Over the last few years, there have been great advances in the contact lens industry. Disposable or frequent replacement lenses became popular in the last ten years.  Patients have been able to enjoy the comfort and convenience of these types of lenses.  These lenses are ideal for younger patients where compliance or hygiene is an issue.

Use a Fresh New Contact Lens Everyday
The most recent advance in contact lenses has been daily, disposable lenses.  These contacts are designed to be worn for a single day then thrown out. This eliminates the question as to “how old are my lenses?”  Each day there is a new pair of fresh, clean contact lenses.

Disposable Lenses are Maintenance Free!
There are many benefits of daily, disposable contact lenses. The first is no protein build up. Protein build up leads to gritty sensation, contact lens intolerance, and fluctuations in vision. One disadvantage of the older generation yearly replacement lenses was protein build up and the need to disinfect and enzyme clean the lenses.

Protein build up increases with time and wear of certain lenses.  Daily disposable lenses essentially eliminates this problem. There is no need to disinfect, clean or enzyme the contact lenses. This means no solutions, cleaners or contact lens case.

Lower Rate of Corneal Infection
The most important advantage of daily, disposable  lenses is the low risk of infection. Since there is a new pair every day, the chance of bacteria developing is minimal. There are no contact lens cases or bottles of solution to introduce these germs. Daily, disposable contact lenses are much thinner than previous lenses which increases their comfort throughout the day. Daily contact lenses are ideal for patients with dry eyes and allergies.

The introduction of daily, toric lenses now allows patients with astigmatism to benefit from daily lenses.Since many contact lens manufacturers offer daily contact lenses, there are many great options for patients. This has allowed the price of daily lenses to be competitive  with  previous lenses. Daily lenses also eliminates the need for expensive solutions.

The ophthalmologists at Eye Associates of Washington have many of the newest daily contact lenses in the office to try.  Our expertise in fitting and choosing the right lenses enables our patients to be fit in the most comfortable, healthy contact lenses available

Shilpa D. Rose, M.D.
Board Certified Ophthalmologist
Washington, D.C. and Tyson’s Corner