Archive for July, 2007

Posted on Jul 11th, 2007

Monthly disposables are amongst the most popular type of contact lenses for the 75 million wearers worldwide. This is because they are cost effective and very comfortable owing to the development of new lens material which allows more oxygen to reach the eye.

We have put together a care guide to help you look after your monthly disposable lenses.

This guide has been prepared by our professional optometrists to ensure that it contains the most useful and up to date information possible.

1. Always wash your hands prior to touching your lenses. If you can, use a non-scented soap as fragranced soap leaves a residue on your fingers which can be transferred to your lenses and irritate your eyes.

2. Keeping your fingernails short and filing away jagged edges reduces the risk of scratching your lenses or eye.

3. Always apply make up AFTER inserting your lenses to make sure that you don’t get residue in your eye or on your contact lenses.

4. Never soak your contact lenses in tap water because it contains bacteria that can cause eye infections. Instead you should use specially designed contact lens solution.

5. Don’t keep the same contact lens solution in your lens store case and use it for multiple soakings- solution should be used once and then thrown away.

6. Rinse your storage case thoroughly every day with a sterile rinsing solution.

7. Change your lens storage case every three months.

Since monthly disposable contact lenses are worn for a whole month before they are disposed of it is important to take proper care of them. Failure to do so can cause eye infections which can result in discomfort, redness and even distorted vision. If you have any questions about the care tips outlined above please contact your optometrist for information and advice.

One Stop Contact Lenses is the UK’s largest independent contact lens retailer. We sell monthly disposable contact lenses from all the major brands and guarantee to never be knowingly undersold.

Posted on Jul 10th, 2007

If you are a long time user of contact lenses you are already well aware of its many benefits. If you are considering a switch over from your old spectacles to contact lenses, let us inform you, you are going in the right direction. Over 30 million people in the USA are believed to use contact lenses, either as an alternative of the traditional spectacle or for some cosmetic purposes. If you too are thinking of stepping into their shoes, then try to equip yourself with as much information about the contact lenses as possible; it will help you to find out the right product suitable for your needs and take the informed decision at the time of purchase.

First of all, you may want to know about the actual definition of the contact lens. According to FDA definition, a contact lens is a prescribed medical device, which is usually placed on the cornea of the eye and used either for corrective or cosmetic or therapeutic purposes.

There are countless benefits of contact lenses. Contact lenses perform the same corrective functions as the conventional glasses, but as opposed to the glasses, contact lenses are virtually weightless and most importantly they are invisible. So they are regarded to be more comfortable than the traditional spectacles.

Then consider the contact lenses from an ophthalmologic point of view: As contact lenses move with your eyes they provide a better field of view. Like the glasses, there are no frames to obstruct your vision and thus they reduce distortions to a considerable point. Sometimes your vision is obstructed as the lenses of your glass get blurred by moisture, rain or dirt; you will find no such faults with your contact lenses.

Do you follow an active lifestyle and every time your spects come into the way of your active lifestyle? Then contact lens can be the only solution for you. If you are in any kind of sports including swimming, diving or athletics, a contact lens can offer you a distortion free clear vision at the time of your movements, without any kind of side effects. It is properly fitted inside your eyes so that it does not affect your concentration in any way.

There are many people, particularly the women who find the glasses to be great hindrance for showing off the natural beauty of their faces. On the other hand, contact lens provides utter ease and comfort and they do not come into the way you look.

You can get modern contact lenses with UV protection built into the material, so if you want protection for your eyes, you can opt for these lenses instead of wearing goggles.

There are people with eternal dissatisfaction over the color of their eyes and they find in the contact lens the golden opportunity to mend the nature to get the color of their dreams.

Part II

So you have almost taken the decision in favor of buying contact lenses after reading about the many benefits of contact lenses! But wait; let’s inform you about the many types of contact lenses you might come across in the market.

In these days contact lenses are made of variety of plastic materials– but at the core they are of two main types: soft or rigid gas permeable.

Soft Lenses: These contact lenses contain some 25% to 79% water. They are easily to adaptable to your eyes and hence are quite comfortable. With a soft contact lens in your eyes you will barely feel that there is something foreign in your eyes. However, you should be more careful in handling them and they have to be replaced more frequently.

Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses: These lenses take time to adapt to your eyes. But they have much greater resistance power against deposit buildup. With RGP you are supposed to get sharper vision. They are more durable too. Thus, at the beginning RGP may appear to be costlier, but because of its longer lifespan, RGP gives you better value for your money.

