Frequently Asked Questions

A. Contact lenses have proven to be a healthy vision option for millions of people, but only your eye care professional can determine if they are right for you.

If you follow all prescribed steps for applying, removing, and caring for them, contact lenses will continue to be safe and effective. You also need to see your eye care professional regularly to ensure long-term corneal health.

The most serious contact lens complication is a "corneal ulcer" or "microbial keratitis." On average, this occurs in 4 of every 10,000 wears; but with GP lenses it drops to 1.2 of every 10,000 wearers. This is because GPs provide more oxygen to the eye than many soft lenses, and GPs better resist infection-causing deposits.

A. Sports vision doctors agree that contact lenses are the best vision correction option for many athletes. They can enhance visual skills like depth perception, peripheral awareness, and eye-hand/eye-foot coordination.

Unlike glasses, contacts offer athletes a competitive advantage because they stay in place under dynamic conditions, provide a wider vision field, and eliminate the risk of glasses-related injuries. Contact lenses also make it easy to wear protective goggles.

A. It appears so. A number of studies have shown that specially-designed GP lenses used for overnight orthokeratology, and specially-designed soft contact lenses, can slow or stop the lengthening of the eye, which is the cause of myopia (nearsightedness). To learn more, read about orthokeratology.

A. No. When they were first available in 1971, soft contact lenses were a giant leap in technology and comfort over old-style hard contact lenses.

But GP contact lenses, first marketed in 1978, are a next-generation advancement. New, recently developed materials and designs make them a state-of-the-art option for contact lens wearers, offering sharper vision, better corneal health, longer lens life, and greater ease of care than most soft contacts.

Click here for an in-depth comparison of GPs and soft lenses.

A. It differs from lens to lens:

• GP contacts, which can last for a year or more, need daily cleaning and disinfecting, but their slick surface resists deposit buildup.
• Daily disposable soft lenses are worn once, then discarded, with no maintenance required. As with all contact lenses, it remains important to clean hands prior to applying or removing a daily disposable soft contact lens.
• Other disposable soft lenses are usually cleaned at the end of the day, then soaked in disinfecting solution until they're worn again, and may be replaced weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
• Soft lenses that are replaced quarterly or annually might require weekly treatment with an enzymatic cleaner in addition to daily care.

A. No. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that contact lenses not be exposed to any form of water. Acanthamoeba, an organism present in tap water and other forms of impure water, can become attached to a lens and cause a sight-threatening infection.

Read more about swimming, showering and bathing with lenses.

A. If your spare pair came sealed in the case with solution, you should keep the sealed lenses in solution until you need a spare lens. Otherwise, it is best to store them dry in a case with no solution. When you need a spare lens, clean the lens and soak it overnight in the recommended soaking/disinfecting solution prior to wearing it.

A. GP lenses last an average of one to two years before needing replacement. This depends upon several factors including the lens material, how dry your eyes are, and how well you care for and clean your lenses. Some lens materials require annual replacement, and some people with dry eyes replace their GPs annually. Other wearers may find that they are able to wear the same lenses for several years.

A. Soft contact lenses are available that will change the color of your eyes, even if you don't require vision correction. Costume lenses for Halloween or theatrical purposes are also available.

GP contact lenses sometimes have a "handling tint" — a light tint that makes them easier to see — but GPs are not available in colors that will change the appearance of your eyes. A corneall GP lens is smaller than the size of the iris, so corneal GP color lenses would not look natural.

All contact lenses, including color contact lenses that have no corrective power, are prescribed medical devices that must be fitted and followed up by your eye care professional. And remember, even though such lenses might provoke curiosity by your friends and family members, never share them with anyone. Sharing lenses can lead to dangerous health problems.

If you are interested in a contact lens that will help mask a disfigurement of your eye, read more here: https://www.contactlenses.org/corneal-and-iris-disfigurements/

A. Ask your doctor. It depends on the type of lens you're wearing, the composition of your tear film, your general eye health, and other factors.

GP contact lenses and certain soft lenses can be slept in, but never wear them while sleeping unless your eye care practitioner says you can.

A. It often takes one to two weeks for total comfort to be achieved. Corneal GP lenses are smaller than soft lenses and they move more on the eye when you blink. The awareness that you experience will lessen as your lids adapt to moving over the lens edge as you blink.

Larger diameter scleral GP lenses are as large as, or slightly larger than, soft lenses. The initial comfort of a scleral lens is similar to a soft lens and although historically these lenses have been reserved for irregular corneas, they are becoming more popular for healthy eyes, notably in designs for presbyopia and astigmatism.

A. This is a common and natural concern, more often experienced by males, since females are accustomed to touching the eyelids when applying makeup.

It helps to first get used to touching your eyes without applying a lens. One very successful technique is to place a warm (not hot) drop of water on your cleaned index finger and bring it up to the eye and actually touch the white of your eye. The water has a numbing effect such that you may not even feel your finger against your eye. Your eye care professional may also decide to use a numbing drop immediately prior to applying contact lenses for the first time.

It's easier than you think to get used to lens application. In fact, often when people get used to applying and removing lenses, they question why they did not make the commitment to contact lenses sooner.

A. Yes, they most likely can. The stable back surface of a GP lens will usually automatically correct your astigmatism. GPs come in bifocal and multifocal designs, which provide good vision at near, mid-range and far distances.

Learn more about GP bifocal and multifocal designs.

A. This is a common complaint as our eyes get drier over time. First, get your eye care practitioner's assessment and recommendations. Then be mindful of these factors:

• Don't sleep in lenses that were prescribed for daytime wear only. This can result in a filmy lens and increase the potential for eye infection.
• Wash your hands before handling lenses, and don't let lanolin-based soaps or hand creams come into contact with the lenses.
• Rub and rinse your lenses after removal. Rubbing for 10-20 seconds helps remove debris and bacteria, and rubbing has been found to make contact lenses up to 8 times cleaner!
• Some medicines can cause dryness and affect contact lens wear. Antihistamines, anti-anxiety agents and oral contraceptives are examples.
• Certain surface treatments may reduce filming problems during the first several months of wearing a new lens.
• Rewetting drops can help, especially if you spend a lot of time at the computer.
• Extra-strength cleaners or enzymatic cleaners can help with tough, filmy deposits.