Most people are familiar with the concept of contact lenses but are surprised when they find out just how long ago they were invented. Obviously vision is something doctors have taken very seriously for a long time, and finding a more convenient solution than glasses became a priority clear back in the 1800’s. Early contact lenses were, however, quite a bit of trial and error for quite some time.

The concept of contact lenses was generally first thought of by an English astronomer all the way back in 1827. It was, however, just a thought at that point and no real progress was made until the late 1800’s when a German glassblower named Mullen created what is believed to be the first known glass contact lenses in 1887. However nothing much came of them until the 1930’s and 40’s when hard plastic lenses began to appear. The plastic lenses continued their evolution in the 50’s and the 60’s getting smaller, thinner and lighter – all highly desirable characteristics. However, contact lenses didn’t really begin to truly “take off” in popularity until the soft contact lens technology was developed. The problem was simply that despite all of the improvements in hard contact lenses over the years, they still were just not very comfortable and many people had difficulties adjusting to their daily use. All of that changed, however, with the advent of the soft contact lens.

Bausch & Lomb released the first soft contact lenses in 1971, but in reality they had been in development since the late 50’s – it just took a lot of technical advances to get them ready for release. Soft contact lenses changed forever the way contact lenses were perceived and their comfort just continued to rise and with that rose their sales and popularity. Today more than 90% of all contact lenses sold are of the soft contact lens type – that should say quite a bit for the importance of its invention.

There are plenty of products in every pharmacy, drugstore, and supermarket that are dedicated to providing proper care for contact lenses. It can get quite confusing when you’re deciding on what product to choose to properly care for your contact lenses. It is very important that you take really good care of your contact lenses. A tiny damage to a lens can directly lead to several eye problems such as infections and maybe even blindness.

However, you should always remember to check with your eye doctor first or any professional health care specialist before switching contact lens care products. There are some products that are not compatible with other contact lenses, which could directly lead to further eye problems, infections, and vision problems.

The first thing that you always need to do before anything else is to regularly wash your hands thoroughly. Doing so would prevent dirt and germs from transferring into the lenses and getting into your eyes. Try to stay away from moisturizing soaps because they are not good for handling contact lenses. Remember to always keep your hands dry to avoid moisture from getting into your contact lenses. Clean each lens with the prescribed lens care solution as this gets rid of any buildup that have accumulated and any kind of debris that could cause damage to your contact lenses. Carefully rinse each lens once again to make sure that you have gotten rid of all the residue and debris. Place each lens carefully into a thoroughly clean lens case. Then fill the lens case with fresh contact lenses care solution. This disinfects your lenses and effectively kills all microorganisms.

There are disposable contact lenses available on the market for proper lens care that does not require too much of your time. However, you should always remember to check with your eye doctor first to avoid any eye problems.

When it comes to buying contact lenses, you should always put quality first before the price, as it is imperative that you find the best kind of contact lenses for your eyes. You should rely on your own observations and evaluations and take every factor into consideration to come up with the best options for you. Here are a few simple yet helpful tips on how to choose the best place to purchase the best kind of contact lenses for your eyes:

The first thing you must do is to check on your health insurance plan if it includes coverage for your vision. There are benefits that are offered for contact lenses such as purchasing lenses through mail order from a contact lenses company that could be owned and managed by the provider of the health plan or there could be a special agreement between the health plan provider and the lens company. Or you can get percentage discounts once you purchase contact lenses at companies and retailers that are affiliated with your health plan provider. The second thing you should do is to evaluate all of your options. For example, there are some eye doctors that sell contact lenses at considerably fair prices as opposed to other companies and retailers. There are times that the clinic would provide offers such as free eye checkups or care products for lenses when you buy contact lenses from your doctor. This is a greater deal than opting to buy cheaper lenses from optical chains. Once you have evaluated all of your options, compare the prices and choose the one that offers the best deal. Take into consideration every factor and always remember to put quality first to ensure the safety of your eyes and to avoid the possibility of acquiring vision problems.

