For year’s people who had both nearsightedness and farsightedness had to suffer with eyeglasses that had thick lenses with a line across them. Not only were the glasses heavy but the frames for glasses in general were to say the least, unattractive. The other problem with the bifocal lenses was adjusting to them. You either have to look up or look down especially going downstairs. People often experience dizziness while adapting to the bifocal lenses.

For years people who needed bifocal lenses had only one choice, eyeglasses. Even when contact lenses came on the market, bifocals still could only be had in eyeglasses. That was then and this is now. Now contact lenses offer as many choices if not more choices than for those who wear eyeglasses. Now to the joy of many, there are bifocal contact lenses available. Bifocal contact lenses are available in soft, rigid, gas permeable materials.

Who needs to use bifocal lenses? People who have trouble focusing on objects that are near. They suffer with something called Presbyopia. This doesn’t usually develop after age 40.

There are various types of lenses and they are described below.

* Alternating design- these are similar to bifocal glasses, half the lens has distance powers and the other half has powers for near objects.

* Simultaneous Design-these lenses try to blend the powers of both distant and near sight prescriptions, they fill in the pupil area. Your eyes adapt and learn to interpret the circle power choice depending on how close or far you are looking.

* Concentric Design-These are the radial of contact lenses. The lens works on near vision while outer part works on distant vision correction or vice versa.

* Translating Design- these are also very similar to bifocal eyeglasses, the distance correction is above the near correction. A line separates the lenses. The lens is flat on the bottom to keep it from moving around in your eye when you blink.

* Asferic Design-Distant and near vision are located at the center of the lens. Near correction is at the center while distance correction surrounds it. They can be reversed in some situations. The doctor will help you decide that.

* Mono-vision Design-You wear one power lens in one eye and the other in the other eye. Distance vision is usually worn in the dominant eye. Again your doctor will be able to determine this with an examination.

There are also simultaneous vision contact lenses. These lenses allow the eyes to focus on both near and far objects at the same time. Near and distant correction is in concentric rings. Since the distant and near parts of the lens are in sight all the time light from both distant and near objects can be focused on at the same time.

There is a problem with simultaneous vision lenses. While the eye is seeing through the lens some light from distant objects will go through the near vision, and the light from near objects will go through the distant part of the lens. The eye takes both in focus and out of focus at the same time. It is up to the brain to figure out which is the desired image.

Contact lenses whether bifocal or not can only be obtained with a prescription. Through a comprehensive examination your eye doctor will determine whether you are a candidate for bifocal contact lenses and what specific type might be right for you. As with any contact lens there is an adjustment period and it might take more than one try before you get lenses that are the right fit and comfortable for you.

The reality though is that bifocal contact lenses may not be for you, at least in the contact lenses that are now available. Don’t give up. If you really want contact lenses and you need bifocals, do your research and keep up to date on the types of lenses available for you.

If you want to try contact lenses some companies have free trial periods of up to a week for you to try the lenses and see how you like them. There are resources available online, through your eye care physician, and in some cases right from the manufacturer. There are discount contact lens sites and some manufacturers offer coupons to you for trying them out. Your budget will undoubtedly play a part in your decision about bifocal contact lenses.

Ask friends or family members who have contact lenses what their experience has been like for them. Of course, not everyone has the same experience but in general, the information could help you and your physician make a determination.

Bifocal contact lenses are available for people with astigmatism. Toric contact lenses in particular come in both colors and disposable types. Consult with your eye care professional, as some professionals are not comfortable with fitting Toric lenses.

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Throughout time there have been various means of correcting vision. There was the monocle, then the glasses that were on a chain or a stick, and then there were eyeglasses as we know them today but there were not as many styles as there are now. As technology improved the lenses of glasses were getting smaller. Since many people were always losing or breaking their eyeglasses they were hoping for a way to wear glasses and not have to worry about them being lost or breaking them.

Contact lenses came along and they were great but expensive. If you lost them or dropped them you would have to get new ones. I knew of someone who lost one of her contact lens and she had developed an infection in her eye. The doctor examined her only to find the contact lens had slipped and was not in the proper place. Traditional contact lenses were rigid and took some getting used to.

People were looking for softer and more flexible lenses and lenses they could easily put in. Softer lenses came out and then because they had to be removed every night and cleaned, people started to long for lenses they could wear all the time. As the prices came down and more people were able to purchase contacts, they were getting sick and tired of cleaning them all the time and of the expense of all the cleaning solutions needed.

It would be great, they thought, to be able to throw out the lenses each night and eliminate the need for the cleaning solution. 1987 saw the introduction of disposable contact lenses and they were design-ed to be worn for a specific amount of time before having to be re-placed. There are some terms and explanations that you need to be familiar to understand disposable contact lenses.

* Disposable Contact Lenses - they are discarded and replaced after two weeks if not sooner.

* Frequent replacement lenses - they are replaced every one to three months. Traditional/Reusable - these are replaced every six months if not before.

* Extended wear lenses - you can sleep in them for up to two weeks.

* Daily disposable lenses are removed and discarded every night eliminating the need for cleaning solutions. You and your doctor should determine the replacement schedule. The wearing schedule defines how often you remove, replace, or discard your lenses.

* Day and night Contact Lenses - You wear these lenses day and night for up to 30 days. You then remove them and dispose of them. It is my personal opinion that if you can tolerate them the Day and Night Contact lenses would be the best idea. Imagine what you can do with all the time you save because you aren’t busy cleaning your lenses every night.

