft contact lenses means less chance of
infection, less cleaning, and more protein that clouds contact lenses.
That’s why many doctors prefer prescribing disposable contact lenses.
There are several types of disposable contacts: |
- Daily disposables: These soft contact lenses are only worn once and then thrown away. The benefits of daily disposables include never having to clean your contact lenses, convenient replacement schedule, and reduction of dry eye and irritation related to contact solutions. If you are an allergy sufferer, these are the contact lenses for you.
- Monthly Disposables: These soft contact lenses are only used for a month and then thrown away. These have the benefit of being cheap and being still more comfortable and healthier than permanent lenses. If you lose you lose your contacts too frequently, go for the monthly!
- Three-Month Disposables: These resemble monthly contacts, but are more durable so that they last for 3 months instead of 1.they have all the advantages of monthly contacts, only less trouble changing it every month.
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| COLORED CONTACT LENSES: |
| There are four types of colored contact lenses, each offering a
slightly different benefit: |
- Visibility tint. These colored contact lenses are lightly tinted so you can find your lens if you drop it. Visibility tints don’t affect the color of your eyes. Enhancement tint. These colored contact lenses have a translucent tint that’s meant to enhance your natural eye color. Enhancement tints are slightly darker than a visibility tint.
- Color tint. Darker, opaque tints that change the color of your eyes. Color tints come in a wide array of specialty colors, including amethyst, violet and green. The center of this colored contact lens is clear so you can see. Light- filtering tint. These colored contact lenses are designed for athletes and sports fans. They enhance certain colors and mute others to make balls stand out. For instance contact lenses for tennis players would enhance optic yellow the color of tennis balls.
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Remember, colored contacts are still put insdie the eyes. Clean and care for them just as you would any prescription contact lens.
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| TORIC CONTACT LENSES |
Toric contact lenses are special lenses for people with astigmatism
. toric contact lenses are made from the same material as other contact
lenses and come in soft or rigid gas permeable forms. Like bifocal
lenses, toric lenses have two powers, one for the astigmatism and
another for nearsightedness or farsightedness if either of these
conditions as also present.
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| BREAKTHROUGHS IN THE WORLD OF VISION IMPROVEMENT: |
Did you know it existed?
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| Continuous Wear Contact Lenses |
Normally, during daytime the tears bath the cornea to supply it with
abundant oxygen and nutrients, so there is enough of them to penetrate
the contracts and reach the eye. During night, however, there is no
blinking and so the amount of oxygen is limited and can’t penetrate the
contacts to reach the eyes. That’s why conventional contact lenses can’t
be worn during the night.
Continuous wear contact lenses, however , are made of a special
material, silicone Hydro Gel, which allows much more oxygen through to
the eyes, so that it compensates the natural deficiency that occurs
during night time.
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| Multifocal Contact Lenses |
Normally, by the age of forty, people lose the ability to see near
objects clearly, and the regular complaint at by this age is inability
to read. The conventional solution to this complaint is the use of
reading spectacles or multifocal spectacles. These spectacles have a
part for far sight, and a part for near sight, the new multifocal
contact lenses work in a similar manner. The central part helps seeing
far objects while the outer part helps seeing near objects, all the very
same contact lens.
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| OSMETICS AND CONTACTS : |
| The do’s and the don’ts |
The use of contact lenses does not keep you from using your normal
use of cosmetics and make up products. Although there are certain points
that deserve your attention.
Hypoallergenic products
It’s a good idea to cut down the risk of sensitivity by selecting eye
make-up that is hypoallergenic. Hand creams and lotions… don’t use hand
creams or lotions before handing contacts. They can leave a film on your
lenses.
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| AVOID |
Fibreless mascara and the softest pencils are a must, and anyone
wearing contact lenses should avoid penciling on the insides of the
lids. Avoid lash-extending mascara, which has fibers that can irritate
the eyes. Waterproof mascara, which cannot be easily removed with water
may stain soft contact lenses.
