Glasses vs. Cheap Contact Lens

Fashion accessories and instruments of high-tech glasses are increasingly competing with cheap contact lens more discreetly. I will guide you in your choices, and why to choose them over glasses.

Cheap contact lens, a practical and aesthetic correction

Contact lenses are mainly used in the correction of myopia (80%) and to a lesser extent, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. They are placed in contact with the cornea and carved on each side so as to correct the anomaly.

Glasses allow light rays to focus again on the retina, rather than ahead of it as a myopia or backward as in hyperopia.

There are rigid or semi-rigid, whose maintenance is relatively easy but which are sometimes poorly tolerated by the eye. Other versions of flexible plastic polymer are easier to accept but require careful daily cleaning with a special product. There are also disposable lenses, which can keep one or two weeks later. In all cases, the ophthalmologist will check before prescribing the lenses if the eye secretes enough tears to support them.

A good peripheral vision with contact lenses

In addition to their aesthetic interest, contact lenses offer the advantage of providing a better field of vision as traditional glasses because of the lack of frame and because they follow the movements of the eye.

Peripheral vision is more ample and without grey area. They are therefore particularly appropriate in certain occupations that require a very good view, as surgeons, photographers...

Contact lenses are also more practical to wear at sports or outdoor activities. They also have the advantage to not fog, because the liquid wets the tear permanently.

Small constraints

However, contact lenses also have their drawbacks. In addition they require regular cleaning; they may lead to small irritations of the eye or your eyes will have allergies to the maintenance product.

More rarely, they can trigger abrasions or swelling of the cornea. Have regular eye examinations can check that everything goes well.

Don't worry for this, as I said this is more rarely. For me I'm wearing contact lens for 2 years without any problem.

Bifocal Contact Lenses

Bifocal contact lenses have been developed for people who have both nearsightedness and presbyopia. Bifocal lenses provide correction for both near and distance vision on each lens. A number of designs are available in hard and soft lenses. 

There are two main types of bifocal contact lenses:

Segmented (also called alternating or translating):

These resemble standard bifocal eyeglasses, in which there are two distinct areas, or segments, of the lens. You have to look through these different parts of the lens for distance vision (upper) and near vision (lower), and the lenses can move, making vision inconsistent. In some cases, the lenses may be weighted to keep them properly oriented on your eye.

Concentric or simultaneous:

These lenses provide correction for near or distance vision in the center of the lens, and correction for the other type of vision in a ring surrounding the center. There is usually a sharp boundary between the two areas. A special type of concentric lens, called aspheric, provides a gradual transition between the areas for near and distance vision. This can provide a way to correct for vision at intermediate distances. Because concentric or simultaneous contact lens designs provide correction for both near and distance vision close to the center of the lens, both near and far objects can be in focus at the same time. Your brain must learn to select the visual information it needs to form an image of either near or distant objects, so simultaneous bifocal contact lenses may require some adjustment.

Some people are unsatisfied with bifocal contact lenses. They may: 

Have a hard time adjusting to the different areas for near and distance vision.

Be dissatisfied with the quality of the vision correction provided by the lenses. 
Have problems with glare at night.

Some vision problems cannot be corrected very well by current designs for bifocal lenses.

Also, because they are more complex, bifocal contact lenses require a longer fitting process and are usually more expensive than single-vision contacts.

Author: Robin Parks, MS