The Advantages Of Contact Lenses Over Glasses
Michael Wright
Contact lenses are optical medical devices, just as spectacles
are, and often provide cosmetic and optical advantages over
them. The more than 35 million people in the United States who
have opted for contact lenses over the use of glasses have done
so because of their convenience, and cosmetic value. Many people
initially feel discomfort when starting to use contact lenses,
but the benefits of using them far outweigh these minor
discomforts.
The Short History Of Spectacles
The invention of spectacles has greatly influenced progress in
the arts and sciences, yet it is not very clear who invented
this instrument. In 1270, Marco Polo saw elderly Chinese using
this device, which they claim to have originated in Arabia in
the 11th century.
The spectacles evolved in the western world from the late 1200s
onwards, with riveted spectacles used by monks and scholars, who
held the lenses in front of there eyes, or balanced them on
their noses. The invention of the printing press in 1452
encouraged the mass production of spectacles, along with the
growing popularity of books. For the lower and middle classes,
there were spectacles mounted in wood, horn, bone, etc, whereas
the upper classes used hand held spectacles in gold or silver
frames.
The significant advancement in frame design occurred in the
1600s, with rigid bridges that allowed the spectacles to remain
in place. In the present times, there has been a tremendous
progress in frames and lens acuity, with the spectacles,
whether plain or prescription, becoming a fashion statement.
The Short History Of Contact Lenses
If you are of the view that contact lenses are a new invention,
you are way off the mark. Leonardo Da Vinci first described and
sketched his ideas of contact lenses way back in 1508! However,
it took more than 300 years to fabricate and wear them.
Swiss physician A.E. Fick and Paris optician Edouard Kalt are
credited with fitting the first contact lenses, in the late
1800s, for myopia and hyperopia. These heavy glass lenses could
be used for a few hours of wear only.
Plastic came into use in 1936, when William Feinbloom, an
optometrist in New York, made contact lenses with the central
portion of glass surrounded by plastic in the periphery that
covered the sclera. 1948 saw a Californian optometrist, Kevin
Tuohy produce contact lenses completely made of plastic.
The same year, George Butterfield, an optometrist from Oregon,
improved upon Kevin Tuohy’s design with lenses that matched the
shape of the cornea, and would not easily pop off. These lenses
have evolved to the present soft contact lenses, which are worn
by more than 90% of the contact lens wearers in the United
States.
Contact Lenses vs. Glasses
Contact lenses offer functional advantages over glasses in
areas, such as sports, work – in humid environment, and in
occupations where spectacles are inconvenient and not
compatible with the equipment used, such as special headgears.
Let us look at some of the advantages that contact lenses offer
over glasses:
Natural Vision - As they are worn right on the cornea of the
eye, contact lenses provide vision that is more natural. The
objects appear in the correct size and position, without any
distortion. The distance between the eye and the glasses can
vary, causing the objects to appear larger or smaller than they
actually are.
Stable Vision – Contact lenses are not affected by quick body
movements, such as in sports and similar activities, and remain
in place, providing clear and stable vision. Eyeglasses are
unstable on your face when running, making your vision
unstable, affecting your performance.
Peripheral Vision – Contacts give you a wider and better
peripheral vision that glasses. Contact lenses move along with
your eyes and you are always looking through the clearest part
of the lens – the optic zone. On the other hand, the frames of
the glasses block your peripheral vision, and when you move
your eyes to the side, you are no longer looking through the
optical center, causing blurred and distorted vision.
Unaffected By Weather – Contact lenses do not fog up when you
come in from the cold, and neither do they get splattered by
rain. In addition, they do not steam up from body heat or
perspiration.
Comfortable – Contact lenses are quite comfortable to wear as
they do not pinch your nose, or rub or press against your ears
and temple, unlike glasses, which, in addition, slide down your
nose when you perspire.
Contact lenses have been a boon for children in one particular
sense. They do not get picked on at school by their friends.
This relieves them from the psychological and physical traumas
related to wearing glasses.
Glasses, at times do not work, and contact lenses are certainly
superior to them:
Thick glasses are required in cases of severe short
sightedness, making them very heavy, and your eyes look very
small.
Glasses do not provide adequate correction when the difference
between the visual acuity of your eyes is more than 2.5
diopters - a unit of measurement of the refractive power of
lenses.
After cataract removal, your eyes need a special protection,
which only contact lenses can provide adequately.
With improvements in technology, a wide variety of contact
lenses are available, both for ophthalmic, as well as cosmetic
uses. People who normally wear glasses can easily and safely
shift to wearing contact lenses. People had many misgivings
about using contact lenses, and opted for glasses, but these
are no longer hold true.
There was a time when contact lenses used to pop out, and this
was during the time when contact lenses were hard lenses.
Today, there is no ‘popping’ out with the introduction of soft
contact lenses. These soft contact lenses conform to the shape
of the eye, and do not move or pop out.
Another myth of contact lenses being expensive is not correct.
These are less expensive than many of the designer frames that
are available today.
Follow the instructions of the manufacturers to take care of
your contact lenses, to enable them to provide you with clear
and healthy vision.
About The Author: Michael Wright is a virtual authority on
http://www.contact-lenses-online-guide.com/Home.html . He also
writes articles about
http://www.contact-lenses-online-guide.com/Color_Contacts.html
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