Contact Lens Options: The Different Types of Lenses and Solutions

Contacts help eyes break free from eyeglasses, either temporarily or full-time, and help individuals who need vision correction still pursue the lifestyle and appearance they desire.

If your eyes need a prescription but you don’t want to commit to eyeglasses, you have a multitude of contact lens options available to you.

Let the eye experts at iCare Vision help you navigate your contact lens options and select the lenses and solution that are best for your vision and comfort needs:

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Types of Contact Lenses

To help you choose the type of contact lenses that are best for you, first think about your vision needs and lifestyle demands. From here, read through the various contact lens options to discover which type of lens is best for you.

Frequent Replacement Soft Lenses

Similar to conventional soft lenses in flexibility and adjustability, frequent replacement soft lenses differ from traditional soft lenses in the amount of time they are worn. As the name suggests, these lenses are replaced more often. Typically, frequent replacement soft lenses are worn for one month and then replaced. Other types of these lenses can be worn two to three months and then replaced. Nevertheless, they conform well to the eye and are comfortable to wear.

Disposable Soft Lenses

Because dirt, bacteria and other particles can build up under contact lenses – depending on the environments one is exposed to – disposable soft lenses offer an option to wear lenses for a short amount of time and then they can be discarded. These lenses are also great for individuals with allergies, as a new pair of lenses help the eye remain free from allergen build-up that can occur under old lenses. These types of lenses require minimal cleaning before the end of use.

Conventional Soft Lenses

Designed to be a comfortable alternative to hard contact lenses in the 1970s, conventional soft contact lenses are still to this day widely-used. Made from gel-like plastics called hydrogels that contain water, soft contact lenses are typically very comfortable because they are thin, flexible and adjust to the surface of the eye.

*Soft contact lenses are available in monthly or weekly disposables, daily disposables, or non-disposables.

Extended Wear Soft Lenses

Proving the option to wear contact lenses overnight, these lenses are made to safely remain on the eye while sleeping. This added benefit also comes with a drawback. Extended wear soft lenses can cause eye infections because of the length of time the contact is on the eye’s surface. If a proper cleaning regimen is followed, however, infection can remain at bay.

Toric Soft Lenses

Differing from the spherical surface that standard contact lenses have, toric contact lenses are shaped like a slice of the side of a donut. This shape helps create different refractive powers on the vertical and horizontal orientations. These lenses correct for astigmatism issues – a common vision condition that occurs with an irregularly shaped cornea and causes blurred vision.

Bifocal Soft Lenses

Bifocal soft lenses are designed to help individuals who have refractive errors – when the shape of the eye does not bend light correctly, resulting in a blurred vision – see clearly from any distance. Bifocal soft lenses are also an effective solution for presbyopia – the loss of near focusing abilities that occurs with age.

Colored Lenses

Perhaps the most fun you can have with contacts, colored lenses can come tailored to your prescription – correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism – and eye color preference. Colored contact lenses are even available with no lens power for vision correction and can be worn purely for cosmetic reasons.

Gas Permeable Hard Lenses

Great for patients experiencing dry eye, they can also be specially designed to treat eye diseases, degeneration and scarring of the cornea. A pair of gas permeable hard lenses can last for about 3 - 5 years, depending on proper care.

Hybrid Lenses

Hybrid lenses have a hard center with soft edges. Like gas permeable hard lenses, they can be used to treat a variety of eye diseases and degenerations.

Types of Contact Lens Solutions

There are three main types of contact lens solutions available in the U.S. that are effective in clinical trials and approved by the FDA: multipurpose contact lens solutions, hydrogen peroxide-based care systems and basic saline.

Multipurpose Contact Lens Solution

A multipurpose contact lens solution is effective at cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting and storing contact lenses. With multipurpose solutions, no other lens care products are necessary.

Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Solutions

Hydrogen peroxide-based solutions (HPB) are also effective at disinfecting contact lenses. HPB solutions, however, require a few extra steps.

Contact lenses should be cleaned first with a separate surfactant cleaning solution.
Then, contact lenses should be rinsed with a sterile saline solution prior to the disinfection process.

Basic Salines

Saline can be used to rinse contacts before putting them in your eyes. The saline is more natural, like tears, and can help to prevent reactions to chemicals that are found in other contact solutions.

Ordering Contacts Online vs. Seeing an Eye Doctor for Your Contact Lenses

If you need more contact lenses or want a new prescription, you’ve probably looked into ordering online or getting a contact lens prescription virtually.

The majority of websites that sell contact lenses require you to complete a vision prescription test online before calculating and revealing your prescription or allowing you to order more.

While this route may seem legit and convenient, it’s vital to understand that there are red flags and there are important things you need to know and consider.

Learn what to consider before testing your vision online and why there is no substitute for a comprehensive, in-person eye exam from an eye doctor:

Read: Getting a Prescription Online

FAQs About Contact Lenses and Solutions

What is the best contact solution for dry eyes?

While there are a lot of contact lens solutions or lens care systems on the market today – especially ones that denote they’re effective for dry eyes – there is truly no one brand of contact lens solution that is best for every contact lens wearer.

If you live with dry eyes and wear contact lenses, it’s important to consult with your eye doctor to discuss what contact lens solution is best for you.

Is it safe to put contact solution in your eyes?

You should not use your contact solution as eye drops.

What happens if you put contact solution in your eye?

It’s important to remember that contact solution is made to disinfect your contact lenses, not to hydrate your eyes. If you accidentally put a hydrogen peroxide solution directly into your eye(s), you will probably experience pain from an intense burning sensation.

What can I use instead of contact solution?

As eye care professionals, we stress that contact lens solution is the only solution. If you don’t have any contact lens solution, the safest thing to do is to throw the contacts out. Using anything else – including water – puts your eyes at risk for significant damage. This can include blindness.

How do you make homemade contact solution?

While there are several DIY contact solutions out there, homemade contact solutions are not recommended. Why? For a homemade solution to be effective and safe, all materials used must be completely sterile.

This is nearly impossible to do at home. A sterile contact solution is vital to keep your contacts – and eyes – clean from all contaminants.

What happens when you sleep with lenses?

When you wear contact lenses in your sleep, the plastic lenses act as a barrier and prevent necessary amounts of oxygen to reach the cornea. When the eye doesn’t get enough oxygen, an eye condition called corneal neovascularisation can occur, where small blood vessels grow in the cornea to help provide an oxygen supply to the area.

Additionally, sleeping with contact lenses can also lead to redness in the eyes, eye strain or pain, and increased sensitivity to light.

Ask Your Doctor Which Contact Lenses and Solutions are Best for You

Choosing contact lenses and a contact lens solution is a decision best made with the help of your eye doctor. Through a health eye exam, your vision will be thoroughly examined, and the lenses and solution that will suit your vision needs will be addressed.

If you feel you need a new prescription or are not happy with your current contact lenses, talk to your doctor before switching lenses or care systems.

At iCare Vision we take the time to make sure you’re perfectly matched with right pair of lenses. We can provide multiple, free trial lenses so you can even compare comfort side-by-side.

The eye experts at iCare Vision make eye exams quick, easy and painless. You can be on your way to better vision and more comfortable eyes in no time.

Schedule your eye health exam using the form at the top of the page. Or contact us today to get your questions answered:

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