Some History About Contact Lenses
If you’ve been wearing glasses for a number of years, like me, then you may be wondering if contact lenses are right for you? There are a number of advantages to wearing contact lenses over eyeglasses and you may find that you like them better. Take a few minutes to read some good information about contact lenses and how to get them for yourself.
A Little History
Early contacts amazingly date back into the 19th century. At that time, they were made of brown glass and were not easy to wear. They were, however, helpful to people that could not wear eyeglasses. Contact lens technology improved in the 1940s and 1950 when they were able to make them from plastic instead. These were made out of a plastic material called polymethyl methacrylte and worked well. The only problem was that they did not allow oxygen to easily pass through them. Since then, the plastic material has improved and is now rigid gas permeable, allowing oxygen to get to your corneas. This is necessary because your corneas get the oxygen they need from the air, not your bloodstream.
Technology in contact lenses continues to improve as we’re seeing new kinds of lenses being made for people that have astigmatism or for people that need bifocals.
Why Do People Wear Contacts?
Most people’s primary reasons for wearing contacts is for cosmetic purposes, but there are also other reasons:
* Unlike glasses, the lens moves with your eye so there is no image distortion.
* Eyeglass frames can annoyingly block your side vision.
* Glasses can often steam up when you go from a cold to warm temperature room.
* Sometimes contact lenses are the only solution for people who need vastly different lenses for each eye.
* The protection of contacts can often help someone with an injured cornea.
How Do You Go About Getting Contact Lenses?
To find out if you can wear contacts, you should go see your eye care professional and get a consultation. You can’t go and order contacts with just a prescription for glasses. It’s a different kind of prescription. When you get your exam, you’ll find it’s pretty simple and does not take very long. You’ll just do some vision testing including the test for Glaucoma, which is an important test to get. It’s just a tiny puff of air that goes into your eye.