Some History About Contact Lenses
If you’ve been wearing glasses for a number of years, like me, then you may be wondering if contacts are right for you? There are a number of advantages to wearing contacts over glasses 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.
Contact Lens History
Early contact lenses 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.
Contact lens technology continues to improve as we’re seeing new kinds of lenses being made for people that have astigmatism or for people that need bifocals.
Reasons for Wearing Contact Lenses
People wear contacts for cosmetic reasons as well as:
* The lens moves with your eye and there is no distortion, unlike with glasses.
* Your side vision is not obstructed with the frame of the eyeglasses.
* Eyeglasses can often steam up when you go from a cold to warm temperature room.
* Some people need different types of lenses for each eye and contacts are sometimes the only solution for them.
* The protection of contacts can often help someone with an injured cornea.
How Can I Get Contacts if I Want to Wear Them?
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.
