EYE to EYE (Contact Lens)

What is 'contact lens'? Contact lenses are small, thin transparent discs, designed to sit on your cornea and correct your vision (Martell, 2008). There is a variety of contact lenses, from big eyes contact lenses, clear contact lenses, natural contact lenses, contact lenses for astigmatism and even for halloween and cosplay contact lenses. Normally contact lenses are use often due to enchance appearance. For me, eyes are important part of the body simply because eyes can speak everything and can express any kind of emotion besides attracts the opposite sex.

Types/ Functions of contact lenses:

Corrective contact lens

Martell (2008) says, "The purpose of contact lenses is the same as eyeglasses – to correct vision defects." Hence the corrective lens is designed to improve vision. It also helps for those who doing sporting activities compared to spectacles. It is because contact lens provide wider field of vision and do not steam up when compared to spectacles which really frustrating and inconvenience when keep putting and taking them off throughout the day.

Cosmetic contact lens
Cosmetic contact lenses are often worn by men and women to change the color of their eye and also to enhance the appearance. These lenses may also correct the vision, but these are mostly used for giving color to your eyes. Besides, these types of lenses might cause some irritation to your eyes, therefore, these lenses are advised not be worn too much.

Therapeutic contact lens
Therapeutic contact lenses, sometimes known as ‘bandage’ lenses, are special contact lenses worn for therapeutic reasons, e.g. treatment of a corneal or anterior eye disease. Although therapeutic contact lenses can be used to correct refractive error, and in some cases enhance drug delivery to the cornea, they are used primarily for physical therapeusis, mechanical eye protection, and as an aid to healing (Terry, 2004).


The different colours work with different types of costumes too for example a red would match off a devil costume perfectly. Contact lenses can be found in a great variety of colors such as gray, blue, violet, green, brown, hazel and all possible hues of them. With colored contact lenses you can either enhance the natural color of your eyes or totally transform it for a completely new look. Simply adjusting the color of your eyes can add substantial changes to your overall appearance, and with the variety of colors available you can look different whenever you need.


Here's are few brands of contact lenses:


ACUVUE Contact Lens




Bausch & Lomb Contact Lens





Korean 'Beuberry' Contact Lens



Korean GEO Contact Lens



Korean Barbie Nudy Contact Lens

                                          

Super Candy Contact Lens



Fresh Look Contact Lens









TADAaaaaaaaa, this is some of my lenses collection..... =)

As we can see from above, different lenses have different designs which gives different effects on your looks even without make up and also makes your eyes even more bigger. For me myself, prefer using ACUVUE/ FRESH LOOK contact lens because it is comfortable to wear and create some eyes catching styles besides makes me look different. And my favourite color lenses are black and hazel which I am using it currently because they are most natural color looking. For instance, I like ColourVue black contact lenses because the black screen contact lenses have a funky look that goes across the whole of your eye. With a subtle iris design your eyes automatically look bigger and more clear and the shiny black finish really brightens up your whole look.

Is purchasing Online contact lens safe?
Contact lenses will be as safe as or safer than your current eyewear is to make sure you buy a tested and reputable brand of contact lenses from a website that has a long history of providing contact lenses to its clients (CLE Contact Lenses, 2009). Only buy contact lenses if you feel informed and happy about using them. If you are worried about the lenses, walk in the shop and ask advice from optician – they will be able to answer your questions and advise you on the best options.

Besides putting and removing contact lenses, it is crucial to know how to cleaning and storing them after use because contact lense is small and thin transparent dics and it will cause irritation and discomfort to your eyes if you did not clean or store the lenses and the contact lens case itself. Here are the lens care guide/tips:

Cleaning and Storing Contact Lens:


Step 1:
Place the contact lens in the palm of your hand and apply a few drops of the recommended contact lens solution to the lens. Use your opposite hand’s forefinger (pointing finger) to rub the lens gently on both sides. Other than that, it is recommended not to wear contact lens of not more than 10-12 hours continuously for up to 5 days a week.


Step 2:
Rinse the lens thoroughly using plenty of contact lens solution. There are variety brands of contact lens solution such as Solo Care Aqua, Max OptiFresh, Complete Mositure Plus and so on. Currently, I am using Renu Fresh from Bausch & Lomb.

Renu Fresh nice to use because it is proven to fight germs, clean lenses, and remove irritating protein deposits daily from your soft contact lenses. It is also specially formulated to work
with your natural tears. Here's are the ingredients and benefits of Renu Fresh:

INGREDIENTS                              BENEFITS OF INGREDIENTS
HYDRANATE
(hydroxyalkylphosphonate)             Removes protein deposits that accumulate during wear.

Poloxamine                                     Enchances wettability. Removes dirt and debrirs that deposit on
                                                         your lens (for clearer vision).

DYMED
(polyaminopropyl biguanide)          Effectively kills micro-organisms(germs) on your lens.

Boric acid, edetate disodium,          Balances solution for your lens wearing comfort.
sodium borate, and sodium   
chloride

Step 3:

Fill your lens case with plenty of contact lens solution and place your cleaned and rinsed contact lenses in the appropriate compartment. Secure the cap of the lens case and repeat with your other contact lens. Leave your contact lenses in the lens case for at least four hours. Letting it soak in the solution will disinfect the contact lens.

Step 4:

After putting your contact lenses back in your eyes, pour the remaining solution out of the lens case. Rinse the lens case with fresh solution and let the inside of the case dry out in the open air. Warning: please never use water to clean or store your contact lenses. Water does not have the necessary contents to disinfect your contact lens correctly. In fact, cleaning your contact lenses with water may lead to a contamination of your lenses and has been known to cause irreparable harm to the eye.

WARNING: Please never use water to clean or store your contact lenses. Water does not have the necessary contents to disinfect your contact lens correctly. In fact, cleaning your contact lenses with water may lead to a contamination of your lenses and has been known to cause irreparable harm to the eye. (http://www.lenstore.co.uk/lens-wearing-guide)

References:

Terry, R. (2004, October). Therapeutic Contact Lenses. Retrieved from http://www.siliconehydrogels.org/featured_review/featured_review_oct_04.asp

Martell, A. (2008, August 26). How Contact Lenses Work- a Vision for Improved Sight. Retrieved from http://www.howitworks.net/how-contact-lenses-work.html

Lenstore.co.uk. (n.d.). Lens Wearing Guide. Retrieved from http://www.lenstore.co.uk/lens-wearing-guide

CLE Contact Lenses. (2009, February 16). Contact Lenses: Are They Really Safe? Retrieved from http://clecontactlenses.com/wordpress/?p=111