7 Things to Consider When Deciding to Wear Contact Lenses vs. Glasses
Are you trying to decide whether to switch to contact lenses instead of glasses? Here are some of the pros and cons of each to help you decide on the contact lenses vs. glasses debate.
If you’re weighing up whether to swap your glasses for contact lenses, you’re not alone. An estimated 45 million Americans wear contact lenses according to the American Optometric Association.
And, although the likes of Harry Potter and Johnny Depp have made glasses more fashionable, for many people, glasses can get in the way.
But are contacts better than glasses?
So that you feel fully informed to make the decision to switch or not, here we consider all the pros and cons in the contact lenses vs glasses debate.
1. Contact Lenses Are Great for Active People
If you’re looking to get fit for summer then contacts are more efficient when it comes to working out and keeping active.
Glasses can get in the way when you’re playing sports. And if you work up a sweat they constantly fall down your nose or can come right off and possibly break.
It’s very unlikely that contact lenses would fall out of your eye socket. Even if they were to fall out, they are very difficult to break
Contact lenses are less obstructive than glasses, and they won’t interfere with protective sportswear such as caps, goggles, and helmets.
2. You Can Be More Creative with Glasses
Many glasses wearers see their glasses as part of their look. Some people even have several pairs of frames that they switch around depending on their style that day.
Vintage gold-rimmed glasses look great with a summer dress. And some thick black frames show you mean business in the office.
Although you can experiment with different colored contact lenses, there are fewer options to be creative.
Of course, there’s always the possibility of having both contact lenses and glasses, so that you can switch between the two depending on your mood.
3. Contact Lenses Provide Better Vision
Wearing contact lenses means that not only can the world see you better, but you can see clearer too!
Because of the way that contact lenses move with your eyes, they help you see with sharper and more direct vision, including objects at the corner of your eyes.
By contrast, glasses are static, meaning that you only have fully focused vision when you look straight ahead.
By switching to contacts, you can also avoid the reflections and distortions you get with glasses.
4. Contact Lenses Involve More Work
For many people, one of the top reasons to wear glasses instead of contacts is because contact lenses involve more maintenance.
It is true that contacts come with specific directions for use. This includes cleaning and care instructions, which can take some time and commitment.
For people who are used to the ease of cleaning their glasses with a cloth now and again, the thought of cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses can seem inconvenient and complicated.
For this reason, some people prefer disposable lenses which are easier to care for, with the option of monthly, weekly or daily lenses.
5. Contact Lenses Can Improve Your Confidence
Some people love wearing glasses. But for others, switching to contacts can improve how they see and feel about themselves.
Studies have found that children who wear glasses feel worse about themselves. And that wearing contacts can make children feel more attractive and athletically competent.
And if you’ve been bullied or made to feel less attractive because of wearing glasses, those negative associations can be hard to shake, even in adulthood.
Contact lenses also mean your face isn’t obscured by frames. As a result, your facial features, especially your eyes and eyelashes, are more visible.
6. Contact Lenses Carry More Risks
One negative factor with wearing contact lenses is that they do carry more risks for discomfort and infection than glasses.
Almost all complications are as a result of not following care instructions properly. This can include poor storage hygiene, wearing lenses overnight, and not changing the lens storage case often enough.
Contact lens care is certainly something that wearers should take more seriously. One study found that only 32 percent of respondents followed lens care instructions to a good level.
Oversights in lens maintenance and care can cause eye irritation, dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis and other eye problems.
More serious problems can lead to blindness, with up to one in every 500 contact lens users being affected on an annual basis.
And the painful eye condition Keratitis, which is often linked to improper contact lens use, leads to one million clinical visits every year.
7. Contact Lenses Make Life Easier
Because contact lenses look and feel like wearing nothing at all, they can make many everyday activities much simpler.
Sunny days can be a nightmare for glasses wearers. Prescription sunglasses are all well and good, but that requires constantly changing between glasses and sunglasses.
With contact lenses, you can buy fashionable sunglasses from anywhere without worrying about your prescription. That means you can have several different pairs that you won’t be so expensive to replace if you lose or break them on holiday.
And if you’re out in the rain you don’t need to worry about not being able to see when your glasses get wet.
With contact lenses, there’s no danger of your lenses getting steamed up when you’re cooking or when you come in from the cold either.
It’s also better to apply makeup wearing contact lenses as you can see what you’re doing in the mirror. And that makes experimenting with false eyelashes or perfecting your eyeliner flick much easier.
If you’re considering making the switch then you can shop now to see for yourself whether you prefer contact lenses.
What’s Your Preference When It Comes to Contact Lenses vs Glasses?
Where do you stand on the contact lenses vs glasses debate?
For some people, contacts can seem like too much hassle. But, for many people, having the option to wear contact lenses improves their confidence and makes life easier.
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