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| FOUNDATION… |
Choose water-based, hypoallergenic liquid foundations. Cream makeup
may leave a film on your lenses.
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| SOFT VS. HARD… |
If you wear soft lenses put them on before you apply your eye
make-up if your wear hard lenses, insert them after you have finished
your make-up.
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| EYE SHADOW |
Its best to stick using cream, pressed powder or automatic eye
shadow for shading but if you prefer to use loose powder, mix it with
water before brushing onto lids.
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| Keep Away |
Keep false eyelash cement, nail polish, nail polish remover, perfume
and cologne away from the lenses. They can damage the plastic.
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| HAIR DRYING AND HAIRSPRAY |
Blink your eyes frequently while under a hairdryer or blower to keep
your eyes from getting too dry. Use hairspray before putting on your
contacts. If you use hairspray while you are wearing your contacts,
close your eyes while spraying and for a few seconds afterwards.
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| SUN SCREEN ETC… |
Like all other cosmetics, suntan oil and lotions must be thoroughly
scrubbed from your hands and fingers before handling your lenses.
Sunscreen is extremely irritating to the eyes. Contact lenses can absorb
the sunscreen, ruining the lens. Be careful not to touch your eyes after
using sunscreen or sun tanning products. It is wise to use sunscreen (or
make-up containing sunscreen) on the face, but not right around the
eyes. Sunglasses with UV coating arean excellent choice for protecting
the eyelids and skin around the eyes from the harmful damage caused by
exposure to the sun .
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| PICK YOUR SHADES |
Match your contacts to your looks.
Wearing your color contacts is a part of your general appearance, and
hence it has to be treated as part of your make-up.
The same way you match your eye make-up with your foundation, lipstick
and blusher, you also have to match the color of your contacts not only
to your eye make-up but also to your skin tone so that you appear as
natural and stunning as you want.
We introduce here a pattern to which you could try to stick too in order
to give your that special look. At the end, what we present here is a
bunch of tips from make-up experts, but you can always use your own
taste.
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Color |
Light skin |
Medium skin |
Dark skin |
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Brown, hazel or honey |
Apply mauve shadow in the crease, and off -white creamy shadow
near the brow line |
Create a smoky look using matte colors, and graduate the colors
with the darkest nearest the lashes and lightest near the brow.
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To make your whites brighter and your dark eyes “pop” line your
lower lashes. |
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Green |
Use neutral or pale eye shadows in the green or blue families.
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Use neutral shadows such as taupes, plums and browns. |
Apply bronze shadow in the crease. |
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Blue or violet |
Emphasize your eye color by using light eye shadows in the green
and blue families. |
Emphasize your eye color by using neutral or medium tone colors.
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Use a mauve, deep brown shadow. |
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Gray or amethyst |
Use lavender shadow along the upper lash line. |
A hint of silver shadow across the eyelid can create a glamorous
look. |
Use shimmery gunmetal gray or rich deep purples across the
eyelid. |
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Aqua, turquoise or sapphire |
Colored eye shadows such as lavenders, pinks or blues look
beautiful when dusted across the eyelid. |
Use warm mocha eye makeup to make your eye color “pop”. |
Apply amber eye shadow across the eyelid. |
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| WHEN CONTACTS ARE A PAIN: |
Know it to deal with it.
Checking your eyes twice daily (on waking and prior to sleep) is an
important way to ensure the best performance of your contact lenses, and
to prevent problems. Recognising that something is not right is the
important first step towards a solution.
Some of the signs and symptoms of adverse reactions to your contact
lenses can be very subtle. By regularly checking the condition of your
eyes any decrease in lens or eye performance can be quickly assessed and
treated.
Each and every day you wear contact lenses you should ask yourself these
questions:
Do my eyes feel as they normally do?
Do my eyes see as they normally do?
Do my eyes look as they normally do?
If you are feeling unwell this can have an impact on how your eyes cope
eith contact lenses. Please discuss this with your eye car professional
if you have any queries.
