Disposable Contacts

As the name suggests disposable lenses are those that need to be replaced after a certain period of time which could be a daily routine, weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Replacement schedule refers to how often your lenses are discarded and replaced, that is, whether they are disposable, frequent replacement or reusable. Disposable contacts can be prescribed either for daily wear or extended wear, depending on your eye physiology and needs.

The more frequently you replace your contact lenses, healthier and more comfortable your eyes can be. Substances like protein calcium, and lipids which are found naturally in your tears tend to build up on your lenses. These deposits make your contacts less comfortable and can also make your eyes more prone to infection. Obviously, you can always clean your lenses, but disposable lenses save you time and trouble of doing this.

Disposable lenses are thus a healthy and convenient choice. One alternative is to replace your lenses periodically. Sleeping in lenses is not a good idea for everyone and may increase your risk of eye problems. The other alternative is daily disposables - these you can discard every night and replace in the morning with a new pair. Many eye care professionals and contact lens wearers feel that this option offers the best of both worlds. It's convenient because it avoids the hassle of lens cleaning every day. It's healthy because there is no lens deposit build-up and no increased risk of eye problems due to sleeping in lenses.For more information about the risk check our article on risks of wearing contact lenses.

Even before the introduction of disposable lenses it was well known that frequent lens replacement was a healthy thing to do. The only problem was the cost factor. Lenses were too expensive to discard ever so often. Thus various cleaning solutions and devices were used to prolong the life of the lens. Thus contact lens manufacturers developed innovative methods to produce high-quality lenses in greater volume at lower costs. This led to lower lens prices, making it affordable to replace lenses more often. Some of the disposable lenses are made of the same materials as traditional lenses; others are made from new materials developed especially for the purpose of disposing off more frequently.

The cost of being fitted with contact lenses varies widely. It depends on where you live, your eye care practitioner and the complexity of your prescription. The incremental cost of choosing disposables over traditional lenses is only slight, and is offset by the reduced need for cleaning products. Today, with the progress in science, daily disposable lenses have become very affordable. For about $1 per day, you can wear daily disposables and moreover it eliminates the cost of lens cleaning products.

Mostly, everyone can wear disposable lenses today. An eye check up from your eye care practitioner will ensure what kind of lens is best suited for you. The only important thing to remember is whether your particular prescription is available as a disposable lens. Today, there is quite a selection of disposable and frequent replacement contacts, including ones that change your eye colour, others that correct for conditions like astigmatism and disposable bifocal contacts lenses. If you have a certain condition with a less common prescription, frequent replacement lenses might be a good option for you.