Contact lenses are a popular alternative to eyeglasses, offering a more natural appearance and greater convenience. But are they the right choice for everyone?

Contact lenses offer numerous benefits, from better vision to greater convenience and freedom. However, they also come with some disadvantages that can make them unsuitable for some people.

In this blog post, we'll explore the pros and cons of wearing contact lenses so that you can decide whether they're suitable for your eyes and lifestyle.

Pros of Contact Lenses

There are many advantages to wearing contact lenses:

• The primary advantage of contact lenses is that they provide a more natural, unobstructed view of the world.
• Unlike eyeglasses, which can fog up, slip down, or be affected by reflections, contact lenses stay in place and let your eyes move and see freely.
• They also offer a wider field of view since they're directly in your eye.
• Contact lenses allow you to wear non-prescription sunglasses or participate in sports and other physical activities without worrying about your glasses falling off.
• Another benefit is that many people find contact lenses more comfortable than glasses.
• Modern materials make lenses less likely to dry out or irritate your eyes, and daily disposable lenses are a hygienic option that eliminates the need for cleaning and storing.

Cons of Contact Lenses

Despite their many advantages, contact lenses are not suitable for everyone:

• One potential drawback is the cost. Contact lenses can be more expensive than eyeglasses, especially if you require frequent replacements or custom fittings.
• They also require proper maintenance to prevent infections or other eye problems.
• Contact lenses can cause dry eyes, and if worn for too long, they can lead to discomfort or even injury.
• If you have pre-existing eye conditions, such as allergies or chronic infections, contact lenses may not be the best option.
• Additionally, some people find inserting and removing contact lenses challenging.

Types of Contact Lenses

Various types of contact lenses are available on the market, so you can find one that meets your specific needs.

The most common types are soft contact lenses and gas-permeable lenses.

• Soft contact lenses are a popular option, made from hydrophilic materials that make them comfortable to wear and contour to your eye's shape.
• Gas-permeable lenses are stiffer than soft lenses but offer better vision correction for people with astigmatism or other complex eye conditions.

Specialty Contacts

In addition to regular soft and gas-permeable contact lenses, there are specialty contact lens options for those patients with hard-to-fit or unique eyes.

• Scleral Contact Lenses: If you suffer from keratoconus, an irregularly shaped cornea, dry eye, or other corneal issues, scleral contact lenses can be a boon to your eyesight. Scleral lenses are specialty contacts designed to vault completely over your cornea and rest on the white of your eye. As a result, they offer more comfort than standard contacts and offer better vision-correction results.
• Hybrid Lenses: These lenses offer a hybrid design that combines gas-permeable centre lenses and soft lens surrounds. This unique construction provides crisp optics of rigid gas-permeable lenses while maintaining soft lenses' comfort. The hybrid lens works well for patients with astigmatism because it follows the shape of your eye's natural curve. The central rigid portion corrects astigmatism, while the soft surrounding part improves comfort.
• Multifocal Contact Lenses: Focusing on objects at different distances becomes more challenging as we age. Multifocal contact lenses are an excellent option for individuals with trouble switching focus between distances. These lenses have multiple prescriptions on a single lens to help you see clearly at various distances, from near to far.

How to Choose the Right Contact Lenses

Choosing the right contact lenses depends on your individual needs and preferences. You'll want to start by consulting with your optometrist to evaluate your eyesight with a contact lens exam and determine if contact lenses are safe and suitable for you.

Your eye doctor can also advise you on which type of lenses are best for your specific eye condition, prescription, and lifestyle.

Proper hygiene and lens care protocols are essential to avoid eye infections and other complications. Some people prefer to try out different types of contact lenses before making a final decision, while others succeed with their first pair.

Get Fitted for Contact Lenses

Contact lenses offer an excellent alternative to glasses, with vision correction and enhanced convenience. It’s important that contact lenses are properly fitted to suit your lifestyle and eye health needs.

River Heights Eye Care can help you have a positive experience when it comes to contact lenses. Our team of experienced staff provide comprehensive exams, fittings, and recommendations to help you get the right contacts for your eyes.

Take control of your eyesight today; book an appointment at River Heights Eye Care and speak to one of our team members about the pros and cons of contact lenses.

The post Contact Lenses: Pros and Cons first appeared on River Heights Eye Care.

When your eyes don’t get the proper amount of moisture they need, it can result in dry eye disease. Dry eyes can be a chronic issue and may affect anyone in your family. The first step to finding relief is visiting your optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam to get to the bottom of your symptoms. 

Traditional contacts can be tough to wear with dry eyes. Your eye doctor can help manage your dry eyes with specialty contacts like scleral lenses to help you find relief.

Let’s take a closer look at how dry eye disease develops, how scleral lenses work, and how your optometrist can help.

Understanding Dry Eye

Dry eye disease can develop when your eyes aren’t producing enough tears, or your tears are evaporating too quickly. 

Your tear film consists of 3 layers:

• The oily outer layer
• The watery middle layer
• The inner mucus layer

Dry eyes can be caused by an inability of the tear film to lubricate your eyes effectively. An interruption to your tear production process can cause inflammation and result in meibomian gland dysfunction. When this happens, the small glands in your eyelids that produce the oily layer of tears become clogged and cause instability in the tear film. 

What Causes Dry Eye?

Dry eye disease is becoming more prevalent, and that's due in large part to a variety of risk factors that include: 

• The natural aging process
• Increased digital screen time, leading to digital eye strain
• Allergies
• Ill-fitting contact lenses
• Laser eye surgery
• Diseases like diabetes, thyroid disease, and others

Your environment can also play a role, especially in a colder climate like Alberta. It’s important to look out for the symptoms of dry eye disease, which can include:

• A stinging, gritty, or scratchy feeling in your eyes
• Watery eyes
• Blurry vision
• Sensitivity to light

The good news is, your optometrist can help you find solutions to manage dry eyes and get relief. 