The more lenses are replaced the healthier your eyes will be. Over time there can be a build up of calcium, lipids, and proteins on them and make your eyes very uncomfortable and make you prone to infections.
Some people wear disposable lenses for theatrical purposes and use color changer lenses. There are all kinds of contact lenses including those with logos and animal eyes.

What are some of the benefits of using disposable contact lenses?

* There is lower risk of infections, lenses are sterile

* There is not enough time for calcium and protein to build up on them.

* They result in clearer vision.

* They are not for use with cleaning solutions.

* There is no worry about having cleaning solutions or storing them.

* Daily disposables are ideal for people who suffer from allergies, especially during the high allergy season.

* The are great for people who wear contacts only a few days a week. They are also cheaper if you wear them only a few days a week.

* If you rip your lenses or lose them, you simply discard them and open a new package.

The benefits of disposable contact lenses are greater than eyeglasses. Some people keep a pair of glasses just in case something has to happen to their lenses.

The decision to use contact lenses including disposable contact lenses should be discussed with your eye care physician. A careful examination should be conducted as well. Do your research some manufacturers of contact lenses will offer you a free trial for at least a week.

You can get disposable contact lenses from eye care places or you can get them online. Either way you will need to have a prescription. Be aware that not everyone can wear contact lenses and only you and your doctor can decide that. You need to decide if you can afford them. Talk to the manufacturers and see if they have any special offers and/or trial periods. Do your research; see what kinds of lens are available for your prescription. Do what is best for you.

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Contact lenses come in a variety of colors and effects these days. These include basic white contact lenses. Courtesy of the fact that many of these lenses are now created for cosmetic purposes, with a power of 0.00, basic white contact lenses can be made available for all, not just those with poor eyesight.

One must wonder of course, how basic white contact lenses could affect poor vision, and the answer is that they couldn’t of course.

However, at a party, the effect of pure white in one’s eyes could be very striking, if not a little bit scary …..

In a dramatic sense, theatrical contact lenses are used to help portray specific characters, or idiosyncrasies that these characters may possess. If a character were blind, then having basic white contact lenses could have a significant effect on the portrayal of that character. Having said that, basic white contact lenses will have a ‘pupil hole’ which would show up as a black dot in the eye. Without this hole, you wouldn’t be able to see anything of course.

Taking this theme a bit further, it is possible to get other color lenses which give an ‘all out’ effect. By this I mean which are made of a solid color, with only the pupil hole showing. These solid color lenses are available in colors such as silver, black, red, yellow and violet. Again the effects of these types of lenses would be considered theatrical in nature, or perhaps used to add an effect for a night out.

Technology works wonders in all areas of life, and contact lenses are no exception. With the increased technology, and the popularity of colored lenses, a new trend has developed with scary contact lenses.

These lenses have been around for awhile and were basically used in movies, plays and other theatrical endeavors. The popularity and desire for these lenses began to increase and the contact lens industry responded with a huge selection of scary contact lenses for anybody with a prescription and also for those without.

These lenses are wonderful for individuals who really enjoy getting into complete costume for Halloween, costume parties or simply enjoy being eccentric and having scary contact lenses.

The best scariest contact lenses really depend on your sense of scary and style. The selection of scary lenses runs from the mild to the extreme. These lenses come in blood red, cat eye, hourglass, stitches, tempest, demon, mummy, berserker and other scary styles. You can even get a lens that is completely white.

The total blackout lens that makes the entire eye white is one of the scariest lenses because it is incredibly freaky and disconcerting for all who see the person wearing them. It looks like the person is walking dead or something scarier.

The Banshee style contact is another incredibly scary lens, and in my opinion the scariest. The colored part of the lens is shaped like a cat eye. The black pupil is surrounded by yellow flames which are encapsulated by blood red. These contacts will scare everyone in your presence and will perhaps convince your friends you have been taken over by an evil spirit. Fortunately, these contact lenses are available on the Internet and do not require a prescription or a visit to an optometrist. However, this might be a good idea especially if you have never worn contact lenses before and don’t know the diameter of your eye. You don’t want to buy a lens and then it not fit, so consider visiting your optometrist before purchasing these scary lenses.

Contact lens wearers have long suffered from dry eyes, however dry eyes do not have to be a symptom you live with. There are many solutions to erasing dry eyes that allow you to enjoy wearing your contact lenses instead of dreading it.

Dry eyes can occur for a variety of reasons, some which may be attributable to contact wear and others can develop for other reasons. If your dry eyes are a result of contact wear or overwork, you can simply switch lenses or wear your lenses for shorter periods of time. However, if you have dry eye syndrome or an eye disease, your doctor probably has more suggestions for you.

First, you should determine why you have dry eyes. Is it environmental factors, related to contact wear, or something else? Once you know what you have you will better be able to treat it.

Artificial tears are often time the best remedy for dry eyes. Artificial tears are simply lubricating drops that will alleviate the scratchiness and dryness. The wonderful thing about artificial tears is you can use them as often as you like and they are easy to carry. If for some reason artificial tears do not work for you, then you probably need something stronger like Restasis drops. These drops help more than artificial tears because they actually stimulate your eye to produce more tears. When your eye has more tears you have less scratchiness and dryness.

If your dry eye problem is caused by the environment then there are several precautions you can take. First, use a humidifier indoors if the air is drying your eyes out and always wear sunglasses outside to reduce sunlight and debris.

If your dry eye problem still persists, you might need plugs to reduce your tears evaporating so quickly or eye duct surgery. Some optometrists have also found there are supplements available that contain fatty acids that protect against dry eyes.

Regardless of why you have dry eyes, talk with your optometrist to make sure you are handling the dry eye situation as best as possible.