DAILIES, TWO-WEEK, OR MONTHLY... HOW DO I CHOSE?
There are so many options when choosing the right contact lens for you. There are different brands, different sizes and fits, some that you throw away each day, and others that you replace just once a month. So how do you know which one you should be wearing? First of all, your doctor is the best resource! They know the ins and outs of all the different brands and what would be a good fit for your eyes. We leave most of the decision up to them as far as the best size, steepness, and material of contact that will be best for your eyes. However, it always helps your doctor to know how you like to wear your contacts to know which would be the best place to start. We’d like to help you understand just how our doctors know what wearing schedule is best…
Monthly Contact Lenses
The monthly replacement contact lenses have been around for quite sometime. They are probably what you have been most familiar with in the past. A common misconception though is that monthly lenses can be worn for the entire month (including sleeping in them!) before you need to take them out of your eyes. WHAT A MYTH! AND OUCH! Monthly contact lenses should be removed each and every night and put in solution. After 30 days after you opened the new pair, not 30 days of wear (another myth!), the lenses are thrown away and a new lens should be put on. Monthly contact lenses are a staple for someone with higher astigmatism in their prescription. Their prescription may only be available in the monthly modality. We think it is always best to see your sharpest, so if this describes your prescription, monthly contacts are totally for you!
Two-Week Contact Lenses
The two-week contact lenses are very similar to the monthlies. You still take them out each and every night and put them in solution. In the morning, you’ll reuse the same pair again. Only difference is that they are thrown away after two weeks from opening the pair, not one month. We’ve found it can sometimes be difficult to remember to replace them on this schedule. If you’re a forgetful person, the two-week contacts are probably not a good fit for you. If you’re someone who can remember to replace your contacts on the 1st and 15th of the month or set an alarm on your phone to remind you, you should have no problem in the two-week lenses! Maybe you like the idea of your contacts transitioning to dark when you go outside? The Transitions contacts are only available in the two-week replacement schedule, so this would be the best fit for you!
Daily Contact Lenses
Dailies are the newest to the market and they are expanding at a rapid pace! There is always a new and improved daily coming out that our doctors can share with you. Our doctors love just about everything about the daily contact lenses. Not only are they super thin, as they only have to last the one day, and comfortable on our eyes, but they are also the healthiest. Because you are replacing the lenses each and every use, the risk of infection is extremely low if worn correctly. What do we mean by that? You should be throwing the contacts away after each use. Whether you only wear the contact for a couple hours to go out to dinner, it should be thrown away as soon as you take it out that night. They should never be put in a case, reworn, or slept in. Most often, our doctors will think the dailies are a good fit, but there are some cases in particular where they are absolutely the best! If you only wear your contacts on occasion, it is so much easier (and more comfortable!) to get a new lens each use than try to remember when you opened that pair of contacts and when you need to replace them. You also won’t need to buy solution and a 3 month supply could last you a whole year, so it’s better on your wallet too! Because of the ease of use of dailies, we think first-timers, especially kids and teens, should definitely start in the dailies. It’ll save all the moms out there some added stress of eye infections! They also have dry eye specific daily contacts that sit on a part of the eye that is less irritated by the contact and allow more moisture on the eyes. These are hands down the best fit for dry eye patients, those that are in front of the computer a lot, or outside frequently where their eyes can be prone to dryness.
As you can see there are lots of things to consider when choosing your contacts, which is why we think it is best to leave it up to our doctors! They may ask you a few questions like how you use your contacts or when are you going to be wearing contacts most in order to help with their selection. So now you know a little of what is going through their minds as they pick out your contact lens wearing schedule. There may be some tweaks that need to be made once the contacts are on your eyes to get you seeing or feeling your best, but trust that they will get you in a lens that will be just right!
