Do you have painful memories of being bullied in junior school because of your “dorky” spectacles? However, by now you have made a smooth transition from an awkward teenager into an attractive young adult. The only remnants of your past that you carry about with you are your glasses. You never replaced them with the more refined contact lenses you've seen in advertisement, worrying about the extra expenses you would be incurring on a monthly basis, or on an annual basis, owing to these slightly more expensive lenses.

Perhaps you've been seriously considering making that change from glasses to lenses. But there are several pros and cons that you must consider before you do. Let's take a quick look at them:

• Many shops are nowadays offering hefty discounts to those who buy lenses from them on a regular basis. You could seek out these types of customer reward programs.

• It is also worthwhile considering the fact that contact lenses, though somewhat more expensive than spectacles, will give you more sophistication and variety in your physical appearance, in comparison with glasses. So you must weigh all your options and consider what your priorities are: variety or expense? When you consider the fact that lenses offer you variety, fashion as well as improved vision, perhaps the comparatively high price of the contact lenses is quite justified.

• If you work in a factory, a construction site, or belong to a profession that involves outdoor activities, then you must think twice before using contact lenses. Frequent exposure to dust and grime could mess up your lenses, necessitating their constant replacement with newer pairs, increasing your expenses.

• You might do a thorough market survey before you zero in on a particular brand of lenses. The same pair of lenses may be sold by different retailers at different prices. If you want to buy a branded pair of lenses, it may be a cheaper option to buy it from a retailer than from the brand showroom. Moreover there are different retailers selling the same type of lens (soft, semi-soft, hard, disposable) at different prices. So you must determine what the lowest price is before you make that purchase. However, you must ensure that you buy your lenses from a reliable store. After all, as the very name suggests, those things will be in “contact” with your eyes, floating about on the thinnest of tear films of your most valuable sense organ.

Lenses not only aid your vision, they also give you a sense of confidence and boost your self-image. Let's face it, make up and a trendy halter-neck outfit don't quite go with those thick frames. And at some point in your life, you must have complained about the ugly dents left by the spectacles on your skin. Lenses are convenient too: you no longer have to carry those glasses around all the time, perched on your nose precariously. And if you believe that variety is the spice of life, then you can opt for colored lenses, sporting green eyes one day and blue eyes the next. It's the perfect way to up your glamour quotient by several notches, and such a departure from those same old spectacles that you've been wearing for the past two years!

Having said that, lenses, just like spectacles, are meant to aid your vision. They are not merely external accoutrements, or fashionable accessories. They are meant to assist your bodily functions, rather than cause you discomfort. So you must, first and foremost, consider the quality of lenses that you decide to purchase. In your search for variety and glamour, make sure you don't end up with red swollen eyes that itch and burn! Weigh all your options and make a sensible choice that is safe and cost-effective.