Contact Lenses Eyeglasses

Leonardo da Vinci was said to have invented the concept of the contact lens in 1508. Since the penning of his historic and innovative Codex of the eye, Manual D, the contact lens has greatly evolved and is the option of choice for corrective wear.

Developed as an option for men and women who needed visual enhancement but didn’t like to appearance or hassle associated with glasses, the original lenses were originally very hard. They also had a myriad of drawbacks, like popping off the cornea and getting lost. A version of the earlier hard contacts lens still exists today, and are now called gas permeable (GP or RGPs or rigid gas permeable). Unlike their predecessors, they allowed oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye, which makes them healthier to wear.

Unfortunately, like their predecessors, these hard contacts are still a bit uncomfortable. Enter soft contact lenses, which were also gas permeable and far easier on the eyes. Yet and still, even among the softer lenses, some are more comfortable than others. So, what kind of contact lens offers the highest comfort?

Disposable contact lenses

Disposable contact lenses come in single day, weekly, or monthly use. These contact lenses often offer a higher degree of comfort because and there is less of a chance of protein buildup and warping, which can feel scratchy to the eye. To date, many soft contact lens buyers say that these lenses are the best ones on the market in regards to ease of wear, however, they may not be the ultimate option for true vision correction.

Color contact lenses

Color contact lenses can be fairly easy on the eye if they are the soft variety. Although most color contacts are used to produce an aesthetic effect, ease of use is still very important. Because these contacts are most often come in the soft lens, they are generally very comfortable. Some companies even make them with a prescription in them, although the prescription may not be as strong as with plain lenses.

Gas permeable lenses

As stated before, gas permeable lenses are often harder but with the proper fitting they can be a bit healthier and easier to wear than soft contact lenses. This is due to the fact that they allow oxygen into the cornea, which is important since this delicate part of the eye needs oxygen to ‘breath’. For this reason, they are also called the ‘breathable’ contact lens.

Hybrid lenses

Hybrid lenses can offer the best of both the gas permeable and disposable contact lens. These lenses are often comprised of a GP center and softer outer ring. This makes the contact lenses a bit easier to wear while giving all the benefits of gas permeable contacts. The lenses are a great option fro people who suffer from astigmatism as they may not be able to wear certain soft lenses.

All of the above lenses have their pros and cons, and in the end, it is really up to you to decide which type best fits your lifestyle. Some people who are very active seek soft lenses because they stay in place far easier than gas permeable. On the other hand, others have vision correction problems that soft contacts can’t fix and need to get gas permeable or hybrids.

If you are interested in getting contacts, or just want to switch to a far more accommodating brand, be sure to make an appointment with your ophthalmologist. He will be best able to tell you what would be a good fit, and knows which contact lenses have been reputed to yield the highest amount of comfort will having the lowest chance of eye infections or diseases.

In recent years, there have been many innovations in the types of special effects lenses that are used by the theatrical industry to transform the eyes of their actors.  Special effect lenses are used to create eye appearances that cannot be obtained in any other way and because the eyes are considered to be the windows to the soul, having dramatic eyes on the actors in the movie can pull the entire look of the character together in a way that is incomparable.  Because of the growing popularity of these types of lenses, some people that are not in the theatrical industry have chosen to purchase and wear these lenses as a fashion statement.

One of the most popular types of special effects lenses on the market today are the ones that are individually hand painted by artists to create the appearance that the purchaser desires.  These lenses are made out of some of the softest plastic available for contact lenses and the designs for the lenses are hand-painted by some of the leading artists in the industry, making each set of lenses a unique creation.  These hand-painted lenses are much more highly prized that the theatrical lenses that are mass produced by machinery in a factory.

Hand-painted special effects lenses can be purchased as either standard lenses that are used only to change the appearance of the eyes or prescription lenses that provide vision correction as well as altering the appearance of the eyes.  To obtain the prescription lenses, the person will first need to see an optometrist for an eye examination to be sure that the prescription lenses will allow them to see properly.  Having an incorrect prescription for the lenses could can damage to the eyes and prevent the person from seeing correctly while the lenses are in.

Many of the artists that hand-paint the theatrical special effects lenses are able to create virtually any design that the person can imagine.  Purchasers can email or fax their design to the company that creates the special effects lenses and receive a reply of whether or not the design is possible within a matter of days.  After the lenses have been painted in the design that the purchaser desires, the lenses are carefully packed in a sterile solution and shipped to the purchaser using one of the main package delivery services in the country.

These hand-painted special effects lenses can last for a number of years as long as they are cared for properly.  The lenses can be cleaned and disinfected with regular contact lens cleaning solutions and stored in typical contact lens cases without damaging the lenses.  It is not recommended for individuals to share a pair of contact lenses, even if they are not prescription lenses, because diseases could be transferred by the lenses from one person to another.  As special effects lenses become more and more popular with members of the general population as well as individuals in the theatrical industry, hand-painted special effects lenses will continue to make an appearance at theaters near you.

Like so many other types of products and services, eyewear such as eyeglasses or contact lenses is increasingly available for purchase from the comfort of your own home or office: as long as you have a computer and internet connection. Many of the traditional providers of corrective lenses you know and trust have now started offering their products online. Other online providers you’ve never heard of may also be offering similar products over the internet. With so many choices of where to get prescription glasses or contact lenses online, it can get very confusing. In order to determine which eyewear provider you should use when shopping for glasses or contacts online, consider three factors: selection, value and service.

Selection

Whether you are brand new at shopping for corrective lenses or whether you’ve been wearing glasses or contacts for years, you’ll want to know that your online provider can meet your needs. The greater a selection an online provider of eyewear has, the better equipped they will be to have whatever it is you’re specifically looking for. Also, the greater a selection of eyewear an online retailer has, the more you can trust they know their business. If a retailer has 3 or 4 different eyeglass frames to choose from and a myriad of other products, then you know that eye care is not their core business. On the other hand, if that same online retailer were to have every eyewear brand known to humankind and virtually no other products unrelated to eyes, then you know where they stand.

Now, if you are a person who has worn the same glasses for years and years and who sticks with what they know and love, then a huge selection may not be on the top of your priority list. If you are this type of person, you may place more importance on other factors. In this case, just verify that the online eyewear retailers you are researching carry your preferred brand and style.

Value

Today more than ever Americans need to keep an eye on how much they are spending on products and services. Though we certainly wouldn’t want you to make any sacrifices in the area of caring for your eyes, you can see where this is going. You’ll want to make sure that the online eyewear retailer you choose to get your glasses or contact lenses from has competitive pricing. The best way to find out if the price being charged for a pair of eyeglasses or contacts is to research the marketplace. When you are visiting online eyewear providers to research their selection, make sure to pay attention to pricing so you can make comparisons. Make sure to research shipping costs and to include these in your comparisons in order to make them more comprehensive. Also take into account any added value the site might offer and factor this in. Does the online retailer offer discount coupons for eye exams in your area? Do they offer free returns or a discount for recycling your old frames? These kinds of concessions can add up to extra value for you.

Service

Service is something that may be difficult to gage before you actually do business with an online retailer, but there are usually at least a few indicators of whether they offer good service or not. One of the ways to tell if an online retailer is readily available to provide excellent customer service is if they post a 1-800 number on their site. Another sure sign that an online retailer provides good service is if they have a satisfaction guarantee or money-back guarantee. Usually this signifies that they stand behind their product.