Benefits of Contact Lenses

benefits contacts glassesYou may be considering purchasing a new pair of contact lenses.

As an eyeglass wearer myself, I know there are certain times when it’s just not convenient to wear glasses. I played basketball for a long time, and it was distracting during the game to jump up for a rebound and have your glasses bounce on your face when you landed again. If you run or play sports, it’s a great time to switch out from eyeglasses into contact lenses.

There are many benefits that contact lenses offer.  Your eye doctor can help you best understand the differences and what will work best for your individual situation.
But here is a list of some of the top reasons to wear contact lenses:

Peripheral Vision

There are a few ways that contact lenses can affect your vision when compared to glasses.  First of all, because a contact sits directly on your eye, it offers a more natural vision.  Eyeglasses are worn at a distance, and this (though small) distance between the eye and the lens can occasionally offer a different feel visually. For instance, with glasses, your peripheral isn’t as sharp because, depending on the frame, the prescription lens may not extend that far, although, there are also eyeglass frames that can minimize this effect.

Contact lenses are often more helpful with increasing peripheral vision.  This can be particularly important when playing sports and when driving.

This is also why your contact lens prescription may differ slightly from your eyeglass prescription.

Cosmetic Appeal of Contact Lenses

Many people also feel that contact lenses are cosmetically more appealing.  Personally, I would debate this endlessly because I don’t think there is anything more appealing than a great pair of glasses that allow you to change the way you look (and feel) by slipping on a different frame whenever you want. However, for specials events and weddings, most people will opt for contact lenses.

Nonprescription Sunglasses

Also, with contact lenses regular sunglasses can still be worn.  So, if you notoriously borrow sunglasses from that fashionista friend of yours, with contacts you’re able to.  Even for those who easily lose sunglasses or have an awful habit of sitting on them or crushing them in some shape or form, contact lenses are probably a better investment.

And as with sunglasses, it’s always good to have a back-up eyeglass pair as well. If something irritates your eye, or if you contract some sort of conditions (i.e. pink eye), it is highly recommended NOT to wear your contact lenses. In times like those, you should switch to eyeglasses and give your eyes all the rest and oxygen they need.

Choosing Glasses vs. Contacts

Many people choose to wear both contact lenses and eyeglasses. It’s definitely convenient to have both because that gives you the flexibility to choose and coordinate your look to each individual day.

Remember, the prescriptions are different from each other, so make sure your optometrist knows which prescription you’re looking for or both.

Photo Credit: Through The Glass

You may also like...

12 Responses

  1. Gregory Willard says:

    I had no idea that contact lenses can affect your peripheral vision. My wife says that she likes to wear contact lenses more than her glasses because she can see better. I will have to ask her if it affects her peripheral vision.

    • Claire Rozeman says:

      So glad this blog article was helpful to you Gregory. Contact lenses can sometimes improve peripheral vision because they directly cover the eye’s surface. Please let us know if you have any more questions. Thank you!

  2. Maggie Allen says:

    You make a really good point about getting regular contact lenses to allow you to wear your normal sunglasses. I just bought some sunglasses the other day, and I would definitely not be happy if I had to return them and find another pair with a prescription. Plus, I imagine that there are some sunglasses brands that don’t offer any prescription lenses, which means you’d have a smaller selection.

  3. Rockford Johnson says:

    My eyes have been giving me a lot of problems lately. It was cool to learn that contact lenses are more appealing than glasses. I hope that I can remember this article if I need to decide between glasses and contacts.

    • Claire Rozeman says:

      That’s great to hear Rockford! If you need any more advice, we suggest you visited an America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses location to figure out the best options for your vision correction. Thanks for reading!

  4. Tomas Killington says:

    My son recently flunked his eye exam for his driver’s licence. We had no idea that his vision was that bad, and we’ve been trying to decide what to get him to improve his vision. I didn’t realize that having contacts help give greater peripheral vision on top of overall natural sight. I’ll definitely keep that in mind moving forward.

  5. LNWeaver says:

    I never thought about how glasses sit a distance away from your eyes. I can see how that would make your vision more synthetic/virtual. I’ve had glasses since I was in second grade, so I think I might be ready to try contacts.

  6. Thomas Pindall says:

    I have a friend who wears glasses, but he’s been considering on switching over to contact lenses, but doesn’t know how it will benefit him. I like how you mentioned that contact lenses help increase peripheral vision due to the fact that contact lenses sit directly on the eyes. This should help my friend make a decision on whether or not to get contact lenses, because he does occasionally complain how his glasses get in the way.

  7. Burt Silver says:

    I like that you point out not having to purchase prescription sunglasses. I recently bought prescription sunglasses and sometimes I want to change up the style of my sunglasses but I can’t because I don’t wear contacts. Maybe I’ll have to meet with my local optometrist and see what my options are as far as contacts go.

  8. Taylor Anderson says:

    My little brother has bad vision like I do, so he’s been wondering if he should use contacts or eye glasses. It was helpful when you mentioned that contacts are typically worn at formal events and can give flexibility. These tips will really help my brother make an informed choice, so I’ll be sure to share them with him.

  9. Dio Marsaille says:

    I can agree with you when you said that for special events, like weddings, people will opt to use contact lens instead of glasses as they are more appealing. For some reason, my boyfriend does not want to wear his glasses for his wedding despite me saying that he looks hot in it. It’s more of a personal opinion I guess. I guess I can agree that it looks better and at least, I get to see his whole face for once. Thank you for mentioning this.

  10. It’s interesting that you mention that making the switch from glasses to contact lenses can improve your peripheral vision. I recently started playing tennis as a hobby, so I’m thinking about getting a prescription for contact lenses. I’m going to see if there’s a good optometrist in my area who does contact lens prescriptions.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *