Contact lenses are thin lenses that rest adjacent to the eye, and focus light similar to the way glasses do.  Glasses are easier to take care of because contact lenses come in contact with the eye and so they require frequent cleansing.  But contact lenses don't alter your appearance and are especially useful for athletes.

•  Hardness of lenses - there are three different levels of hardness.  Hard contact lenses are rigid and can be hard on the eye but are easy to maintain.  Soft contact lenses are flexible and comfortable but require more care.  Semi-soft (gas-permeable) lenses work a lot like hard lenses but are easier on the eye and can be made for extended wear.

•  Traditional Lenses – a single pair of contact lenses is becoming less and less common.  Tearing or losing just one contact is extremely expensive to replace.

•  Disposable Lenses – all contact lenses are disposable.  True disposables are contact lenses that are discarded at least once every two weeks.  Disposing of contact lenses on a regular basis can help to reduce the build up of debris and cellular materials that can cause adverse health effects on your eye.  With disposables, vision is consistently better, and replacing them is fast and inexpensive.  Most people prefer to wear disposables on a daily wear basis, removing them at night.  It is best not to sleep in contact lenses.  The most commonly used disposables are Acuvue, Baush and Lomb, and Newvue.

•  Planned Replacement Lenses– are disposed every one, two, or three months.  This manner of discarding is less costly than disposables, and still gives you most of the advantages.  Planned Replacement is the fastest growing choice of contact lens.

•  EXTRAINFORMATION–

        - Colors – contacts to enhance the color of your eyes are available in disposables and traditional lenses.  These lenses combine the natural color of your eye with the color of the contact, creating a unique new eye color.  If you naturally have darker eyes, then opaque lenses are used to make the color.