contact lenses - judith roberts optician€¦ · can i wear contact lenses if i have astigmatism?...
TRANSCRIPT
Contactlenses
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OverviewMost people who need to wear glasses can wear contact lenses.
There are two main types of contact lenses: • softlenseswhichmouldtotheshapeofyoureye• rigidgaspermeablelenses(RGPlenses)whicharefittedcloselytotheshapeofyoureyeandarelessflexible.
MostcontactlensesfittedintheUKaresoftlenses.Theyareavailableassingleusedaily,fortnightlyandmonthlydisposablelenses,andmorespecialistlensesthataredesignedtolastforlonger.RGPlenseslastlongerthansoftlensesandareusuallyreplacedeveryonetotwoyears.Thismeansthattheymaybecheaperinthelongtermthandisposablesoftlenses.Likeafittedleathershoe,RGPlensescantakealittlemoregettingusedtothansoftlenses,andsoarenotsuitableifyouonlywanttowearlensesoccasionally.
Ifyouwearanyreusablelens,youwillneedtousespecialsolutionstocleananddisinfectthemsothattheyaresafetoputbackintoyoureyes.Youdonotneedtocleanordisinfectsingleusedailydisposablelenses–youjustthrowthemawayafteruse.
Ifyouhaveanyconcernsaboutthehealthofyoureyes,pleasevisityourlocaloptometrist.Optometristsarethe eye health specialists on the high street. An eye examinationisavitalhealthcheckandshouldbepartofeveryone’snormalhealthcare.
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Which type of contact lens is best for me?
Thetypeoflensthatisbestforyouwilldependuponseveralfactors.Theseincludehowoftenyouwanttowearyourlenses–forexampledoyouwanttowearthemjustforcertainactivitiessuchassport,ordoyouwanttowearthemmostofthetime,instead of glasses?
AssoftlensesareinitiallymorecomfortablethanRGPlenses,theyareidealforpeoplewhoonlywanttowearlensesoccasionally.RGPlensesarealittlemoreuncomfortablethansoftlensesatfirst,sotheytakeabitmoregettingusedto.But,theylastlongerandmaybebetterforpeoplewhohaveirregularlyshapedeyesorhaveastigmatism(seebelow).SpecialtypesofRGPlensesthatyouwearonlyatnight,areavailabletotemporarilycorrectshortsight.Thistreatmentiscalledorthokeratology.
Can I wear contact lenses if I have astigmatism?
Astigmatismiswherethecornea(thewindowatthefrontoftheeye)orthelensinsidetheeyeisshapedmorelikearugbyballthanafootball.Thismeansthatifyouwearasoftcontactlens,youwillneedatoriclenstoseeclearly.Toriclensestaketherugbyballshapeintoaccount,butiftheyrotateonyoureyeyouwillnotseeclearly.Softcontactlensesthat correct astigmatism are specially designed not to rotate. There are many different types of soft toriccontactlensesand,unlessyouhavealotofastigmatism,itislikelythatyouroptometristwillbeabletofindalensthatsuitsyou.
Ifyouwear
anyreusable
lens,you
will need to
usespecial
solutionsto
clean and
disinfect them
so that they
are safe to
putbackinto
youreyes.
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AsRGPlensesdonotmouldtoyoureyeslikesoftlenses,theycancorrectsomeastigmatismwithoutneedingtobespeciallydesigned.Thisisbecauseyourtearsfillinthegapbetweenthelensandyoureye,neutralisingtheastigmatismandallowingyoutoseeclearly.Thismeansthatitdoesn’tmatterifthelensrotates.Ifyouhavealotofastigmatism,youmayneedtohavetoricRGPlenses.Theselenseswillbespeciallydesignedforyouandsoareunlikelytorotateonyoureye.Thismeansthattheywillgivemorestablevisionthansofttoriclenses.
Is it better to have disposable lenses or those that last longer?
Thisisoftenamatterofpersonalchoice.Youdonotneedtocleananddisinfectsingleusedailydisposablelensesaftereachuse,asyousimplythrowthemaway.Thiscanbeagoodoptionforpeoplewhodonotweartheirlensesveryoftenorwhowantmaximumconvenience.Thismayalsobemorehygienicthancleaning,disinfectingand re-wearing old lenses. Not all contact lens typesorprescriptionsareavailableassingleusedailydisposablelenses.Youroptometristwilltellyouwhattypesoflensesaresuitableforyou.Ifyouwearlensesalot,singleusedailydisposablelensesmaycostmorethannon-dailydisposablelenses(thosethatyoucleananddisinfectandthenwearagain),althoughyoushouldremembertoincludethecostofcontactlenssolutionsifyouarecomparingthepriceofsingleusedailydisposablelenseswiththepriceofnon-dailydisposablelenses.