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| The 5 Most Important Things You Should Check for Each Day Are: |
1. Redness
A red eye indicates an irritated or inflamed eye. You may not feel any
discomfort so always check in the mirror. Compare the eyes-increased
redness in one eye is highly suspicious and should be checked at once.
2. Unusual eye secretions
This is typically associated with discomfort, but not always .
3. Light sensitivity
Most contact lens wearers find their eyes are slightly more sensitive to
light at first. you may need to wear sunglasses more often. However be
cautious if you notice a sudden increase in the sensitivity of your eyes
to light. Seek attention from your eye care professional. Particularly
if it occurs in one eye only .
4. Discomfort
Never ignore discomfort of your eyes on lenses. Some things like a speck
of dust of lint under the lens can be easily removed by sliding the lens
onto the conjunctiva or by removing, rinsing immediately, otherwise
cleaning and disinfecting, then reinserting the lens. More seroius
problems will cause a progressive decrease in comfort. The sooner this
is assessed and treated the better.
5.Vision
If you don’t see well, or have blurry vision, please seek attention from
your eye care professional.
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Contact
lens wear can be a safe method of vision correction. There is always a
risk whenever you use a biomedical device, but you can minimise the
risks by being rigorous in your approach to lens care and hygiene.
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| CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS: |
| Are spectacles really outdated? |
What most people know is that the majority of humans don’t have perfect
sight. As a matter of fact most people have some sort of visual error,
mostly short sight, but some also have far sight and astigmatism or a
mixture of all this. Unless properly treated, these can lead to further
deterioration of vision that can ultimately reach blindness.
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| There Are Several Methods To Treat Visual Refractive Errors: |
Spectacles :
The commonest and the most conventional method of visual correction that
has been used successfully from the day they were invented until today.
The biggest advantage of spectacles is that any one can use them, of any
age and with any degree of myopia (short sight), hyperopia (far sight),
or astigmatism. It can also be used with any age, from infants to
geriatrics, unlike other methods which are usually limited to a certain
age group. The disadvantages of spectacles include limited visual field,
as the patient has to look through the spectacle lenses, and anything
outside them is not seen clearly. Spectacles also are considered by many
as a burden as a disfigurement, especially to teenagers and athletics,
although some people find spectacles actually appealing and prestigious.
Another major drawback is that it can not be used if the difference
between both eyes is that it can not be used if the difference between
both eyes is more than 4 diopters, where in this case the brain will not
be able to fuse images from both eyes to form one 3 dimensional image.
Contact lenses
When they were first invented, contact lenses were a major breakthrough
in visual aiding devices: spectacles that can be worn directly over the
cornea so that the whole visual field is improved. Another advantage is
that contacts so that the whole visual field is improved. Another
advantage is that contacts for both eyes are not linked like those of
spectacles; that is the difference in visual power between both eyes
does not limit their use even if one eye was normal and the other eye
was very weak. Contact lenses appeal to many people as they look more
natural and are not a burden like spectacles. Their disadvantages are
all centered around the fact that they are placed inside the eyes, and
can therefore cause infection and ulcers that can sometimes be vision
threatening. They are also a headache in the manner of cleaning, keeping
and storing them.
Laser eye surgery
The first laser eye surgery ever to be made was done in the united
states in 1988, and as the outcome of the procedure excelled all the
expectations, since that time laser eye surgery has been the best and
most natural means of vision correction. There are two famous types of
laser eye surgery: PRK which was the procedure made in 1988, and it is
done by directly applying the laser directly to the eye, and hence it
causes discomfort that can last for weeks. That’s why most doctors now a
days consider it as outdated. The second and most recent surgery is
LASIK, which includes removing a special flap, which measures in
microns, from the outer surface of the cornea and applying the laser to
its bed, then placing it back so that its back to almost normal. This
new technology makes laser eye surgery a very easy procedure that
resolves a great deal during the first day, and people can go back to
work the very next day.
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