Contact Lenses
Disposable Soft Lenses
Most people who are new to wearing contact lenses start by wearing disposable
soft contact lenses. The main advantage to this is hygiene, as frequent disposal
of contact lenses has been shown to reduce the risk of contact-lens related
infections. Disposable contact lenses can also be made much thinner than conventional
lenses, giving better comfort when the lenses are in the eye. Contact lenses
are available to correct both long- and short-sightedness as well as toric lenses
for astigmatism and bifocal \ varifocal lenses for presbyopia. Depending on
your needs, and how often you plan on wearing lenses, it is possible to have
single-use lenses, or those that you keep for a week, fortnight or month before
having new ones.
A free trial of disposable contact lenses is available, with professional fees
only payable if you are successful with wearing lenses. Please contact us for
more information.
We offer a direct-debit system for paying for all frequent-replacement contact
lenses, and this payment also includes the professional fees for all your regular
check-ups, plus any emergency visits that you may need. Alternatively you may
choose to simply pay-as-you-go, where the lenses are of a comparable price to
that found in supermarkets or online retailers, but your annual check-up must
be paid for separately.
Extended wear lenses
Ordinary contact lenses aren't designed to be worn all-day, every-day, and do
not allow sufficient oxygen to pass through for them to be safe for wearing
while you are asleep. Extended (or overnight) wear lenses contain considerably
more silicon than ordinary soft contact lenses. This helps with the transport
of oxygen through the lens, and can prevent problems with lens dehydration during
the day. Fitting of extended wear lenses is more complicated than other lenses,
and will require more visits to the practice to ensure that you are able to
wear these lenses without compromising the health of your eyes. However our free
trial offer still applies to these lenses.
Conventional Soft Lenses
Rather than disposing of soft lenses after a day, week or month of wear, there
are brands of soft lenses that can be used for a year or longer, providing that
you clean the lenses adequately to keep them comfortable when they are in your
eye, and so that they give the best vision possible. Care of conventional lenses
is more involved, as the "all in one" solutions are often not sufficient
to keep the lenses free from protein and other deposits. Use of conventional
lenses also carries an increased risk of infection, which is why we recommend
disposable lenses as a first choice.
Gas Permeable Lenses
Similar to the traditional 'hard' contact lenses, gas permeable lenses are made
from materials that are more permeable, and therefore are more healthy for the
eyes. With the exception of extended wear (sleeping in contact lenses), everything
that is discussed above for soft contact lenses is possible with gas permeable
lenses. There are also therapeutic uses for gas permeable lenses, for example
to provide a regular corneal surface for patients that have keratocconus, or
problems following corneal surgery. Gas permeable lenses require more adaptation
to wearing them than soft lenses, and as such the number of new gas permeable
fits in the UK is declining, although we are still able to fit these lenses
should your situation indicate that these are the most suitable option.