Modern contact lensesareverysafe,aslongasyoufollowyouroptometrist’sadviceabouthow to wear and lookafterthem,andhaveregularcheck-ups.
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Are contact lenses safe?
Moderncontactlensesareverysafe,aslongasyoufollowyouroptometrist’sadviceabouthowtowearandlookafterthem,andhaveregularcheck-ups.Itispossiblethatanythingthattouchesyoureyecouldintroduceaninfection.Toreducethechanceofinfectionyoushouldalwayswashanddryyourhandsbeforetouchingyoureyesoryourcontactlenses.Useliquidsoapratherthanabarofsoap.Ifyouareathomeyoushouldtrytouseyourowntowel.Ifyouarenotathomeyoushoulddryyourhandswithanairdryerorpapertowelwhereverpossible.Neverrinseyourlenseswithtapwater,orstoreyourlensesintapwaterbecausethismaycauseaninfectioninyoureye.Youshouldalsoavoidshoweringwhilewearingyourcontactlenses.
Can I swim in contact lenses?
We do not recommend swimming in contact lenses.Thisisbecausethereisanorganismthatlivesinwater(Acanthamoeba)thancancauseaveryseriousinfectionifitgetsinyoureye.Ifyouneedglassesandwanttoseeclearlywhileyouareswimmingwerecommendprescriptionswimminggogglesasasaferalternative.Theseneednotbeexpensive.
We do not recommend swimming in contact lenses. There is an organism that livesinwatercancauseaveryseriousinfectionifitgetsinyoureye.
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How long can I wear my contact lenses for?
There are many different types of contact lenses available.Thismeansthatmostpeoplecanwearlensesformostoftheday.Youmayfindthatyoureyeslookredorfeeldrytowardstheendoftheday,soyouroptometristmayadviseyounottowearthemfortoolong.Evenifyoutriedcontactlensesunsuccessfullyafewyearsago,youmayfindthatmodernlensmaterialsmeanthatyoucannowwearthemforlonger.Youroptometristwillbeabletoadviseifthisisthe case.
Can I sleep in contact lenses?
Althoughsomecontactlenseshavebeendesignedtowearovernight,researchhasshown that sleeping in contact lenses greatly increasestheriskofinfection.Ouradviceistoremoveyourlensesbeforeyougotobed.Ifyouroptometristhastoldyouthatyoucansleepinyourcontactlenses,itisimportantthatyouknowwhatcomplicationsmaydevelopandhowtolookoutforthem.Youmustalsobeabletotakeyourlensesoutinanemergency.
Ifyouareshortsighted,youmaybeabletowearspecialcontactlensesthatyousleepin.Thesetemporarilycorrectyourshortsightsothatyoucanseeclearlyduringthedaywithoutglassesorcontactlenses.Thisiscalledorthokeratology.
Evenifyoutriedcontact lenses unsuccessfullyafewyearsago,youmayfindthat modern lens materials mean thatyoucannow wear them for longer.
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I need to wear different glasses for distance and reading - can I have bifocal or varifocal contact lenses?
Whenyoureachyourfortiesitiscommontofindthatyouneedadifferentprescriptionforreadingthanyouneedfordistance.Thisiscalledpresbyopia.Thismaymeanthatyouneedtwopairsofglasses,oryouneedbifocalorvarifocalglasses.
There are three main options to correct presbyopiawithcontactlenses.
1.Youmaychoosetohavecontactlensestocorrectyourdistancevision,andwearreadingglassesoverthetopwhenyouneedthem.
2.Youmayhavebifocalorvarifocalcontact lenses.
3.Youmaywearlensestohaveoneeyecorrected to see in the distance and one eyecorrectedfornearvision.Thisiscalledmonovision.
Eachofthedifferentoptionshasadvantagesanddisadvantagesandyouroptometristwillhelpyoudecidewhichisbestforyou.
Sleepingincontact lenses greatly increases theriskofinfection.Ouradviceistoremoveyourlensesbeforeyougotobed.
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Will I be able to put my lenses in and take them out?
