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A Guide to Contact Lenses

Prescription Example

The above is actually my own prescription. Sphere is the power, measured in diopters, and indicates that I am slightly short sighted. If I were long sighted, the sphere measurement would be positive, eg +3.0. Base Curve (BC) is a measure of the amount of curvature a contact lens has and is usually between 8.0 and 9.0. Diameter (D) is the actual diameter of the lens in mm. You will also have CYL and AXIS measurements if your eyes need to be corrected for astigmatism. Bifocal contact lenses will also have an ADD measurement.

Different Types of Contact Lenses

There are two main categories - soft and hard gas permeable. Soft contain between 20% and 80% water and are easy to get used to - gas permeables on the other hand are harder to get used to, but need replacing less frequently and so can end up cheaper in the long run.

There are many different types of soft contact lenses on the market, including daily disposable, monthly disposable, continuous wear, colours and conventional soft contact lenses that last around a year. I am currently wearing continuous wear lenses called "Focus Night and Day" by Ciba Vision. I wear them for 30 days continuously, then throw them away and replace them with a new pair - so I can see when I wake up in the morning and don't have to worry about disinfecting the lenses, unless I take them out before the month is up.

Please note that you should always be fitted for contact lenses by a professional optician. Even if you buy them over the internet to save money (I do!) you should still go for checkups with your optician. I go for two check ups a year, for which I pay £25 per appointment. Even accounting for this, I still end up saving about £80 / year by buying online.

Coloured Contact Lenses

These are available in two main types:

• Enhancement Tints
  These enhance your existing eye colour - they will make blue eyes appear more intensely blue, but will not change your eye colour from brown to blue.
• Opaque Colour
  These will change your eye colour and can make your brown eyes blue. However, bear in mind that the iris on these lenses is fixed, so your natural eye colour will be visible around the pupil in bright light. Opaques are available in many shades including violet, blue, green and hazel. You can also get wild designs including dart boards and cats eyes (I have a pair of cats eyes - they're great for fancy dress parties).