Contact lenses and eyeglasses both correct vision issues, including nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism (presbyopia). If you’ve decided on wearing contacts, you may wonder which type is best for you.
Contact lenses come in a variety of types, featuring different materials, wear times, and replacement schedules. The type of lens you choose depends greatly on your personal preference and the health of your eyes.
Our team at Family Eyecare of Linden in Linden, New Jersey, cares about the long-term health of your eyes and vision. In this month’s blog, we discuss the differences between daily contacts and monthly contacts and why dailies may be the healthier option for your vision.
You can wear some contact lenses for days, even weeks, on end, but you need to remove others every night before going to sleep.
But that’s not the only consideration when choosing a lens. Another factor is how often you must replace the lenses themselves. Some contacts are worn each day and discarded after a month of use (monthly), while you wear others only once before discarding them (daily).
Although replacing your contacts every single day may seem like a hassle, it might be the safest choice for your eyes.
Daily contacts are typically thinner and have a high water content. Because of their thin design, many people find them more comfortable and often no longer experience contact lens awareness — meaning they barely notice they are wearing lenses. While some daily contacts can be worn for a few days or overnight, wearing them longer than intended can lead to serious issues, including infection.
Monthly contacts are thicker and more durable, which is why they can provide extended wear. You should take out these contacts every night before going to sleep and clean them before putting them back in the next day. Without this routine, you risk eye irritation and infection.
Even though monthly contacts may offer convenience, daily contacts tend to be safer and more comfortable for your eyes, especially if you suffer from seasonal allergies. As the warm weather of spring arrives, so do the environmental allergens, such as pollen.
Contact lenses are huge attractors of dust and pollen. If you don’t thoroughly clean your contacts every day, you may be putting pollen right back into your eyes on a daily basis, leading to further eye irritation.
If you struggle with seasonal allergies (or any allergen that can get caught in contact lenses and irritate your eyes), you may want to consider daily contacts instead of monthly ones.
They can not only reduce your likelihood of dry, itchy, and irritated eyes, but they also keep your eyes clean, lowering your risk of infection.
To discuss our contact lens offerings or to make the switch to daily lenses, schedule a visit with our optometry team. Call our office or request an appointment online today. We proudly serve the areas, but not limited to, Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Colonia, Scotch Plains, and Linden, NJ.
