The popularity of contact lenses has surged in recent years. More and more people continue making the transition from the traditional glasses to the better and improved visual aid mechanism, aka contact lens.
The plethora of advantages that the contact lens provides makes it a tempting option amongst the visual-deficient people. The availability of contact lens has also become more readily available due to its increasing popularity. You can easily buy contact lenses online, but with so many options, the entire process can quickly become a chaotic mess.
It is, therefore, crucial to understand and analyze how to buy the right type of contact lens to help you utilize its optimum benefits.
The importance of choosing the “right” lens
Imagine this: when you go to the market to buy a conventional eyeglass, you look for that perfect frame that can elevate your outlook in addition to your vision. Similarly, there are some crucial factors you can list out when you’re shopping for a contact lens. These are –
- Vision
- Comfort
- Safety and
- Appearance
One of the most common errors that the majority of people make when purchasing lens is the absence of proper knowledge about its material, coatings and designs. An ideal lens (if chosen correctly) will provide all the above features making your visual aid experience a much more comfortable and safer venture.
Different types of contact lens materials
Contrary to what the majority of the population think, there are, in fact, multiple types of contact lens materials. All these materials have their specific characteristics and benefits to suit different people with their respective visual-aiding needs.
- Glass lens
This is the oldest form of lens material available. During the initial stages, all contact lenses were of glass material. However, due to its several eye hazardous factors, they were replaced by alternate lens materials in the later stages of the lens development process.
Glass lens, however, offers superior optics, and its overall vision-improving capacity is exceptional as well. The primary concerns you would have to take into account (if you prefer glass lens) is its heavyweight and also its tendency to break easily.
- Plastic lens
The plastic lens was considered the ideal alternative to glass lenses. They were made from CR-39, a specialized form of plastic polymer.
The plastic lens provides all the advantages of a glass lens, but come with reduced eye risk factors, especially due to its low chances of breaking. However, the optics quality of the plastic lens is inferior when compared to the glass material.
Plastic lens area, hence ideal for people who prefer a lightweight, thinner and a cheaper alternative as compared to the glass lens.
- Polycarbonate lens
Polycarbonate lens, in turn, is the improved version of the plastic lens. They were initially introduced in the early 1970s and quickly became popular due to its superior visual-aiding quality.
Polycarbonate materials due to their excellent impact-resistant capability were originally used for manufacturing bulletproof glasses of banks and also for air force helmet visors. Later, when polycarbonates were utilized for making the lens, they resulted in a much safer and lighter solution without compromising the vision capacity.
Polycarbonate lens is ideal for people who require optimal safety and also for lightweight aspect. They are the best lens material when it comes to impact-resistance potential.
- High-index plastic lens
The need for developing a lighter and thinner contact lens in order to elevate the comfort nature of the wearer has led to several manufacturers utilizing the high-index plastic material.
These types of lens are ideal for people with a strong prescription, naturally meaning they would have to wear an eye lens for a long duration. The lighter and thinner material makes it easier for them to wear for long hours without any eye strain disadvantages.
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