Why It Is Done
Many people choose to wear contacts because of the convenience. Or they may prefer the way they look without eyeglasses. Some people wear contacts because they are recommended by the eye doctor.
Contact lenses can correct nearsightednessnearsightedness (myopia), farsightednessfarsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatismastigmatism, and presbyopiapresbyopia. Lenses that correct astigmatism are called toric lenses.
Contact lenses may be used by people who have had cataract surgery and couldn't have an artificial lens implanted in the eye. They may also be used to treat eye diseases, such as keratoconuskeratoconus or damage to the cornea caused by injury or infection.
Multifocal contact lenses have been developed for people who have both nearsightedness and presbyopia. Multifocal lenses provide correction for both near and distance vision on each lens.
If multifocal contact lenses will not work for you, your doctor may recommend monovision. With monovision, you wear a contact lens that corrects for near vision in one eye and a lens that corrects for distance vision in the other eye.
In other cases, your doctor may recommend using reading glasses in combination with contact lenses that correct for distance vision.
Most people can wear contact lenses.
Contact lenses may not be a good choice if you:
- Are not able or are not willing to care for the lenses properly.
- Would have a hard time handling the lenses (for example, if you have severe arthritis in your hands or another problem that would make it hard for you to insert, remove, and clean the lenses).
- Have certain medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Allergies may also make it difficult to wear contacts.
- Have dry eyes or problems with the cornea. People who have Sjögren's syndrome (a condition that causes a lack of tears and dry eyes) often are not able to wear contacts. People who have chronic or recurrent infections or sores on the cornea cannot wear contact lenses.
- Have a job that exposes you to particles, chemical fumes, or other vapors that may be absorbed by or stick to the lenses (such as dust and dirt, paint, spray chemicals, or hair spray).
Infants and children
Infants and young children usually do not wear contact lenses, except to treat some medical conditions. Many older children and teenagers wear contacts.