Daily Disposable Lenses: If you want the ultimate convenience, you must go for disposable contact lenses. The cleaning and disinfection procedures with disposable contact lenses are extremely simplified. They are better for your eye health because they are more frequently replaced. Also you always have some spare lenses with you. These days you get the disposable contact lenses in all toric, bifocal, and colored versions. Only you have to be cautious in your handling of these lenses. And for all these benefits you should be ready to pay some extra bucks.

Toric Soft Lenses: These lenses are claimed to correct astigmatism. You can get these types both in daily wear as well as planned replacement versions. You may be required to visit the doctor’s clinic more than once to get a perfect fitting.

Color contact lenses: Then there are those colored lenses that are mainly used for cosmetic purposes. You can get mainly four different types of cored contact lenses, namely, visibility tints, enhancement tints, opaque color tints and light-filtering tints. If you have no vision problem, you can take the ‘Plano’ form of colored contact lenses that do not make any visual correction. You can also get them as disposable or frequent replacement lens.

However there is no hard and fast rule for buying the contact lenses from your eye specialist. You can buy them from any reliable optical stores. You can also try out in the online stores where you can avail the scope of wide comparison. But one important thing to consider, no matter wherever you buy the contact lenses from, your decision should be guided by the value of the product and not only the price.

Barney Garcia writes about various contact lense topics. Visit: contact lense reviews and contact lenses

Posted on Jul 9th, 2007

Sunglasses are a very good accessory for your otherwise already perfect outfit. However, besides adding style to your look, they also serve other functions. For one, they protect your eyes to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Exposing your eyes to harmful UV rays from sunlight has been known to cause the development of cataracts and the degeneration of a person’s vision. Good quality sunglasses block all UV rays and protect your eyes from harm. Sunglasses also protect the skin around the eyes, which prevents premature aging and wrinkles.

Sunglasses also protect your eyes from other dangers. One of these dangers is glare. All surfaces reflect light, and some surfaces can cause an extremely bright glare. These reflections can be very distracting, even dangerous in some circumstances. Sunglasses reduce the glare and give you a more comfortable vision. Polarized sunglasses are particularly effective in reducing reflective glare.

Sunglasses can also reduce the headaches and eyestrain. In the eye, the pupil controls the amount of light that enters the retina. When there is little light, the pupil dilates to let light in. In bright light, the pupil constricts to protect the retina from too much light. There are times when it is extremely bright, but the pupil is not able to constrict enough to keep out the excess light. In this case, the person will resort to squinting. However, squinting strains the muscle surrounding the eyes, which causes fatigue. Pupil constriction and squinting can lead to headaches and eye strain. Sunglasses reduce the amount of light that can reach the eyes. As a result, the need to squint is eliminated. This will reduce the risk of headaches and eye strain caused by the sun.

Your eyes are a very important part of your body. You must do what you can to protect them from the harmful elements. Sunglasses are designed for your eyes’ protection. Looking good is only part of their appeal.

Glasses provides detailed information on Sun Glasses, Eye Glasses, Contact Glasses, Polarized Sun Glasses and more. Glasses is affiliated with Boxing Gloves.

Posted on Jul 8th, 2007

Colored contact lenses can be used to correct your sight. But have you ever dreamed of having brown eyes or blue eyes so that you can attract other people’s attention? If you want so, you can easily get those eyes now! Yes. It is true. It is easy to change your eye color through colored contact lenses. With the advancement in technology there are many options available now. Contact lenses in different colors without eye correction are available in stores now. You can buy a color of your choice and use it on an occasion that you want. It has become a fashion now a day to not only change your dress colors but also your eye color.

It is not a matter who invented contact lenses, but we should say thanks to him as many people are changing their looks totally with the help of the contact lenses. These types of contact lenses can be used for cosmetic purpose only without any vision correction. If you have any vision problem then it is not advisable to use such contact lenses. There are contact lenses in different colors that can be ordered without any prescription. But still there are some that need the prescription from a doctor.

Apart from contact lenses in different colors now there are also lenses available with special effects. These special effect lenses might give you the looks of the eyes of a cat, dog, alien, panther, and a lizard. Other special effects like flame, flower, and star are also available. Now-a-days teenagers are more interested to change their eye color for those special parties and occasions in an attempt to just attract the opposite sex and to have friendship. Just make a simple search on the Internet and you will be given a lot of links to online stores that offer these contact lenses.

Gary Holdon is an internet publisher who likes to publish Contact Lens Information and Articles. You can go to 1st-in-contact-lenses.net for more

Posted on Jul 7th, 2007

Many people need vision correction, but hate wearing glasses each and every day. Glasses change your appearance, can get in the way or fall off. They also get wet when it is raining and mist up in the heat. Contact lenses have none of these problems. Most popular modern contacts are disposable contact lenses. They require very little care, are healthy for your eyes and usually cost less than a pair of quality eyeglasses. Can disposable contacts make your life easier and more fun?

Daily disposable lenses - doctor’s choice

You can choose from several types of disposable contact lenses. A very popular choice is daily lenses. You put in a brand new pair every morning. These types of lenses have several advantages - no cleaning and storing fuss, daily disposables provide very clear vision because the lens is perfectly clean every time you put it in and you save on cleaning solutions. Some people think that throw away contact lenses are inferior in quality compared to traditional contacts. This is not true - the only difference is that disposables are much thinner which is actually good for your eyes, because the lens let more oxygen through. Daily disposable lenses are also very good for people who wear their contacts infrequently - it is better to open a fresh pair when you need it than to let your lenses soak in the solution for a week.

Most popular brands of daily lenses are Acuvue 1 Day, Soflens 1 Day and Focus Dailies.

Monthly and weekly disposable contacts

Other disposable contacts you must throw away weekly, every two weeks, or once a month. These lenses would cost you less than daily disposable contacts, and they are also good for the health of your eyes. Most popular choices here are Acuvue 2 weeks and its improved version Acuvue Oasys, as well as Focus Monthly and Soflens 59. You should talk to your eye doctor to decide which option is best for you.

Disposable contacts have a distinct advantage over traditional lenses. The old kind required costly and time consuming cleaning. Modern disposable contact lenses simply need to soak in a multi-purpose solution overnight. No more rubbing and protein removing tablets. Use solutions that are ‘no rub’ so you don’t have to worry about cleaning your disposable contact lenses at all.

And did you know that you can also buy disposable contact lenses that change your eye color? If you are bored with your current eye color and want to try something new, you can kill two birds with one shot - correct your vision and change your appearance. Color contact lenses come in prescription as well as non-prescription. So even people who don’t need vision correction, can wear disposable color contacts.

No matter what lenses you select, remember that your eyes are a sensitive area of your body. You should follow your doctor’s instructions and wear your lenses only for the time suggested by your doctor because your eyes need to breath. Also make sure you care for your disposable contact lenses as advised by your eye care professional.

For information about healthy contact lenses and buying contacts online visit Contact Lenses Consumer Guide

Posted on Jul 6th, 2007

A contact lens is used either for therapeutic reasons, corrective purposes or as a cosmetic tool. With the recent advances in the manufacturing process of contact lenses, anybody can wear them, whether it is a bifocal, daily disposable or astigmatism-correcting lens.

For millions of people, contact lenses have proven to be a healthy vision option. However, it should be decided only after checking with an eye care professional. If the steps prescribed to removing, inserting and caring for them are rigidly followed the contact lens can be used without any trouble. To check the effectiveness or lack of it from the lens, check periodically with an eye care professional.

If a vision problem is identified and needs a vision correction, one of the viable options is wearing a contact lens. Right from infants who have vision problems at birth, young children, teenagers and all adults can wear contact lenses.

According to doctors, contact lenses are the best option for vision correction for athletes. Contact lenses can improve the vision skills such as perception of depth, awareness of the peripheral area, co-ordination of eye-foot/eye-hand. Since the contact lens stays in place under dynamic conditions, they offer a total advantage to the athletes. They also free them from the risk of glasses-related injuries.

According to many eye specialists, contact lenses, which are made of a firm plastic lens, may slow or control the progression of myopia or near sightedness. In contrast, conventional spectacles or soft contact lenses do not offer such advantages.

In 1971, when contact lenses were introduced it was an advanced technology and offered comfort not provided by the old-style spectacles. With the latest technology, it is now possible to get better corneal health, sharper vision and a longer life for the lens.

Contact lenses need cleaning and disinfecting every day. Due to the slick surface offering no scope for building up of deposits, there is no need for frequent enzyming, which is a type of extra-strength cleaner, used weekly, for the removal of stubborn deposits from contact lenses.

Daily disposal lenses are worn everyday and discarded without any need for maintenance. Weekly disposal contact lens should be cleaned during the night, soaked in a solution containing disinfectants, until they are removed for usage again.

