One of the major concerns when wearing contact lenses is the amount of time the lenses can stay in your eyes. Most contact lenses are recommended to be worn for just eight hours every day (and be immersed in a lubricating and disinfecting solution for more than four hours), and one will just have to return to wearing glasses for the rest of the day. This limited “freedom” given by regular contact lenses sometimes turn people off from using contact lenses.
Recently, there have been a lot of improvements and advancements in contact lenses that you can wear for extended periods of time. Long-wear contact lenses can be worn for more than eight hours in a day, and sometimes, up to a month before removal. These types of long-wear contact lenses are very convenient for people who need their clear vision for the entire day. Long-wear contact lenses are also ideal for people who engage in physical activities for the whole day.
Long-wear contact lenses are specially designed to provide the user maximum comfort when they are worn. They are often made with a special water-based polymer that is not only around 25 to 80 percent water, but also retains a lot of the lubricating solution. Wearing long-wear contact lenses is just like having a drop of water or tear on your eyes for the whole day. Long-wear contact lenses are also designed not to dry out and allow oxygen to permeate the surface of the eyes. Oxygen and moisture are very important to the eyes’ biochemical balance—without them, the eyes will feel very dry and tired, which can result to blurred vision and increased susceptibility to eye infections.
Ask your eye doctor about long-wear contact lens brands that best suit your vision correction needs, lifestyle, and budget.