Contact lenses come in many forms, and today, patients can choose disposable contact lenses that offer great convenience and affordability. But just because a lens is disposable doesn't mean it has to be replaced daily. It is essential to consult your eye doctor or licensed optician after an eye exam before purchasing contact lenses.
Epic Vision Eye Center is dedicated to serving our community and helping Missouri and Kansas residents. We are the go-to optometrist in Smithville, MO, and with nine locations, we have an office right around the corner.
Types of Disposable Contact Lenses
First, there are daily wear disposable contact lenses, and then daily or single-use disposable contact lenses.
Single-use prescription contacts are daily disposable contact lenses meant to be discarded at the end of each day before bed, and a fresh new pair of contacts added the next day. They are healthy and convenient for patients, making them a popular choice.
Then there are the daily-use disposable contact lenses that can be worn up to several days or weeks during the daytime but taken out and placed in a cleaning solution overnight. Unfortunately, the FDA hasn't approved these lenses for overnight wear.
Why Disposable Contact Lenses?
Eye care patients have been known to wear disposable contact lenses longer than recommended because they found discarding them regularly to be costly. However, manufacturers have developed new disposable contact lenses at a higher production rate, outstanding quality, and lower price.
There are many cleaning solutions on the market today. They are a tool used to preserve disposable contact lenses, giving the wearer more use out of them between eye exams, saving patients money on eyewear. Unfortunately, cleaning your contact lenses is not 100% effective. Deposits of calcium, lipids, proteins and other substances found in tears can build up in worn contact lenses. Your eyes will stay healthier, fighting off redness, irritation, and discomfort by discarding your contact lenses regularly.
Wearing these lenses overnight while you sleep increases the chances of experiencing eye irritation and infection. To be safe, it is imperative that an eye care patient only wears disposable contact lenses for the length of time recommended by the lens manufacturer and eye doctor.
Best Practices
Because of the likelihood of eye infections and irritation, good eye care practices are important. After an eye exam, we recommend that patients purchase disposable contact lenses and buy a pair of eyeglasses. Doing this enables the patient to rest their eyes from the daily use of contacts while still seeing clearly if they cannot wear contacts due to an eye issue.
Trusted Local Eye Care in Missouri
If you are looking for an optometrist in Smithville, MO, or in the Kansas area, Epic Vision Eye Center has nine locations to serve you. Contact us today at (785) 539-6051 to schedule your eye exam and get answers concerning eye care and disposable contact lenses. We are here to help you achieve optimal eye health.