Color of the eyes also can be changed by using soft contact lenses even if vision correction is not needed. However they are also a prescribed medical device and should be used under the guidance of an eyecare professional. These types of contact lenses are used mostly by theatre and film personalities to get a closer resemblance to the character portrayed by them.

Anastasia Phocas is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Contact Lenses or Colored Contact Lenses

Posted on Jul 5th, 2007

Contact lenses will considerably improve your vision without you having to wear glasses. They are extremely lightweight, and they offer you a full range of sight and mobility.

You can buy contact lenses in a number of different ways. You can purchase them online, which is what most people are doing. Companies usually offer hundreds of contact lenses, which they deliver right to your house. When you order online you can get an excellent price.

You can also buy your contact lenses at your optician’s office. Or you can buy them at a local store, for example Wal-Mart.

If you shop around, you can usually uncover some fantastic deals for your contacts. The prices vary depending on the brand and type. The latest brands of lenses are usually expensive.

You must have a prescription in order to buy contacts. Your optician will let you know if you can wear contacts. Different contact lenses suit different people.

Here are few things to keep in mind when choosing the right type of lenses for you.

1. What is your lifestyle? For example, if you use a computer all day then you might consider wearing glasses because computer use can dry your eyes out. On the other hand, daily disposable contacts will be easier to play sport in than glasses.

2. Dry eyes problem. Get contact lenses that mainly contain silicone. You can also use contact lens comfort drops.

3. What about allergies? Allergies can make your eyes very sensitive. In this case, you should choose daily disposable lenses.

4. What about your job? If you have a job which means that you have to stay up all night, get extended wear lenses. These lenses can be worn continuously for a certain period of time.

5. Think about hygiene. If your fingernails get dirty at your work or if you smoke then daily disposable lenses are the way to go.

Alex Fir shares a wealth of information on his website Contact Lenses Center. To read more about buying contact lenses visit his site now.

Posted on Jul 4th, 2007

Many people think that laser surgery, or LASIK, is a miracle vision correction eye surgery that will give them perfect vision.

But these kind of unrealistic expectations often lead to misunderstanding and disappointment.

I, for one, had secretly hoped that LASIK can help me restore 100% of my eyesight.

But after doing some research, I discovered that was not necessarily the case.

Allow me to break it down for you:

- Not everyone will achieve 20/20 vision or better. While surgeons aim for the best results, there is a possibility that you still need to put on eyeglasses or contact lenses even for some activities.

-Not everyone gets perfect vision after LASIK. While better vision without glasses is expected, perfect vision is not a guarantee.

- 20/20 Vision does not mean perfect vision. 20/20 is simply a measure of visual acuity. Other factors such as light sensitivity, ability to differentiate colors etc is measured by other means. Understand that LASIK is only meant to help you reduce the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses in your daily activities.

- 20/20 is not a gauge for final satisfaction. Many studies report results of actual visual acuity separate from patient satisfaction. You can be highly satisfied, as long as the surgery gives you positive results.

Ask yourself what you expect out of laser surgery. Are your expectations realistic?

If your hopes are set too high, you may not be a suitable candidate in the first place.

Then, even if you choose the best surgeon, and completely understand the risks, the results may not satisfy you.

Have a proper discussion with your loved ones and your surgeon, before deciding whether or not to go for LASIK.

Lim Zheng Yang has dedicated countless hours researching on eye problems related issues. He also specializes in information about eye surgery. For more information on laser surgery, kindly visit his site.

Posted on Jul 3rd, 2007

Like most, I’ve wondered how to put in contact lens easily and quickly.

And like most, it probably didn’t come easy the first time round.

Spending more time than you thought it would, dropping the lenses, your eyes start getting sore, you are getting frustrated … sound familiar? ;)

Hey, I had my fair share too!

The good news is, you are not alone. The better news is, you don’t have to wonder how to put in contact lens…for long ;)

Personally, I think it’s about finding a way that works for you best, and sticking to it.

Of course, a little guidance at the start does help, doesn’t it?

For myself, this is what I do (assuming I’m right handed):

1. First and foremost, WASH YOUR HANDS! Many times people forget to do that, and complain why their contact lenses irritate their eyes. Well, that’s what a contaminated pair of contact lenses do!

