Rarely does a day go by
that I don’t hear a contact lens patient say they can’t wait to get home from
work to take their contacts out.

Many things can make
contacts uncomfortable, some we can control, and some things we can’t.

Wearing contacts too
long, wearing old lenses, staring at a computer, a dry and/or dusty  environment,
poor tear quality (usually comes with age, or is inherited) are just to
name a few, and the biggest culprit to make contacts uncomfortable is
allergies.

Many contact lens
wearers, and almost all with allergies, seem to encounter discomfort
during certain times of the year. This discomfort is due largely to allergens
and dust particles in the air that become adhered to contact lenses.
This can cause miserable symptoms such as itchy, watery or dry and
swollen eyes.

The first three things
usually suggested to contact lens wearers who suffer from allergies/uncomfortable
lenses are: 

1) Wear glasses

2) Clean contacts often

3) Keep eyes moist 

This is good advice no
matter what is causing lens discomfort. But, in real life, I find patients know
what to do, they just don’t want to. Wearing daily disposable lenses is the
next best thing to not wearing glasses.

With less time for
deposits to build up, daily contacts give allergies less of a chance to flare.
Also, a fresh, smooth lens surface every day is gentler on irritated eyes.

You never have to clean
them – Forget about the nightly cleaning routine or your parade of solution
bottles. At the end of a long day, just toss them out and go to bed.

Daily contact lenses are
unique with a moisturizing agent that is released from inside the lens, every
time you blink. That means your lenses are lubricated continuously, providing
for outstanding “wettability” for sustained comfort throughout your
day.  

These lenses are also great for
teenagers! With all that’s going on from school to sports to social lives,
teenagers are apt to forget or ignore cleaning and changing contacts. While
neglecting this part of contact lens care can pose risks to their eyes, dailies
make cleaning unnecessary and changing a breeze.

 Ok, so what about
the cost? When you order several boxes, such as a year’s supply, you will
usually receive a significant discount and a rebate, reducing the overall cost
to around a dollar a day, or even less.

So what are
healthy/comfortable eyes worth to you?  Are
they worth much as you pay for cable each month?  According to the Huffington Post (Oct. 13,
2013) the average cable bill is $128 a month or $4.25 a day. A favorite
saying of mine is “Would you buy the cheapest parachute you can find?” Think
about it, what is the worth of your eyes to you?

So the next time you
can’t wait to get your contacts out, think daily disposable lenses, or plan on
wearing your glasses more often.