You may be a person that has been wearing glasses for some time or you may realize that your vision needs to be corrected and are considering going to the eye doctor to find out if you can wear contact lenses. If so, take a few minutes to read about how contact lenses work and how to go about getting them.
Contact Lens History
The first contact lenses actually date back to the 19th century, believe it or not. They were brown glass lenses and were hard to wear but helped people that could not wear eyeglasses. The big breakthroughs came about in the 1940s and 50s when plastic lenses started being made. These early plastic contacts were made of polymethyl methacrylte, which did not allow oxygen to pass through. The new ones are rigid gas permeable and allow oxygen to pass through. Your corneas don’t get oxygen from your blood but instead get it from the air around you, so it’s important that contacts are breathable.
Even in the last few years there have been an increase in technology in contact lenses as lenses are now being made for people with astigmatism and even for people who need bifocals.
Reasons for Wearing Contact Lenses
People wear contact lenses for cosmetic reasons as well as:
* Unlike glasses, the lens moves with your eye so there is no image distortion.
* 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.
* Sometimes contact lenses are the only solution for people who need vastly different lenses for each eye.
* An injured cornea can heal faster when its protected by contacts.
How Can I Get Contact Lenses if I Want to Wear Them?
You should go see your eye doctor and get an eye exam and consultation. You cannot order contact lenses with a prescription for eyeglasses. It’s a much different kind of prescription that you need. You’ll go through some simple vision tests which only take about 10-15 minutes usually. You should also get tested for Glaucoma, if possible – that’s the test that Rachel on Friends didn’t like because it shoots a tiny puff of air into your eye. It’s really not that bad and its an important test to get.
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