Best Contact Lenses

With nearly 25% of children needing some sort of vision correction, parents and teachers are often the first to notice if their kids need some vision help.  

So if you have any concerns, maybe bring it up at the next parent meeting and don’t hesitate to talk to your eye doctor as soon as possible.

Pleased to say most of these vision problems can be easily corrected with the best contact lenses or glasses, so it’s important to book an eye exam as soon as you suspect any thing.

• Myopia, or nearsightedness affects distance vision.  Your child may be able to read perfectly, but will squint to see distant objects.
• Hyperopia, or farsightedness causes blurred vision at all distances. A farsighted child struggles to focus on any object, whether the item is close up or across the room.
• Astigmatism causes images to blur because light rays don’t focus on the eye properly. Objects that are close-up or far off can be equally distorted.

You’re Eye Doctor or Optician will be able to pick up any problems in the eye exam and help your child with glasses or specify the best contact lenses for the vision difficulty.

Other problems to look out for:

If you recognize some of these symptoms, in a child of any age, make sure you contact your eye doctor or Optician as soon as possible. 

Crossed Eyes

This is not an uncommon condition with 20% of children having trouble with their eyes turning in or out independently. Many cases are not picked up till school age, which is a shame as it can be easily treated at an early age

Lazy Eye

If your child’s eye lid appears to be hindering their vision then they may have Amblyopia, which means one eye is becoming stronger than the other. This often leads to a blurring or loss of vision in the weaker or lazy eye. Again easily treated with an temporary eye patch

Milky White Pupil

Often this is noticed at birth and identified as a childhood cataract. Nowadays the condition can be surgically corrected, restoring full eyesight.

Red Eye

If the eyes are red and causing irritation, they may have conjunctivitis, which can be treated with simple eye drops.

None of these problems can be treated with even the best contact lenses, so it’s important to get professional advice as soon as you suspect anything.

If you’re not sure what some of the most popular Contact Lens words are, look over our short dictionary of eye terms.

Astigmatism

This is where the cornea is irregularly shaped, which prevents the focusing of light rays. This means near and distant objects appear blurred or distorted. A Toric (gas permeable and soft lenses) can correct astigmatism and the best contact lens for the condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD):

An eye condition in later life when the center of the retina is slowly damaged, affecting central vision..

Cornea

Part of the eye’s focusing system that transmits and focuses light into the eye.

Cataracts

Cataracts cause clouding of the eye lens which means light cannot get through to the retina.

Contact Colour Lenses

            Contacts that change or enhance your natural eye colour. Even with the best contact lens, you will still need a prescription.

Disposable Contact Lenses

Contact lenses that are worn and then thrown away after a specific time.

Daily Contact Lens

Contact lenses that you wear during waking hours but remove at the end of each day for cleaning.

Extended Wear Contact Lenses

Contact lenses that are worn all the time for a 1 to 30 days/nights period.

Frequent/Planned Replacement Contact Lenses

These lenses can be worn on a daily basis with cleaning , rinsing and disinfection each time the lens is removed. The lenses are then thrown away after the recommended wearing period. The best contact lens are made of silicon hydrogel, making them easy and comfortable to wear

Gas Permeable (GP) Contact Lenses

A type of contact lens that is made of a breathable, firm, durable, plastic that is custom fitted to the shape of the cornea.

Hard Contact Lenses

The first type of contact lens, which was made of an inflexible plastic material. They provided excellent vision correction, but the hard lenses did not allow the essential oxygen through the lens to reach the cornea.

Hyperopia (or Farsightedness)

Because the eye is too short and flat, the light rays can’t focus and near objects appear blurred 

Macula

The part of the eye responsible for detailed central vision.

Myopia (or Nearsightedness)

With Myopia the eye is too long and steep, which means you can’t see distant objects clearly.

Optic Nerve

The nerve at the back of the eye

Ophthalmologist

A medical doctor (MD) who specializes in diagnosing and treating eye disorders.

Optician

A Specially trained professional (not a medical doctor or optometrist) who can write prescriptions for corrective vision by ophthalmologists and optometrists.

Optometrist

A doctor of optometry (OD) examine eyes for vision and health problems, and prescribe and fit contact lenses.

Presbyopia

An eye condition in later life when the eye become less flexible, causing blurred vision at reading distance. The best contact lens corrects this with bifocal or multifocal contact lenses.

Retina

The light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the inside of the back of the eye.

Most young people in their twenties and thirties, enjoy excellent 20/20 vision, which of course may come with the help of a daily contact lens.  

The good news is, if you’re doing the right things to help take care of your eye health, then there is a good chance your vision will stay at the same for many years to come.

The most important way to protect your vision is through a regular examination with your professional eye doctor, especially if your family has a history of; diabetes, blood pressure, eye disease, poor vision or diabetes.

Eye health basics

Eating a balanced diet and getting enough rest are important for white eye health and remember to take extra care when putting on cosmetics and sprays, especially with a daily contact lens

Exercise is great for the circulation, which improves oxygen levels to the eyes and the removal of nasty toxins.

Use good sunglasses to block out UV and UVB light and it is always best to try and quit smoking as research seems to increase the risk of developing eye conditions 

Pregnancy and vision.

Pregnancy can cause changes in your eyesight.  The thickness of your cornea can change with your Hormone levels and cause temporary blurring. If you wear a daily contact lens, you may find that your eyes are uncomfortably dry during your pregnancy and you may need additional vision correction for a short period.  The good news is that your eyes will return to normal shortly after your baby arrives

 Colour lenses don’t always change your vision: only the appearance of your eyes. They are a fashion item and are available in a wide range of colours, patterns and looks.

• Like normal contacts, they are soft plastic lenses that sit on the surface of the eye and can damage the surface if they are not properly fitted or used correctly. Most require daily cleaning and many can’t be left in the eye for long periods.

So if you buy some novelty or contact colour lenses, you need to follow these basic rules for your eye health and safety.

Not everyone can wear contact lenses, which means an eye doctor needs to check the shape and size of your eye to determine whether you can wear novelty contact lenses and what type.

• Always get a proper prescription from your eye doctor, even of you don’t normally wear contacts
• Do not wear contact colour lenses for long periods of time.
• Do not leave your lenses in while you sleep.
• Never share your lenses or borrow a friend’s lenses – you risk a serious infection, which can cause vision loss.
• Wash, rinse and dry your hands every time before you touch your lenses.
• Always put your lenses in before applying make-up and take them out before removing make-up.

• Your eyes are very sensitive and any infection in the eye can develop very quickly increasing the risk of vision loss.
• If they are left in too long the surface of the eye can become starved of oxygen, and an ulcer can develop, increasing the risk of infection.
• If a contact colour lens doesn’t fit your eye properly it can scratch the surface of the eye and cause injury or infection.

If your eyes become red, irritated, sore or your vision changes while wearing your lenses, take them out straight away and visit your eye doctor.

• There have been a number of cases where people have left novelty lenses in overnight or shared them with friends and they developed permanent damage to their eyes.

• Novelty contact lenses need to be cleaned, rinsed and disinfected after every use – just like sight-changing contact lenses.
• Never ever use saliva to wet your lenses or put the lenses in your mouth. Saliva carries germs.
• Use only a proper contact lens solution recommended by an optometrist for cleaning and lubricating your lenses. These cleaning solutions are available from your optometrist or local pharmacy.

Wearing contact colour lenses can be fun and make your eyes look very different for a while. Wearing them without proper advice and handling can make a difference to your health for a lot longer and that’s not fun!