Try as hard as you may, you’d be hard pressed to make a case against wearing disposable contact lenses. They are more comfortable than glasses and they allow wearers to lead far more active lifestyles. The only major drawback to contact lenses is keeping them clean. The cleaning ritual can be enough to make some potential contact wearers think twice. Asking tired people to laboriously clean their lenses every night prior to bed is asking a lot.

Disposable lenses offer a number of pros, chief among them being convenience. They are also cost effective and incredible comfortable. The cleaning ritual and paying for solution has kept some people from ditching their specs. With the superior comfort and convenience of disposable lenses, there are few reasons, if any, to not invest in a months-long supply.

How about this for a clincher: disposable contacts can be worn while sleeping. You don’t have to bother with cleaning if indeed you will be disposing of them in the morning. Of course, this is not a great solution, especially for people with sensitive eyes. It is the sensitivity that can lead to infections, not necessarily the contacts. The best course of action is to just take them out and dispose of them before falling asleep.

Factoring in the cost of cleaning solution at approximately $10 a bottle for say a two week supply and the added cost of disposables starts to make sense. Given the fact that contacts are inexpensive to manufacture, why not give wearers enough supply to have a fresh pair every day for half a year or more? The concept is as radical as it is simple and to the point. This can make a significant financial difference for some people, especially those who have sensitive eyes.

Indeed some people with terribly sensitive eyes are often pointed in the direction of disposable lenses as they have an unmatched capacity to allow oxygen to reach the eye. As they are only worn once, disposable lenses tend to be much thinner, more gas-permeable, and therefore more comfortable. Their thin, delicate structure is far from ideal for contacts if they you’re your sole pair. But with a six-month supply of disposables, their thinness is an asset.

Do yourself, and your eyeballs, a favor and invest in a six-month supply of disposable lenses. When you finish running the Boston Marathon, you can thank me with a sweaty hug.

Believe it or not, contacts were not always so disposable. In fact, they were downright scarce. Even before they were pressed from super-permeable polymers, they were made of exceptionally thin — and brittle — glass. Were they comfortable? One early victim — I mean test subject — likened the sensation to chewing aluminum foil. Every time he blinked he though his eye lids were going to fall off. Not a great testimonial.

From glass to polymers to lasers, vision care has evolved. Where I break ranks with the march of progress is when lasers and eyeballs intersect. I prefer to keep lasers away from my eyeballs. I like soft contacts. I like the process of cleaning them, storing them, putting them on. It’s become something of a moving meditation. Clear your mind, put on your contacts. I’m not sure this would have made a great selling point to the early contact lens pioneers 100 year ago, but they probably never heard the word “meditation.”

With the introduction of the PMMA lens, also known as the Plexiglas lens, William Feinbloom started a new trend in vision care: the search for a softer lens. Plexiglas lenses were marginally more comfortable than glass lenses, but not by much. No, it wouldn’t be until the invention of soft contacts by Otto Wichterle, in the 1960’s, that contacts became the flimsy, super-comfortable lenses they are today.

In 1971, soft lenses were sanctioned for public consumption and the vision care industry went wild. Now, it’s not just the super-soft polymers that make soft contacts what they are. The gas-permeability of the polymer lenses allows more oxygen to reach the pupil. That’s right, your eyeballs need oxygen as badly as your lungs do. OK, maybe not that badly, but still.

In a twist of fate that plagues all great inventions, the very trait that makes them so comfortable can also make them extremely irritable. The oxygen that passes through the lens could carry pollen, smoke, and even dust particles. If you’re particularly sensitive to any of these pollutants, be forewarned. Consult with an eye care specialist before you take the plunge.

Short of costly lasers, nothing compares to the comfort of disposable lenses. Do yourself — and your active lifestyle — a favor and find an eye care specialist who can fit you for a pair of disposable lenses.

Contact lenses have made it easy for people suffering from vision problems to see more clearly and enjoy a more active lifestyle. Gone are the hassles of trying to compensate with reading glasses or costly laser surgery. Even people who have tried contacts before and not liked them are singing the praises for disposable lenses. They make any number of activities possible, from casual sports and recreation, to effortless sleeping.

Incredibly comfortable, disposable lenses are relatively affordable (especially when you consider the long-term cost of cleaning supplies). People who normally wear contacts need not have their original prescription modified. Instead, disposables can be order without having to sit for a new eye examination. This means you can save yourself the cost of new, expensive frames and messy cleaning supplies.

Like the aging process itself, vision loss is a slow, almost imperceptible degeneration. Vision problems can be caused by any number of degenerative conditions. Indeed, you could treat your symptoms with surgery, but with disposables, all you need is a competent optometrist. For the cost of a pair of designer frames you could have a six-month supply of feather-soft lenses.

If people think contacts are not age appropriate, they’ve got another thing coming. Most middle-aged and elderly people enjoy active lifestyles that would be hampered by a pair of cumbersome glasses. Swimming, walking, bocce ball — the sky is the limit with disposables. All that’s needed is a pair of great sunglasses.

Ocular degeneration is the most common cause, which means eventually any and all prescriptions will have to be changed. This means having to surrender your dead-weight glasses to be changed out once a year. With disposable contacts lenses; you can simply order a new supply, with a new prescription, as needed. It’s hard to argue against wearing disposables — and for good reason.

The best contact lenses are disposable lenses. Invest in a year’s supply and begin enjoying your life.

categories: disposable lenses,contact lenses

Ever fantasize about making it as a JV quarterback? Here’s some important advice: focus on the wide receivers. I knew all the routes inside and out and was as prepared as I would ever be. The only problem was my constant squinting. My vision was slightly blurred — not bad, but blurred enough that I was over-throwing the ball. When you’re a quarterback, that’s a cardinal sin. If you overthrow, it forces the wide receivers to over-reach, stretching them out and making them more susceptible to crushing tackles.

Sub-par throws and misses are not the fastest way to your coach’s heart. As I watched my last pass sail too high it sudden hit me that I was wearing my old contact lenses. I had just received a pair of new disposables in the mail, but obviously, I was so focused on the tryouts I forgot to switch them out. Self-doubt was setting in and when that happens, it’s adios muchacho.

Playing Varsity footballs is almost impossible if you don’t make the JV squad. This wasn’t just my junior year down the tubes — it was my entire pro career. The competition was getting fierce, the other guys were drilling passes left and right. I ducted off the field and made a beeline to the locker room. I frantically called my sister — thankfully she answered. After promising to do her chores for the entire month, she agreed to bring my contacts.

I tried to hang back as the try-out squad took the field for the last passing test. As each wanna-be took the field, I looked around frantically. Where was she? The guy in front of me was called up for his final passing tests. Suddenly, I heard my name being called. I turned and caught my sister’s arm lobbing something up into the air. The contacts bounced off my head and onto the grass. I crouched down and switched out my lenses like a pit crew chief.

Someone barked my name and I took the field. The last passing test is completely your call, so I called the mother of all passes: the Hail Mary. As the ball was snapped into my sweaty hands, I had to scramble to get a line on the wide receiver. As I released the ball, I was taken by a Varsity linebacker. I got up and saw the receiver give me a thumbs up from the end zone. It connected and I loved every minute of Varsity football.

Fuel your football hopes, one pair of disposable lenses at a time. Get fit, memorize every play in the book, and come prepared with the appropriate disposable lenses.