R apid and continuing advances in technology have made contact lenses more comfortable and easier to wear than ever. Allow one of Heartland/Wisconsin Vision's Optometrists to guide you through the contact lens options that are best for your life style and prescription.

Contact Lens Types

Daily Soft Contact Lenses are removed daily for cleaning and sterilization. Made from oxygen permeable, water loving plastics daily soft contacts actually become pliable during manufacturing. Soft contacts contain between 30 to 80 percent water, depending on the type of lens and the manufacturer. Many people enjoy the comfort of soft lenses; they are easy to adapt to and fit comfortably and securely. Today's soft contact lenses are suitable to correct most types of vision problems including near and farsightedness as well as presbyopia and astigmatism.

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses: Made of special, firmer plastic, these lenses are durable, have a longer life span than soft lenses, and are easy to handle. Like soft lenses, they should be removed daily for cleaning and sterilization; they fit well and offer excellent visual acuity. RGP lenses often are prescribed for people who have high degrees of astigmatism and they may take a little longer to get used to than soft lenses.

Flexible (or extended) wear lenses may be worn on a daily-wear basis or around-the-clock. When wearing this type of lens make sure you follow the instructions of your Optometrist. Never over wear any brand of contacts.

Disposable Contact Lenses provide a fresh pair replacement daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending manufacture and brand of lenses. Due to the short use time of this type of lens wearers don't have to worry about build-up of deposits.

Bifocal and Toric contact lenses follow the same principles as bifocals, eyeglasses, combining two different prescriptions for close-up and distance viewing corrections. Toric contact lenses may be prescribed for the treatment of astigmatism.

Tinted Contact Lenses

Enhancing tints add drama and intensity to a wearer's existing eye color, or can be used to alter the hue of a wearer's eyes. They will not, however change your eye color. They area available in a wide range of colors such as aqua, blue, green, brown, amber and violet. Some enhancing lenses create color through a pattern of dots to more closely resemble the variation in natural eye color.

Opaque tints cover and hide the natural color of the iris, making the eyes appear to be a completely different color. The wearer sees through a clear area in the center of the lens while showing the world a different eye color.

Visibility tints are shaded just enough to be easy to see for cleaning, storing and handling. The tinting is not dark enough to have any effect on appearance of the wearer's eye color.

<< Click image to view different color lenses.

Soft Contact Lens Care

When cared for properly, soft contact lenses provide healthy, comfortable, and convenient vision correction. The following guidelines are intended to help you avoid problems and enjoy the benefits of soft contact lenses. Always follow the wearing and cleaning instructions provided by your prescribing Optometrist.

Wash your hands with a non-deodorant, non-lotion soap and rise thoroughly each time you handle your lenses.

• Good hygiene helps to eliminate germs, which can cause eye infection.
• This is especially important for smokers.

Lenses removed from your eyes must be cleaned, rinsed and disinfected after each wearing period if they are reused.

• Cleaning loosens and removes accumulations of film, deposits and debris that can cause irritation, and prepares lenses for disinfecting.
• Rinsing removes cleaning and disinfecting solutions and helps make your lenses feel more comfortable.
• Disinfecting kills germs that can cause eye infection.
• Saline solutions are used to rinse, not clean or disinfect.
• Carefully read and follow the instructions that come with your lens care product.

Remove your lenses immediately if they become uncomfortable.

• Discomfort can be an early warning sign of a problem.
• Early treatment can help avoid complications.
• If the discomfort continues after lens removal, contact your eye care professional.

Do not insert a new or spare lens into an eye that is red, irritated, or painful.

• A new lens may hide symptoms and delay treatment.

Consult your eye care professional before wearing your lenses overnight or while sleeping.

• Not all lenses are designed to be worn overnight or while sleeping.
• Not all people can wear lenses overnight or while sleeping.
• Sleeping with lenses on increases the risk of eye infection.

Replace your lenses with a new pair as often as recommended by your eye care professional.

• Old lenses can cause discomfort, decreased vision and may adversely affect your eye health.

Do not skip visits with your Optometrist just because your lenses feel comfortable.

• Routine follow-up visits help prevent problems.
• Only a thorough examination by your Optometrist can determine how your eyes are responding to contact lenses.
• Early signs of a problem can be detected and treated before they can be felt.

Successful contact lens wear depends on following the recommendations and instructions of your eye care professional. We hope this important information will help you enjoy your contact lenses. Contact one of Wisconsin Vision's many offices for additional instructions and product information.

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