How Scleral Lenses Can Help

Scleral contact lenses are a specialty type of rigid gas permeable contact lens that sits on the sclera (the white of your eyes), unlike traditional contact lenses that rest directly on the cornea. Scleral lenses can be an excellent option for patients who may not be able to wear contacts due to issues such as dry eye, keratoconus, and hard-to-fit eyes.

Scleral lenses vault over the cornea and allow for more space, providing extra breathability by creating a fluid reservoir between the lens and the eye to keep your eyes hydrated. Due to the size of scleral lenses, the extra coverage can do wonders for your eye comfort while also allowing oxygen to reach your eyes.

There are different types of scleral contact lenses:

• Corneo-scleral lenses and semi-scleral lenses—these lenses are much larger than traditional gas permeable lenses and rest between the cornea and the sclera.
• Mini-scleral lenses—these lenses vault over the corneal surface and rest on the anterior sclera.
• Full-scleral lenses—these lenses are the largest type and provide the most amount of space between the back surface of the lens and cornea.

Visiting Your Optometrist for a Fitting

Scleral contact lenses can be an excellent option to help with managing dry eye disease, but you’ll need to visit your optometrist for a comprehensive contact lens fitting to get a safe and comfortable fit.

Your eye doctor can conduct a thorough contact lens exam to determine what specialty lenses are best for your vision situation. The fitting process involves discussing hygiene and proper insertion methods. 

A trial period will also be necessary to ensure your new contact lenses fit comfortably. When the trial period is over, your optometrist can discuss your experience with you in detail to ensure you’re satisfied with your new lenses.

Innovative Solutions to Manage Dry Eyes

Dry eyes can be challenging to manage, and finding relief may be the first thing on your mind when dealing with the disease. With the dry Alberta climate playing a significant role, it’s important to schedule consistent eye exams with your optometrist to keep your eyes healthy.

Contact our team at River Heights Eye Care to schedule an appointment and see if scleral contact lenses can help you manage dry eyes.

The post Scleral Lenses for Dry Eye: How They Can Help first appeared on River Heights Eye Care.

When you come in for a contact lens exam and fitting, one of the first things we determine is what your eyes need. In the past, contact lenses could only address common refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, but contact lens technology has since advanced in staggering ways. Now more and more people are discovering that they can finally wear contact lenses with comfort and ease.

At River Heights Eye Care, we’ve expanded our contacts selection to include specialty lenses like sclerals and hybrids. However, the type of contact lens you wear depends on what issue is affecting your vision and eye comfort. Today, we’re going to take a look at the difference between these two lenses, compare their advantages and disadvantages, and provide you with a clear picture of what may be best for you.

For advice on addressing your personal needs, be sure to contact our team and book an appointment. Our eye care team will be happy to help you during one of our comprehensive eye exams!

What Are Sclerals & Hybrids?

Our very first step is to define these 2 different types of contact lenses. Specialty contact lenses come with various benefits, but what may be great for one person may not be a good choice for another.

Scleral Contact Lenses

Scleral contact lenses have a larger design than traditional contact lenses. Instead of resting on your cornea, scleral contacts sit on the whites (the sclera) of your eyes. Their larger shape allows them to “vault” over your cornea, making them a fantastic choice if you struggle with corneal conditions like keratoconus, corneal scarring, or complications from laser eye surgery.

Scleral lenses may also be a great choice if you have a high refractive error like high myopia, high hyperopia, or high astigmatism. We may also suggest scleral contacts to help you comfortably see while living with dry eyes.

Hybrid Contact Lenses

Hybrid contact lenses combine 2 different materials: a rigid gas-permeable centre with a soft hydrogel skirt around it. While not the same size as scleral lenses, hybrid lenses can also provide comfort and clear vision for people with corneal irregularities, corneal astigmatism, and dry eye.

What Do They Do Differently?

Now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty: what do these contact lenses do differently from one another? It may seem like they have a lot of advantages in common–especially for providing comfortable, clear vision for patients struggling with corneal issues or dry eye–but there are differences. 

Scleral contacts are well known for being incredibly comfortable to wear for long periods. On top of this, scleral lenses can come in a smaller size, like mini-scleral and semi-scleral lenses. However, sclerals may not provide the same crisp vision that hybrid contacts can provide.

Speaking of hybrid contacts, many people find that even though hybrid lenses can provide sharper vision, it might be more challenging to find a comfortable fit. Hybrid lenses also may not be a great choice if you struggle with lenticular astigmatism.

Addressing Dry Eye

Dry eye is a common problem Canadians face, and cases seem to be on the rise. Both scleral and hybrid contacts have unique properties that make them better for someone with dry eye, but each of these contacts approach the issue differently.

As we mentioned earlier, scleral contact lenses “vault” over and cover your entire cornea, which creates a space between your cornea and contact that helps keep your eyes hydrated. One study found that scleral lenses can also decrease the need for eye drops.

Hybrid contacts feature a hydrogel skirt that may be more comfortable to wear for some patients when managing dry eye symptoms.

Which One is Right For You?

At the end of the day, the only way to truly know if scleral or hybrid contact lenses are right for you is to have a comprehensive contact lens exam and fitting. Our team will work closely with you to determine your issues and how contact lenses can best serve your needs.

We’re ready to see you! Book your appointment today.

The post Scleral vs. Hybrid Contact Lenses: Which is Better? first appeared on River Heights Eye Care.