What Type of Contact Lenses Are Best for Your Eyes?

Choosing the best contacts for your eyes is a subjective decision because every type of contact lenses has its own benefits. Assessing your vision care needs--such as how careful you are about cleaning your contacts and whether you have dry eyes--will aid you in choosing the pair of contacts that best suits you.

Hygiene

• Single use contacts are the most hygienic type of contact lenses, as the wearer puts on a new pair each day and disposes of them that night. Doing so prevents a build up of bacteria and protein that can cause eye infections.

Contact Lens Care

• Contact lenses that don't require daily disinfecting are single use contacts and extended wear contacts. However, extended wear contacts, worn overnight for up to a week, pose a higher risk of eye infection than other contacts.

Vision Acuity

• Gas-permeable contacts, which are rigid, maintain their shape better than soft contacts, often resulting in sharper vision.

Comfort

• While gas-permeable contacts require an adjustment period before they are comfortable to wear because of their rigidity, soft contacts are usually comfortable from the start.

Dry Eyes

• Traditional soft contacts made from plastics incorporate water that provide your eyes with oxygen, but these contacts dehydrate quickly and may aggravate dry eyes. New silicone hydrogel contacts and gas-permeable contacts have little or no water content, allowing your eyes to breathe naturally without dehydrating.