What to Consider When Buying Contact Lenses in Perth
Advancements in eye care have made contact lenses more versatile than ever before. Read this guide on what to consider when buying contact lenses in Perth.
Approximately 50 per cent of all Australians wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct various vision impairments. Are you one of them?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve always worn contact lenses or are interested in switching from glasses to contacts.
Either way, there are some important things you need to keep in mind when you’re shopping for the perfect pair.
Read on to learn how to go about buying contact lenses so that you can choose the perfect ones for yourself and your needs.
Types of Contact Lenses
One of the first things you need to recognize when you start shopping for contact lenses is the fact that there are different types of lenses from which you can choose.
The following are some of the most common styles of contact lenses:
Soft Contact Lenses
These types of lenses are made of special non-silicone hydrogel and plastic polymer materials.
These materials allow oxygen to pass through the lens and reach the eye. Soft lenses come in a variety of styles, including daily wear, disposable, and extended wear.
Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses often do a better job than soft contact lenses of letting oxygen through to the eye.
They also provide better and sharper vision than many types of soft contact lenses. These lenses only need to be replaced once every two years, too.
Scleral Contact Lenses
Scleral contact lenses can be beneficial to those who have experienced damage to the surface of the eye (the cornea).
These lenses rest on the white part of the eye, the sclera, and create space over the cornea. That space is then filled with artificial tears and can improve the vision. The fluid compartment also protects the cornea from air exposure and irritation that can come from blinking.
X-Chrome Contact Lenses
An X-Chrome contact lens is a special red contact lens. It’s worn in just one eye and is used to help those who suffer from red-green colour vision problems.
Monovision Contact Lenses
Monovision contact lenses are a good option for individuals who suffer from presbyopia (farsightedness). Presbyopia often affects middle-aged individuals in the 40-45-year-old age range. For those who don’t want to wear reading glasses, monovision contact lenses are a viable alternative.
Tips for Buying Contact Lenses
Many people have a hard time shopping for contact lenses. They don’t realise what they need to be on the lookout for and what kinds of practices they need to avoid.
Here are some tips that will make the process of buying contact lenses much easier:
Buy the Right Type
As you can see, there are tons of different types of contact lenses out there. If you want to have a positive experience while wearing contact lenses, you need to make sure you’re buying the right type for your vision needs.
Make sure you’re buying contact lenses that suit your lifestyle, too.
For example, do you think you will remember to take your lenses out every single day? If not, you might not want to buy daily wear contacts. Extended wear styles might be more appropriate for you.
Don’t Buy Without a Prescription
There are lots of online sites that will allow you to buy contact lenses without a prescription. No matter how appealing they might seem, do not trust these sites. You should only wear prescription contact lenses.
Wearing contact lenses without a prescription can increase your risk of damaging your cornea. You also increase your risk of developing eye infections and contracting diseases like pinkeye. You could even damage your eyesight or go blind.
Getting the Correct Prescription
In addition to avoiding buying contact lenses without a prescription, you also ought to avoid buying contact lenses with an old prescription.
Make sure you get your eyes examined before buying contact lenses and make sure your prescription is up to date.
Remember, your vision can change over time. Just because a prescription once worked for you, that doesn’t mean it always will. Your vision problems could have progressed without you even realizing it.
If you don’t get your eyes checked before buying contact lenses, you might not see the results you’re looking for. You could also end up dealing with issues like chronic headaches or eye strain as a result.
Buy the Right Contact Lens Solution
It’s essential that you buy the right contact lenses for you and make sure you’re buying them with the correct prescription. You also need to make sure you’re buying the right contact lens solution.
Your eye doctor should recommend a specific type of contact lens solution for you to use. Be sure to only buy that solution. Remember, your doctor recommended it for a reason.
Learn to Maintain Them Properly
Make sure you’re maintaining your contact lenses properly, too. Many people don’t realize when they’re first buying contact lenses the amount of maintenance required to keep them clean and your eyes healthy.
Some maintenance tips you’ll need to keep in mind include:
- Washing and drying your hands before handling them
- Removing contacts before going to sleep (or according to the schedule laid out by your doctor)
- Minimizing contact with water or saliva
- Always use fresh contact lens solution in contact lens cases (dump out the old solution in between uses)
- Replacing contact lenses and cases as recommended
Over time, these maintenance steps will become second nature to you and you won’t have to think about them.
If you’re not willing to take a lot of steps to keep your lenses in good shape, you ought to be sure to choose a low-maintenance style, such as extended wear lenses.
Buy Contact Lenses Today
Now that you know what to do (and what kinds of mistakes to avoid) when you’re buying contact lenses, it’s time to do the fun part and start shopping.
If you live in Perth or Western Australia and need to buy contact lenses, we can help at Ezekial Eyes.
Make an appointment for your contact lenses today (along with spectacle frames and lenses).
Check them out today to find the lenses that work best for you!