Contact lenses have largely replaced spectacles to day. These are small curving pieces of plastic designed such that they adjust immediately to the wearer's eye. How do they work? They are nothing but an extra refracting surface over the wearer's eye which remedies problems like near sightedness and hypermetropia. Contacts aid the wearer in the same way as spectacles. Sometimes, they (link lenses) are used so that the user looks nicer and for purposes of eye disease cure.

• Contacts can handle any problem that normal glasses can, and usually more. Sometimes, the user is not happy with his or her show in glasses, and goes in for a pair of contacts for a better show. Contacts don't normally slip, or catch the damp, or rise upwards or any such. You can encounter some of these problems if you wear spectacles. If you suffer from severe hypermetropia or have just had your cataracts removed, you can consider getting contacts. You end up looking much better than you would if you had used spectacles, which tend to develop spotty marks.

• Users who are all new to contact lenses have to learn how to wear them and how to take them out at the end of the day. You may have been able to do it in front of the optometrist at your fitting exam, but once you're home, all alone and in front of the mirror, things might seem a bit more difficult.

It might be hard to put your contact lenses in for the first time, all by yourself. But with a few days or a few weeks of practice, you'll be able to handle it with élan. All you need to remember is that it is a matter of practice.

Uses of contact lens:

• The main use is to help people with near sightedness.

• Another use is to remedy hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia and aphakia.

• Rigid lenses are good for you if you have some ailment of the cornea, especially corneal injury.

• Soft lenses serve much as bandages for conditions like bullous keratopathy, recurring corneal corrosion, and aids in the whole healing process after you have had an eye surgery.

Main types of contact lenses

• Link lenses are of two main types. You have soft link lenses made of water friendly plastics, and should be stored in fluids. This is because if they are kept wet, they can easily and flexibly sit on the surface of your eye. These are almost weightless, very comfortable, so you can hardly tell if you are wearing one.

• The other kind is the gasoline permeable or RPG strict link lenses. These are made of more durable kinds of plastic, and allow oxygen to circulate through the eye and into the cornea. These lenses require little maintenance. Earlier versions of these lenses did not allow oxygen into the eye and have now been largely replaced by RPGs.

Do consult your eye specialist before you go in for link lenses. He will be able to tell you best what lenses are appropriate for your vision. Always go in for a check up every year after you have started wearing contacts.