Nearly one out of every 10 Americans wears contact lenses today. Those numbers, when you consider the options are fairly staggering. The good news is that as a result of so many opting to wear these them rather than eyeglasses or choosing surgery, there have been leaps and bounds in the technology and comfort of modern lenses. These aren't your grandma's contact lens.



Throughout the history of contact lenses many people have opted for eyeglasses because of the discomfort involved in wearing them combined with some degree of squeamishness over the idea of sticking something in your eye. I don't know about you but I recall my mother telling me so many times as a child not to stick things in and around my eyes that somewhere along the line it sunk in. I had to work very hard to overcome that conditioning not to stick something in my eyes before I was willing to give contact lenses a try. I'm so thankful now that I overcame my earlier objections.

Contact lenses come in many shapes and textures. There are soft lenses, rigid lenses, lenses that you can leave in for up to an entire month, lenses that enhance your eye color (my personal favorite-I always wanted green eyes), and even disposable lenses that can be thrown away after use. There is no one size fits all when it comes to contact lenses today. The technology has also advanced to the point that they can now be used in people who have astigmatisms or those that need bifocals.

It is important to remember that contact lens are not for everyone. If they aren't for you, there's no problem with that. It's obvious that many Americans still opt to wear eyeglasses even with the option of Lasik surgery on the horizon. Whichever corrective vision option you choose must be the right one for you and no one else. Do not be pressured into trying contacts if you aren't ready for them or your experience will be a negative one and you may never experience the true benefit that contact lenses have to offer.

Among the commonly stated reasons for choosing contact lenses over eyeglasses are the following: no fogging, no drips and drops from rain, contacts don't fall off as easily during sports, they are more comfortable for many people, and the most often stated reason is that people feel they look better in contacts than in glasses.

In order to get the best possible results from your experience with contact lenses it is very important that you have a professional do the actual fitting for you and that you follow the instructions for wear, duration of wear, care and cleaning, and any other contingencies that may arise. Caring for your contact lenses properly will prolong their life as well as their comfort to you as the wearer.

While you can order replacement contacts from any vendor that you are comfortable ordering them from, your first prescription should come with someone that is licensed to deal with contact lenses and prescribe lenses. You want to make sure that you are going with someone you can trust for your lenses as your vision could be significantly impaired or even lost by using the wrong equipment. So choose your source carefully and enjoy your contact lenses.