Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

Since the first sketches of contact lenses done by Leonardo da Vinci in 1508, these tiny health-conveniences have evolved to satisfy even the pickiest client and the most unusual prescriptions. Disposable contact lenses are designed to be worn for a period of time and then replaced with a fresh one. They have been introduced to the market in 1987 and are experiencing an ever growing popularity. Eye care practitioners favor disposable lenses for their convenience and safety as consumers don’t always follow cleaning instructions with reusable lenses.

Disposable lenses can be prescribed for daily wear (lenses are removed each night) or extended wear (meaning that you sleep in them), depending on the needs and eye physiology of the patient. Lenses have to be discarded because substances in the human tear, like lipids, calcium and protein can build up on the lenses and make them less comfortable. This bildup also makes the eyes more prone to infection. To avoid these inconvenience and health risks, lenses should be cleaned, but if you want to save yourself the trouble of contact cleaning then you should use daily disposable lenses. One-day disposables are discarded every night and replaced in the morning with a fresh pair. This kind of lense is safer because there is no day-to-day bildup and no risk of eye injury due to sleeping in lenses.

Today’s advanced technology makes it possible to produce high quality lenses in greater volume and at a lower cost. This way diposable contact lenses are not made of less quality materials, in fact some of them are made of the same materials as traditional lenses. Today there is a wide selection of disposable contacts, from simple lenses like O2 Optix by CIBA Vision for example to colored and bifocal lenses. Your eye care practitioner will tell you if there are any disposable lenses that fit your particular prescription.