Extended Wear Contact Lenses – What Are The Benefits?

Contact lenses that you can put in and wear continuously for
many days are the dream of many contact lens wearers No fuss
about cleaning, storing , inserting or removing them -sounds
convenient, doesn’t it? But is it safe? Find out if extended
wear contacts are right for you
How do extended wear contact lenses work?
Most contact lenses are daily wear – you wear them during the
day and take them out for the night Lenses have to be taken out
because they partially block the flow of oxygen to your cornea
In other words, your eyes need a rest without contacts
However, many contact lens wearers wish that they didn’t have to
remove their lenses every evening Knowing this, contact lens
manufacturers have worked really hard to develop a contact lens
material that doesn’t block oxygen and would allow you to wear
your lenses for several days – or even weeks – without risk to
your health
Modern technology allows the production of contact lenses that
let through approximately six times more oxygen than ordinary
soft contact lenses Lenses intended for extended wear are made
of extra-permeable silicone hydrogel materials and “breathe” so
well that oxygen deprivation is no longer a problem, even if you
wear your lenses for several days
Are extended wear contact lenses safe?
Lenses that are FDA approved for extended wear, like Focus Night
and Day or Acuvue 2, are safe if you follow your doctor’s
instructions They feel quite comfortable for many days, unless
you have very sensitive eyes
The only problem with extended wear contact lenses is that since
you don’t clean them every day, tiny particles of dust can
accumulate on them
To prevent this keep to the following rules:
- Avoid dusty rooms – Stay away from cigarette smoke – Try to
keep the water away from your eyes when showering and wear tight
goggles while swimming – Never wear your contact lenses longer
than your doctor recommends Remember weekly disposable extended
wear lenses should be thrown away once a week and 30 day wear
lenses can only last a month, not a day longer
Also to minimize the risk of eye infection it is very important
to pay attention to how your eyes feel and not to ignore any
unpleasant symptoms If your eyes feel irritated or simply
uncomfortable, take the lens out immediately and give your eye
6-8 hours rest Rinse the lens well before putting it back in
And if discomfort continues, don’t ignore it, see your doctor
Maybe extended wear lenses are not for you after all
Which extended wear contacts are available on the market?
Two brands of extended wear contact lenses are FDA approved for
30 day continuous wear – Focus Night and Day by Ciba Vision and
PureVision by Bausch Lomb Other lenses can be worn for a week
without removal The most popular of these is Acuvue by Johnson
and Johnson
Are extended wear contact lenses more expensive than the regular
contacts?
Surprisingly, the price difference isn’t that big Extended wear
contact lenses are slightly more expensive that the usual weekly
or monthly disposable contacts, and they are cheaper than daily
disposables Also, since you will wear your contacts for a week
or a month and then discard them, you save on cleaning and
storing solution So cost is not an issue when it comes to
extended wear contacts
If the idea of wearing contact lenses continuously for several
days appeals to you, ask your doctor if extended wear contacts
will work for you

Tags | acuvue, cornea, hydrogel, lenses, result, silicone, smoke, technology, wearers