Mostpeopleareabletoputtheirlensesinandtakethemoutwithoutanyproblems,althoughitcantakesomepractice.Itisimportanttohaveback-upglassesevenifyouwearcontactlenseseveryday.Ifyouneedtowearglassesforreading,youmayfindyouneedtoputyourglassesontohandleyourcontactlenses(forexample,soyoucanseeclearlywhencleaningthem).Yourcontactlenspractitionerwillmakesurethatyouareabletohandlethelensessafelybeforeyoutakethemhome.
Somecontactlensesarelightlytintedtomakeiteasierforyoutoseethemwhenyouareputtingtheminandtakingthemout.Thistintwillnotaffectyoursightandiscalledahandlingtint.Thisismuchlighterthanthetintthatisusedtochangethecolourofyoureyes,andyouwillnotnoticeitwhenyouwearyourcontactlenses.
Can I get contact lenses to change the colour of my eye?
Softcontactlensesareavailablewhichchangethecolourofyoureyes.Youcangettheseeitherwithaprescriptioninthemtocorrectyourvision,orwithout.Youcanalsogetnoveltycontactlenseswhichdonothaveaprescriptioninthem.Eventhoughthesearesoldasnoveltyitems,theystilltouchyoureyeandcarryariskofinfection,soitisimportanttomakesurethattheyarefittedbyaqualifiedprofessional,justlikethosewhicharenotcoloured.Youroptometristwillbeabletogiveyoumoreinformation.
It is important tohaveregularcheck-upstomakesurethatyourcontactlenses are still suitableforyou,and are not damagingyoureyes.
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Can I wear make up with contact lenses?
Youcanwearmakeupwithcontactlenses,butitisbesttoputyourcontactlensesinbeforeyouputyourmakeupon.Itisbesttowearwater-solublemakeup,ratherthanwaterproof,asifthisgetsintoyoureyeitwilldissolveinyourtearsandnotgettrappedunderyourcontactlens.Youshouldnotweareyelineronthe‘wet’partoftheedgeofyourlids,asitmayblocktheglandsthatproducepartofyourtears.Instead,youshouldputitontheskin,outsideyourlashes.
Can I get my contact lenses online?
Ascontactlensestouchyoureyestheymustbetherightprescriptiontoallowyoutoseeclearly,andtherightshapetostopthemdamagingyoureyes.Thismeanstheymustbefittedbyaqualifiedoptometrist,contact lens optician or doctor. When the contactlenspractitionerissatisfiedthatthelensesaresuitableforyou,theywillgiveyouacopyofyourcontactlensprescription(specification).Whereveryoubuyyourlensesitisimportanttomakesurethatthelensesyouaresuppliedwithareexactlythesameastheonesyouhavebeenfittedwith,asonlythencanyoubesurethattheyaresuitableforyou.
As contact lenses touchyoureyestheymustbetheright prescription toallowyoutoseeclearly,andthe right shape to stop them damagingyoureyes. This means theymustbefittedbyaqualifiedoptometrist,contact lens optician or doctor.
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Do I need to have regular check-ups if I wear contact lenses?
Itisimportanttohaveregularcheck-upstomakesurethatyourcontactlensesarestillsuitableforyou,andarenotdamagingyoureyes.Thisshouldbeatleastevery12months,butmaybemoreoftenifrecommendedbyyourpractitioner.Whereveryoubuyyourlensesyoushouldcheckwhetherthepriceyouarepayingincludesthesecheck-ups.Yourcontactlensspecificationwillcontainanexpirydate.Youwillnotbeabletobuylensesafterthatdate.Itisimportantthatyouhaveacontactlenscheck-upbeforeyourspecificationrunsoutifyouwanttocontinuetobuylenses.
It is important thatyouhaveacontact lens check-upbeforeyourspecificationrunsoutifyouwanttocontinuetobuylenses.
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Formoreinformation,pleasetalktoyourlocaloptometrist.
ThisleafletisproducedbytheCollegeofOptometrists,theprofessional,scientificandexaminingbodyforoptometryintheUK.OurmembersuseMCOptomorFCOptomaftertheirname.MembershipoftheCollegeshowstheircommitmenttotheveryhighestclinical,ethicalandprofessionalstandards.LookforthelettersMCOptomorFCOptomtocheckifyouroptometristisamember.
IfyoualsospotthelettersDipCLorHigherCertCLafteryouroptometrist’sname,thismeansthattheyhaveundertakenfurthertraining,andhavecompletedeithertheProfessionalDiplomaorProfessionalHigherCertificateinContactLensPractice.
Pleasevisitwww.lookafteryoureyes.org for more information.
Thisinformationshouldnotreplaceadvicethatyouroptometristorotherrelevanthealthprofessionalwouldgiveyou.
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