Are Contact Lenses Right For You?

Are Contact Lenses Right For You?

Approximately 60% of the US population uses vision correction, but choosing the right method is essential! With contact lenses, there are safety and health concerns you need to remember. And eyeglasses can be annoying while keeping you from certain activities. Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each!

Contact Lenses 

August 19-23 happens to be National Contact Lens Health Week. In a national survey conducted by the CDC, 99% of contact wearers reported at least one risky behavior in their contact lens care. These behaviors can lead to serious eye infections or eye damage. 

Are you wearing contact lenses correctly? 

Proper Contact Lens Care 

To avoid infection and eye damage, contact users should regularly clean or dispose of their lenses. For disposable contact lenses, it’s important to make sure you’re wearing each pair once and not overusing them.

For extended or daily use contact lenses, maintain a regular cleaning schedule

  • Rub, rinse and store your lenses in a fresh solution every time you remove your contacts.
  • Never “top off” your cleaning solution. Always use fresh.
  • Do not rinse lenses with water.

When removing contact lenses, you should also wash your hands before and after to avoid harmful germs.

Contact lenses, National Contact Lens Health Week
Pros & Cons: Contact Lenses

Contact lenses come with a variety of benefits to their users:

  • Can be used for most vision problems
  • Moves with the eye so vision correction looks and feels natural
  • Allows wearers easy ability to participate in sports and physical activities
  • Flexibility with your budget

However, for some people the cons can outweigh the pros:

  • Risk of infection
  • Potential of torn lenses 
  • Eye irritation and discomfort

Eyeglasses 

Eyeglasses can correct a wide range of vision problems for adults and children. They often come in a variety of frames and lenses that suit the wearer. There are around 164 million adults in the United States wearing eyeglasses.

 While they don’t come with the same risks as contact lenses, are eyeglasses right for you? 

Proper Eyeglasses Care 

Eyeglasses don’t require the same cleaning efforts as contact lenses. With glasses, you’re not touching your eyes at all! Follow these steps and you’ll be good to go:

  • Rinse your glasses with water before wiping and cleaning them.
  • Use the cloth given with your glasses, NOT paper towels or other items. 
  • Grip your glasses by the bridge instead of the pieces over your ears. 
  • Don’t lay your glasses down anywhere you can break them.

A huge part of upkeep with your glasses is not breaking them… really!

Person holding up glasses outside
Pros & Cons: Eyeglasses

Benefits of using eyeglasses include: 

  • They’re super easy to take on and off.
  • You don’t need to touch your eyes.
  • The cleaning process is simple.
  • As long as your vision stays the same, you don’t need to reorder new ones often.

Concerns of using eyeglasses: 

  • The edge of your vision can be distorted 
  • The weight may bother you 
  • Eyeglasses can fog up or be clouded by rain
  • Sports and physical activities can be difficult 

Contact Lenses Or Eyeglasses

The decision is up to you! We suggest having a pair of glasses regardless of what you prefer, but that’s the beautiful part of corrective lenses in today’s world. Just make sure to do your research and choose what works best for your lifestyle and needs.

Have questions about corrective lenses? Find a CCMH Physician by using our provider directory

Disclaimer
The Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not provide specific medical advice for individual cases. Comanche County Memorial Hospital does not endorse any medical or professional services obtained through information provided on this site, articles on the site or any links on this site.
Use of the information obtained by the Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.
While content is frequently updated, medical information changes quickly. Information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies or typographical errors. For questions or concerns, please contact us at contact@ccmhhealth.com. 
Sources: 
CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/fast-facts.html 
https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/care-systems.html 
The Vision Council. https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/TVC_OrgOverview_sheet_0419.pdf 

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