Types of Contact Lenses

At The Glass House we provide a variety of contact lenses from a number of different suppliers. Below is an introductory guide to contact lenses.

Types of Lenses

Lenses are available in either a soft form or a rigid material. The most popular lenses are soft, as they are more comfortable for the wearer. However, for some patients, a rigid lens might be a better option, due to higher or more complex prescriptions.

Modalities

Lenses are available in a number of different wearing patterns, or modalities.

  • Daily These lenses are worn once, and thrown away at the end of the day. This is one of the most hygienic options, as the lens is only worn once, limiting the amount of bacteria build up on the lens.
  • Fortnightly These are worn during the day, and left in a solution overnight. The lenses are then changed every two weeks.
  • Monthly Similar to fortnightly lenses, except the lenses are kept and used for a month a time. These are also available in an extended wear version, allowing you to wear the lenses for up to 16 hours at a time, rather than the usual 10-12 hours.
  • Yearly This is most common for people using rigid or Gas Permeable contact lenses, where the lenses are kept and used for a year.
  • Coloured Lenses Coloured lenses can be used just for cosmetic purposes, changing the colour of your eye, but are also available in some prescription forms, too. They

Prescription Availability

The technology of contact lenses has improved dramatically in recent years, to the point now where the majority of people can wear contact lenses. Where as in the past there were some restrictions with the prescription ranges.

  • Toric Lenses These lenses are made to correct prescriptions that contain astigmatism. Astigmatism is the irregular curvature of the cornea, which needs correcting so the image focuses on the right part of the back of the eye. Toric lenses can be corrected in daily, fortnightly, monthly, and yearly lenses.
  • Multifocal For people with prescriptions incorporating both a long and short distance prescription, there are several options to correct the vision. The first is multifocal contact lenses, which are available in toric, daily, fortnightly, and monthly versions. Another popular option is monovison, where one lens is used to correct the distance, and the other for reading. Although this sounds complicated, the brain does adjust to this way of working, and this can be quite a popular option. The third option is to correct the distance prescription only, and then wear a pair of “ready readers” over the top when needed.