Contact Lenses at John Harwood
If you’d like a change from wearing glasses, have you ever considered contact lenses?
What is a contact lens?
A contact lens is a small, thin, curved disc which sits on the front of the eye to correct a visual defect such as myopia (short-sightedness), hypermetropia (long-sightedness), astigmatism and presbyopia.
Who can wear contact lenses?
There is no age range for contact lens wear. The key factors affecting contact lens success are motivation, hygiene and physical suitability.
- Children wearing contact lenses can run around without their spectacles falling off or breaking.
- Teenagers can have the choice and the freedom to constantly change their style, greatly improving their self-confidence.
- Adults of all ages can benefit.
- Presbyopia is the natural deterioration of the ability of the lens in your eye to change focus from distant to near objects. If you need glasses for reading, there’s a contact lens set-up to suit you such as Distance vision corrected by contact lenses with specs for reading. Some patients prefer to use “monovision”, where distance vision is corrected in the dominant eye and near in the other. Alternatively, multifocal contact lenses incorporate distance and near vision correction in the same lens.
- Even people with astigmatism, a common condition where there is a natural distortion in the front surface of the eyeball, now have the option of wearing monthly or daily disposable soft lenses as well as rigid gas permeable lenses.
There are soft and rigid contact lens types available, depending on what suits your individual needs. Advances in contact lens technology these days mean that today, over 75% of the UK’s spectacle-wearing population can successfully wear contact lenses. Many people choose to wear contact lenses every day, but different types of lenses now make occasional sports and social wear possible too. Ever-evolving technology means that it’s never been easier to find a contact lens that’s right for you.
Contact Lenses Fitting
If you are interested in wearing lenses you will need to have a contact lens trial. The optometrist will discuss which type of lens would suit your individual needs and then thoroughly check the health of the front surface of your eyes. A pair of lenses would then be inserted and the optometrist will check that they fit correctly and are the right strength for you. You will be given full instruction in how to insert and remove the lenses and how to clean and look after them. Initially, many people are nervous about putting lenses in and taking them out, but very few have problems with this after practice.
A regular annual check-up is recommended to ensure your lenses are the correct strength and to keep your eyes healthy. Contact lenses can only be legally supplied if your prescription is in date. In most cases, an annual aftercare appointment is advised. For more information, or to book a contact lens consultation with one of our Optometrists, please contact us by telephone or e-mail.
