When a patient comes into my office interested in contact lenses or already wearing contact lenses, I always ask them these questions:
1. How frequent do you want to wear contacts? Everyday or just some days?
2. Are you good about cleaning an caring for them or would you rather have an easier choice?
These questions typically guide me about deciding if the patient must wear daily contact lenses and about wich type of contact lens they should be in.
Contact Lenses are not created equally
There are different brands out there and is not just about the brand, its the different properties, materials and dimensions that each one has and knowing them allows me to place my patient in the right fit for them. The greatest fact that guides me in selecting the type of contact lens that the patient should be wearing is wear time and the oxygen transmitability of the lens. Today, we have available silicone hydrogel lenses that allow up to five times more oxygen into the cornea than regular hydrogel lenses. If you are going to be wearing the lenses every day or almost every day then you should be on silicone hydrogel lenses. Daily disposable contacts are available as silicone hydrogel and regular hydrogel materials as well.
A healthier choice
Daily disposable contact lenses are always the healthiest choice for any patient. Wearing a fresh pair of contacts every day is always going to be the more gentle and safe alternative, since it minimizes the risk of infections or complications. Particularly, if you suffer from allergies, you will be able to tolerate contact lenses more when you wear daily disposables since you minimize allergen contact or exposure to the eyes with the new fresh lens.
Patients that wear a monthly or bi-weekly replacement schedule need to be very diligent with the care regimen of the contacts in order to avoid complications of contact lens wear. Ultimately, a daily disposable replacement schedule benefits the eyes the most. An experienced eye doctor in contact lenses that has knowledge of the different properties of the brands can decide which one is the best for you. For that reason, you should always acquire your contact lenses under the recommendations of your eye doctor, after a contact lens exam or fitting.
Daily disposable contact lens wear is always the more convenient and healthiest choice.