The Advantages Of Contact Lenses Over Glasses

Contact lenses are optical medical devices, just asNatural Vision - As they are worn right on the
spectacles are, and often provide cosmetic andcornea of the eye, contact lenses provide vision
optical advantages over them. The more than 35that is more natural. The objects appear in the
million people in the United States who have optedcorrect size and position, without any distortion.
for contact lenses over the use of glasses haveThe distance between the eye and the glasses
done so because of their convenience, andcan vary, causing the objects to appear larger or
cosmetic value. Many people initially feelsmaller than they actually are.
discomfort when starting to use contact lenses,Stable Vision - Contact lenses are not affected by
but the benefits of using them far outweigh thesequick body movements, such as in sports and
minor discomforts.similar activities, and remain in place, providing
The Short History Of Spectaclesclear and stable vision. Eyeglasses are unstable on
The invention of spectacles has greatly influencedyour face when running, making your vision
progress in the arts and sciences, yet it is notunstable, affecting your performance.
very clear who invented this instrument. In 1270,Peripheral Vision - Contacts give you a wider and
Marco Polo saw elderly Chinese using this device,better peripheral vision that glasses. Contact
which they claim to have originated in Arabia inlenses move along with your eyes and you are
the 11th century.always looking through the clearest part of the
The spectacles evolved in the western worldlens - the optic zone. On the other hand, the
from the late 1200s onwards, with rivetedframes of the glasses block your peripheral vision,
spectacles used by monks and scholars, who heldand when you move your eyes to the side, you
the lenses in front of there eyes, or balancedare no longer looking through the optical center,
them on their noses. The invention of the printingcausing blurred and distorted vision.
press in 1452 encouraged the mass production ofUnaffected By Weather - Contact lenses do not
spectacles, along with the growing popularity offog up when you come in from the cold, and
books. For the lower and middle classes, thereneither do they get splattered by rain. In addition,
were spectacles mounted in wood, horn, bone,they do not steam up from body heat or
etc, whereas the upper classes used hand heldperspiration.
spectacles in gold or silver frames.Comfortable - Contact lenses are quite
The significant advancement in frame designcomfortable to wear as they do not pinch your
occurred in the 1600s, with rigid bridges thatnose, or rub or press against your ears and
allowed the spectacles to remain in place. In thetemple, unlike glasses, which, in addition, slide down
present times, there has been a tremendousyour nose when you perspire.
progress in frames and lens acuity, with theContact lenses have been a boon for children in
spectacles, whether plain or prescription, becomingone particular sense. They do not get picked on
a fashion statement.at school by their friends. This relieves them from
The Short History Of Contact Lensesthe psychological and physical traumas related to
If you are of the view that contact lenses are awearing glasses.
new invention, you are way off the mark.Glasses, at times do not work, and contact lenses
Leonardo Da Vinci first described and sketched hisare certainly superior to them:
ideas of contact lenses way back in 1508!Thick glasses are required in cases of severe
However, it took more than 300 years toshort sightedness, making them very heavy, and
fabricate and wear them.your eyes look very small.
Swiss physician A.E. Fick and Paris optician EdouardGlasses do not provide adequate correction when
Kalt are credited with fitting the first contactthe difference between the visual acuity of your
lenses, in the late 1800s, for myopia andeyes is more than 2.5 diopters - a unit of
hyperopia. These heavy glass lenses could bemeasurement of the refractive power of lenses.
used for a few hours of wear only.After cataract removal, your eyes need a special
Plastic came into use in 1936, when Williamprotection, which only contact lenses can provide
Feinbloom, an optometrist in New York, madeadequately.
contact lenses with the central portion of glassWith improvements in technology, a wide variety
surrounded by plastic in the periphery thatof contact lenses are available, both for
covered the sclera. 1948 saw a Californianophthalmic, as well as cosmetic uses. People who
optometrist, Kevin Tuohy produce contact lensesnormally wear glasses can easily and safely shift
completely made of plastic.to wearing contact lenses. People had many
The same year, George Butterfield, anmisgivings about using contact lenses, and opted
optometrist from Oregon, improved upon Kevinfor glasses, but these are no longer hold true.
Tuohy's design with lenses that matched theThere was a time when contact lenses used to
shape of the cornea, and would not easily pop off.pop out, and this was during the time when
These lenses have evolved to the present softcontact lenses were hard lenses. Today, there is
contact lenses, which are worn by more thanno 'popping' out with the introduction of soft
90% of the contact lens wearers in the Unitedcontact lenses. These soft contact lenses
States.conform to the shape of the eye, and do not
Contact Lenses vs. Glassesmove or pop out.
Contact lenses offer functional advantages overAnother myth of contact lenses being expensive
glasses in areas, such as sports, work - in humidis not correct. These are less expensive than
environment, and in occupations where spectaclesmany of the designer frames that are available
are inconvenient and not compatible with thetoday.
equipment used, such as special headgears. Let usFollow the instructions of the manufacturers to
look at some of the advantages that contacttake care of your contact lenses, to enable them
lenses offer over glasses:to provide you with clear and healthy vision.