Types of Contacts and How They Work

Many types of contact lenses exist, ranging from daily to monthly, soft to hard and cosmetic to specialized. They improve people's vision, much like glasses, while being more comfortable and accommodating to an active lifestyle.

With over 150 million people in America having some form of refractive error, understanding your corrective options is vital. Contact lenses are one of them. Let's explore the types available and how they work so you can choose your perfect pair.

What Are Contact Lenses?

Contact lenses are tiny, thin, circular lenses designed to rest on your eye's surface. They work in the same way as glasses — correcting refractive errors. A refractive error is a change to your eye's shape, preventing your retina from focusing light correctly. It affects your eyesight, making it blurry or unclear.

Adolf Fick and Eugene Kalt were the first to fit contact lenses to patients to improve their vision in 1888. Since then, many scientists have changed and improved contact lenses, from blown glass to the breathable and comfortable silicone hydrogel used today. Modern contact lenses fit comfortably to your eyes and move naturally with them. 

How Do Contact Lenses Work?

As light enters your eye, contacts bend and focus it so your vision becomes clear and accurate when it reaches your retina. They correct the refractive errors, preventing your eyes from focusing light correctly.

Contact lenses stick to your eyes' tear film — the fluid layer that protects and moistens it, keeping them in your eyes. By attaching to this layer, your contacts won't come out when you blink and can move with your eyes naturally.

What Different Types of Contact Lenses Are There?

Contact lenses vary by material and longevity. Conventional contact lenses include soft and hard variations. While soft lenses feature daily and extended schedules, hard ones only offer extended options.

You can also choose to have contact lenses in different colors and styles — entirely cosmetic or prescription lenses.

Soft and Hard Contacts

There are a few differences between hard and soft contact lenses. Thanks to their thin and flexible design, soft contacts easily mold to your eyes' shape. They also hold moisture well and allow your eye to get enough oxygen. Most people consider them the most comfortable option, too.

Hard contacts, or rigid gas permeable (RGP) contacts, aren't flexible or bendable like soft ones. They allow oxygen to reach your eyes and provide crisper vision compared to soft lenses. However, they're less comfortable and take more time to adjust to.

Daily and Extended Wear Contacts

Wear schedules refer to how long you can wear a pair of contacts before removing them. They depend on your prescription and the type of lens you use.

• Daily wear contact lenses: These are worn during the day only. You must remove them at night before you sleep to reduce infection risks.
• Extended wear contact lenses: These can be worn continuously, day and night, for up to 30 days. Sleep without any lenses on for at least one night between scheduled removals to reduce the risk of infection risks.

Daily and Planned Replacement Contacts

Replacement schedules refer to how long you can use your contact lenses before you need to throw them away and get new ones. These are the different schedules:

• Daily disposable contact lenses: These contacts are thrown away and replaced after each daily use. They're ideal for people with allergies or sensitive eyes. However, you shouldn't wear them while you sleep or reuse them.
• Planned replacement contact lenses: These are lenses you keep for extended periods — one to two weeks and up to 30 days. You should remove, clean and store them at night unless they are extended wear.

Colored Contacts

Contact lenses are typically clear and unnoticeable. However, some can enhance or change the color of your eye. Colored contact lenses come in various hues and styles and aren't just for corrective purposes. People without refractive errors can also use them — they just need to ask an optometrist for a 0.00 power or Plano prescription.

Contact Lenses for Different Eye Conditions

Depending on what refractive error you have, you may need specialty contact lenses to correct it. Here are some types and the eye conditions they're suited to:

• Toric contact lenses: These lenses are designed to help people with astigmatism see clearly. They can also help correct conditions like hyperopia (farsightedness) or myopia (nearsightedness), which astigmatism commonly occurs with.
• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) contact lenses: Ortho-K lenses help correct certain eye conditions, typically myopia, by changing the shape of your cornea over time. You only wear them while you sleep. They can give you crisp vision for most, if not all, of the next day without wearing them.
• Hybrid contact lenses: Hybrid lenses are ideal if your cornea is irregularly shaped due to conditions like corneal ectasia or astigmatism. They have an RGP center with a soft outer ring.
• Multifocal and bifocal contact lenses: These contacts are ideal if you simultaneously have myopia and hyperopia or presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). They help you see clearly at different distances by having two or more powers in each lens.

Do Different Brands of Contact Lenses Make Your Vision Different?

Yes. While different brands don't change how you see, each uses different materials, designs and parameters for its lenses. These variations influence the contact's performance, comfort and fit, which affects your vision. So, eyecare professionals typically recommend a power and brand depending on your needs.

How to Safely Wear Contacts

To wear contacts safely, you need to clean them regularly, store them properly and follow your replacement schedule correctly. Follow these steps to take care of your contacts:

• Wash your hands: Use soap that is free of lotion, perfume or oil. Dry your hands with a clean, lint-free towel.
• Avoid water: Water contains germs that can cause infections and irritation. Don't swim, bathe or shower with contacts in or get them wet.
• Be gentle: Contact lenses are fragile and can tear with enough force. Try keeping your nails short until you're used to wearing them.
• Remove before you sleep: Unless you have extended-wear contacts, remove them before bed to reduce the risk of infection.
• Clean regularly: Only use a contact lens cleaning solution to clean your lenses and storage container. Do this each time you remove or insert them.
• Follow your replacement schedule: Replace your contact lenses according to their schedule or your provider's recommendation.

Purchase Your Perfect Contact Lenses at Lenses for Less

Lenses for Less works personally with manufacturers to bring you the best prices possible. We're dedicated to providing the same top brands of contact lenses your doctor's office offers. 

We beat our competitors' prices while still providing fast and reliable service, including free shipping throughout the United States, no matter the size of your order.

Shop now at Lenses for Less to find your perfect contact lenses. Do you need to renew your prescription? You can also take a quick vision test to check your eligibility.