Comfortable contact lenses for everyone...
Contact Lenses are shaped pieces of transparent material, which are place in the eye, usually with the aim to correct the refractive error (long or short -sightedness) of an individual.
Nowadays, modern technology means that almost anyone can wear contact lenses if they are correctly prescribed and fitted. Contact lenses can give you the freedom to see clearly whilst playing sports or when spectacles would be inconvenient. However this can come at a price. Some people find that contact lenses feel dry and uncomfortable or can make their eyes feel sore. This is why it is really important that if you are going to wear contact lenses you use only the very best lenses that are available and take proper professional advice.
In recent years soft disposable lenses have become the contact lens of choice for many people. Others still prefer the healthy clear vision that comes with rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Rigid gas permeable lenses allow the eyes to breathe naturally and give excellent vision, there is usually a design to correct any visual problem. The down side of rigid gas permeable lenses is that it can take a week or two to get used to having a hard lens in your eye, something that some people are unwilling to accept. Whether you are interested in hard gas permeable lenses or disposable soft lenses, Osborne Harle have the expertise to care for your contact lens needs and recommend exactly the right contact lenses for you.
Soft Contact Lenses (also know as hydrophilic)
These lenses, as their name suggests, have a floppy structure, a bit like a piece of thick cling film. This is because they are made from an oxygen permeable material, making them very comfortable to wear. They are larger in size than their rigid contact lens counterparts and cover the whole of the iris (the coloured part of the eye), with the edges resting on the sclera (the white of the eye). Their floppy structure allows them to fit the shape of the eye like a glove and this makes them easy to get used to in the eye. They can be work on a daily, bi-weekly/monthly or continuous wear basis. They are the most common type of contact lenses and can also be used to change the apparent colour of the eyes (an effect often used in feature films and television).
Rigid Contact Lenses (also know as gas permeable or RGPs)
Rigid contact lenses have been available for a much longer period than soft contact lenses, although many improvements have been made over this time in allowing more oxygen to pass through the rigid material so the eye beneath the lens can remain in good health. They are less than a centimeter across, covering the pupil (the black part) of the eye, with the edges resting on the iris (the coloured part of the eye). They take longer to get used to initially due to their rigid structure, but are better in correcting the refractive error of more irregular shaped eyes. Despite a reduction in the number of rigid lenses being fitted, they provide a very healthy option for the eyes for long-term full-time wear. They are worn during the day only and being more durable than soft lenses last for approximately one year. They take a little longer to get used to than soft lenses, but regular wearers find them comfortable.
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