Contact lenses are thin, circular shaped plastic disks that are placed on the cornea. Contact lenses and eyeglasses have the same function that is they both correct several eye conditions. The only difference is that contact lenses are placed inside the eyes. These lenses are use to correct eye conditions such as nearsightedness or myopia, farsightedness or hyperopia and astigmatism. Some lenses have no therapeutic use. They are called cosmetic contact lenses. They are just worn to change the color of the cornea.

There are several types of lenses. The soft ones are made from soft and flexible plastic material combined with water. Water allows oxygen to penetrate the lenses, thus increasing comfort. Because they are flexible, these lenses are easy to place inside the eyes. The following are the forms of soft lenses: daily disposable lenses, extended wear disposable lenses, and toric lenses. Daily disposables carry the least infection risk because they are changed everyday. The extended wear disposables are changed after two to four weeks of use.

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lenses are hard and rigid, thus very durable. One downside of these lenses is that they do not allow oxygen to pass through, thus they may be uncomfortable to use. A new generation of rigid and hard lens is the gas permeable ones. Gas permeable lenses are made of silicone polymers which permits oxygen to penetrate the cornea.

Bifocal lenses are used for people with presbyopia. Presbyopia is an age-related eye problem. As people grow old, their eyes’ ability to focus properly on near objects will be reduced. Bifocal lenses have both the near prescription and distance prescription in one lens. They may be soft or gas permeable lenses. There are many manufacturers of contact lenses, but the major manufacturers are Acuvue, Bausch & Lomb, Ciba Vision and CooperVision.

Some people are hesitant to use contact lenses because they are unsure of the proper way to apply and remove them. New contact lens users need not worry. Putting on and removing contact lenses is an easy task.

How do you know if your contact lenses are inside out? You may not easily notice it, but if you will look carefully, there is a difference. Here is a trick. Place the lens on your index finger in a way that a cup is formed. If the lens look like a half ball, it is in the correct position. If it looks like a bowl with a rim, it is inside out. If you can not spot the difference, wear the lens. If it is uncomfortable to use, it is inside out.

How to properly place your lenses in your eyes? The first thing to do is clean your hands with a gentle soap to avoid contaminating your lenses. Wearing a dirty lens can result in an eye infection. Get the lens from the storage case and place it on the tip of your middle or index finger. Pull down the lower eyelid and pull up the upper eyelid using the thumb and index fingers of your other hand. Position the lens on the eye level and gently place it in the eye. Once it is inside gently close and roll your eye in all directions. This is to help your lens settle inside.

Your hands should be clean as well before removing the lens. To remove it, use the thumb and index fingers of your hand to pull your upper and lower eyelid. Using the thumb and index fingers of the other hand, gently lift the lens from your eye. As much as possible, new contact lens users should keep their fingernails short so that they will not scratch the lenses as well as their eyes.

The most common problem for people who wear contact lenses is irritation of the eyes. Other reasons include swelling, redness, or having a blurry vision. As soon as you see any of these signs, you should immediately see your eye doctor to have your eyes checked up to avoid the problem from worsening.

One thing that can cause irritation of the eyes would be the inevitable wearing out of the contact lenses. When this happens, you should purchase new contact lenses to avoid any more irritation or vision problems. A common cause for any problems regarding contact lenses is the poor fitting of the lenses that could cause irritation and redness of the eyes that could result in acquiring blurred vision. If the lenses are worn for more than the recommended period of time, there could be deposits that would develop on the surface of the lenses that would cause a slight irritation. A rather serious problem regarding contact lenses that could directly result to blinding eye infections would be putting the lens in the mouth or spitting on to the lens to make use of saliva when there is no lens solution that is readily available. It is imperative that you do not, in any way, put your lens in your mouth to compensate for the lack of availability of lens solution. You should also remember not to soak your lenses in soap or any other cleaning solution that is not prescribed by your eye doctor. This would cause extreme discomfort and redness of the eyes. Another alarming scenario would be the slipping off of the lens from the eye so you should always be careful to keep it from happening. If you feel extreme pain and discomfort and you notice that your eyes are getting red and are suddenly extremely sensitive to light, have your eyes checked out immediately to prevent any damage that might lead to blindness.