2. With my clean hands, I use my ring finger on my right hand to take my lens out of the container (the left or right lens doesn’t matter). I find this way easy (instead of pinching it out or picking it with your nails…coz you might risk scratching it!), since the lens sticks quickly to the tip of my finger.

3. With my left middle finger and left thumb, I pinch the lens lightly from my right ring finger, and place it on the tip of my right index finger. My right palm is facing up, so the lens is resting like a mini bowl(upright) on my finger now, almost ready to be put onto my eye.

4. Here’s the actual putting on part: With the lens still on my right index finger, I use my right middle finger to pull down my right eye bag (assuming I’m putting on for my right eye), while my left middle finger, pulls up my right eyelid.

With my eyelid pulled apart, I slowly push the lens on my right index finger toward my eye, and place it gently on it. Once I feel it in place, I let go of both hands, and blink a few times.

In a nutshell, that’s how to put in contact lens. Usually, that should do the trick. If it feels uncomfortable after blinking several times, take it off, dip it in the solution in you case, and try it again.

By the way, I don’t switch hands for my left eye. I still use my right index finger to put the lens on for my left eye.

Like I mentioned, that’s how I do it, and what works for me. Yes, I know it’s different from the picture above.

Go ahead and try this method, or modify it a little, as long as the positioning of your hands and fingers are comfortable.

When you first try and don’t succeed, put down the lens, calm yourself down, and try again, you’ll be sure to get it.

Once you find a way that you are comfortable with, stick to it. And did I mention, practice makes perfect? ;)

Well, that’s my little version of "how to put in contact lens". Good luck!

Lim Zheng Yang has dedicated countless hours researching on eye care related issues, including, but not limited to, eye problems, eye surgery, eye doctor, eyewear etc. For more information on things like acuvue, kindly visit his site.

Posted on Jul 2nd, 2007

Contact lenses have so many advantages over glasses that more and more people switch to them. In the past contact lenses were hard and uncomfortable. But, times have changed. Modern contacts have become comfortable to wear, easy to care for and affordable. And everybody can find lenses suitable for his or her individual needs.

Contact lenses for healthy eyes

There are several important contact lens rules that every wearer should follow. You need to clean them with special cleaning solution not just water, and never wear your lenses overnight unless they are specifically designed for extended (several days) wear. Your eyes need oxygen, so lenses should not be kept in the eye over an entire 24 hour period, it is best to take them off after 10 hours of wear. Oxygen deprivation can lead to serious eye infections, and the vessels in the eye can swell from lack of oxygen. This swelling may cause permanent eye problems. So it is crucial to clean your contacts regularly, and let your eyes rest while you sleep.

Moisture is also very important for the health of your eyes. Modern contact lenses help to retain essential moisture in the eye. Still, some contact lens wearers experience dryness in their eyes especially while staring at a computer screen or working in air conditioned places. If this is the case, ask your doctor to switch you to lenses that are specifically designed for drying eyes and retain moisture better than others. Two examples of such lenses are O2Optix by Ciba Vision and Acuvue Oasys by Johnson and Johnson. Also there are many eye drops to moisturize your eyes while wearing contacts.

Types of contacts

You can find several types of contact lenses on the market. Traditional lenses can be used for a long time with regular cleaning and daytime only use. You can wear these lenses for about 6 month. Disposable lenses which are most popular these days are thinner and therefore more comfortable, but they tear more easily. They are made to last for a week or two and then be replaced with a new, clean pair. Disposable contacts are cheaper, than the old fashioned ones. You can even get daily disposable contacts which you wear for a day and throw away in the evening. This illuminates cleaning and storing problems altogether. Many doctors consider daily disposable contact lenses the healthiest choice for contact lens wearers.

There are also color contact lenses that can have prescription powers or serve cosmetic purpose only. Now everybody can have blue, green or even amethyst eyes. Also for parties and clubs you can get costume contact lenses, like cat eyes or red vampire eyes. These lenses are a must have for a Halloween party.

You can get your contact lenses from an optometrist or ophthalmologist’s office, or to save money, take your prescription to a Target or Walmart store. For even more saving and convenience you can order your contact lenses online. To find best online contact lens retailers look at the review sites, this way you can be sure that you are ordering from trustworthy and legitimate company.

Contact lenses can be enjoyable and convenient to wear. Just make sure that you follow your doctor’s instructions on cleaning them and replacing your lenses with a new pair when it is time for it to go.

Find information and advice about modern contact lenses at Contact Lenses Consumer Guide. We also review retailers of discount contact lenses to help you find the best deals.

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