Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses- (Non-human resource), By: Zoe Gasser

Contact Lenses are small prescription lenses, made to fit that persons eye. They are placed on the front of the eye “floating” on the front of your eye on the cornea. Contact lenses are much the same as glasses and many people are moving to contact lenses because of the easy fit and they are on your eye- they move with you.

As contact lenses have reached such a high demand asd an easy alternative to glasses the availability has to be increased by manufacturers. I have not seen anywhere that there is a lack of availability of them. Contact lenses are easy to be accessed as they are available at any optical store.

I have chosen to research how contact lenses work to suit the needs of those using them. Contact lenses are very interesting in the way that they sit on the surface of your eye and because of this placing they move with your eye.

Contact lenses have been around a lot longer than people think. In 1887 the first contact lenses were made out of glass. Then in 1939 the first plastic contact lenses were made. Contact lenses are very useful at high physically demanding work places, and sport. The demand for contact lenses has increased as more and more people are moving to them over glasses. There are many different types to suit the needs of those using them.

Although contacts have had a great breakthrough in the alternative to glasses they do have downfalls in their design. These downfalls include: Increased risk of cornea infections, lenses can be easily damaged/lost, uncomfortable for some people, quite costly.

In an interview that I read from America they have designed and manufactured Water Gradient Contact Lenses to help with these downfalls of the standard soft contact lenses.

As explained earlier, contact lenses are a high demand resource meaning they are sought after by many people. Contact lenses are available at most Optical stores which means they are easy to access and everyone can be in possession of contact lenses. Contacts are not a limited resource.

The Water Gradient Contact Lenses are only new so they are harder to obtain as they are still in the process of receiving feedback from professionals and potential buyers in America. This type of contact lenses has had positive feedback from the public that has tried them as it reduces irritation, increased breathability, reduced friction and in general more comfortable than the standard soft contact lenses.

These are the main types of contact lenses available today:

• Disposable soft lenses- the most commonly worn contact lenses, suit most prescriptions. They are available in daily, two weekly and monthly designs.
• High oxygen disposable soft lenses- These contact lenses allow for increased breathability for oxygen to access the eye leading to increased health benefits for the eyes.
• Extended wear soft lenses- These lenses are ones that you can sleep with in. The extended wear lenses have advantages and disadvantages. These include: advantages- lifestyle benefits, not having to take them out before sleeping as this is easy to forget, and if you find it hard to handle the lenses this is handy as it is reduced amount of having to remove the lenses. Disadvantages: not all contact lenses are suitable for extended wear, carries a greater risk of infection, other complication that standard lenses don’t bring.
• Multifocal soft lenses- The multi-focal contact lenses combine distance and near vision for people aged 40 plus whose lens has lost its ability to focus on close objects. These contact lenses have the advantage of it not being relying on the position of the head. These can be purchased in daily disposable lenses.
• Conventional soft lenses- Made of soft hydrogel lenses that are typically replaced every 12 to 18 months. This type of lenses has reduced in its use as the range of soft disposable contact lenses has expanded, conventional soft lenses are used less and less as a result of the soft disposable lenses offering eye health and are more comfortable.  However, for certain prescriptions, conventional soft contact lenses can still be the better option.
• Rigid gas permeable lenses- Made from hard, durable plastic. These lenses are harder to get used to as they are thicker and less flexible compared to the soft disposable lenses. Although they are very good for certain eye conditions.
• Ortho-k lenses- These lenses are quite groundbreaking in that they can change the shape of your cornea to help with short-sightedness and mild astigmatism. They are worn over night. These lenses correct your eyes so further daily eye correction is not needed daily.

For my research task I used the internet and an interview as my research sources. I then examined these sources and obtained information about contact lenses to insert into my task.