Which is better glasses or contact lenses? What do doctors think is better: contact lenses or glasses? All for and against both types of optics.

long time poor vision was corrected solely with the help of glasses. Only a few decades ago, the first lenses began to be produced, but their quality was far from necessary. Such contact lenses were felt before our eyes and had poor throughput. All this caused the occurrence of infections.

Currently, there are many different manufacturers of lenses with best qualities. However, the question still remains for many better glasses or lenses?

The effect of glasses on vision

Glasses are the more common form of correction. Despite the presence of contact lenses in optics, which are undoubtedly more convenient to use, many people still use glasses. They are quite easy to use, do not need special care and the glasses perfectly help to correct vision.

There is an assumption that wearing shackles over time further impairs vision. This is due to the fact that the external muscles of the eyes are constantly tense and work worse over time, so the lens does not acquire the shape it needs. The use of glasses on an ongoing basis leads to atrophy of the eye muscles.

As a result, vision deteriorates, the person again turns to the ophthalmologist with a request to write out a prescription for stronger glasses. But then the situation repeats itself. It is for this reason that optometrists most often advise wearing lenses with a slightly lower diopter than you need. So your eyes will be a little loaded.

However, if you are wondering what is better glasses or lenses, do not jump to conclusions. The harm from glasses has not been proven. A person can use them all his life and his vision will be at the same level as before. There are other cases when poor eyesight there is no correction with glasses, but it continues to fall.

With accuracy, only one thing can be said, if you have the wrong glasses, then your vision will decrease by about 5% annually. For the selection of glasses, be sure to contact the services of specialists and check both eyes. Not only diopters are important, but also the distance between the pupils, as well as focusing.

Be aware that cheap sunglasses designed to protect you from the sun can also affect your vision. They miss Sun rays and this can lead to burns and cataracts.

lenses

The effect of lenses on vision

The lenses that are currently being produced have excellent characteristics. Let's compare which is better glasses or lenses? Lenses allow oxygen to pass through, are comfortable to wear, do not cause a feeling of pain and inconvenience, help to correct vision and give more wide view compared to glasses.

However, ill-chosen lenses can harm your eyes much more than improperly selected glasses. The reason is that they are in very close contact with the surface of the eye, which means that corneal erosion, ulcers, conjunctivitis, or just the lenses can rub the eye.

Make the purchase of lenses exclusively in salons specially designed for this purpose according to the recommendations that your doctor will give you.

It is extremely important to properly care for the lenses and follow the rules of wearing. Store contact lenses in a special solution that helps to clean them from contamination. Wash your hands before putting on or taking off your lenses to avoid dirt and infection.

The process of getting used to lenses

Which is better glasses or contact lenses? Statistics show that lenses are gradually replacing glasses in the market. But wearing them for the first time always raises questions and possible inconveniences. We recommend using the following tips and tricks:

  1. Almost every fourth inhabitant of the planet has one or another vision problem. Previously, all of them were solved by wearing glasses, but now lenses are becoming more and more popular. Especially preference is given to lenses by the younger generation, since lenses are much more convenient in everyday life and when playing sports;
  2. Each manufacturer of lenses tries to make their wearing comfortable for a person. However, if you decide to use them for the first time, discomfort is possible. This is normal, because the eye needs to adapt to the appearance of a foreign body;
  3. Before buying lenses, consult an ophthalmologist. He will determine the required diameter, radius of curvature, wearing period, etc. If the lenses are chosen incorrectly, there is a high probability that you will never be able to get used to them. In addition, the oculist teaches correct use contact lenses. There are several contraindications when wearing lenses. This is primarily the so-called "dry eye", conjunctivitis, allergies, various kinds of inflammation;
  4. In addition, the material from which the lens is made is important. Silicone hydrogel lenses are now considered the best, as they are the best breathable. It is this indicator that affects how long you can wear without taking it off;
  5. Don't shock your eyes by wearing lenses all day for the first time. It is best to let them gradually get used to it over 2-4 weeks. Wear the lenses for 2 hours the first day, and increase the wear time by an hour each day thereafter. So the eyes will get used faster and will be able to smoothly change the production of the lacrimal glands. If you have purchased silicone hydrogel lenses, you can wear them for 4 hours on the first day and increase the nose time by 2 hours every day;
  6. To make it easier for your eyes to get used to, use special drops that are similar in composition to tear fluid. Properly and carefully care for the lenses, this will ensure the normal adaptation of the eye. Even after complete addiction, do not forget to visit a doctor for a preventive examination.

Cleaning contact lenses

The lenses are very thin and therefore fragile. They must be handled very carefully so as not to damage them. They are easily torn, deformed and dirty.

Most lenses are now made from hydrogel materials, as they allow oxygen to pass through better and allow the eyes to breathe. The hydrogel absorbs moisture well, but also dirt.

If you use lenses daily, take Special attention caring for them. To do this, you need a special container, tweezers and a cleaning solution.

Instructions for using lenses

  1. Contact lenses absorb dirt very well. Various kinds of dust particles and small hairs can be washed off with a solution. But it is also possible that the lenses become contaminated from the inside with grains of sand, small debris and microorganisms. As a result of contact with the surface of the eye, lenses are deposited organic matter. All of these factors can lead to poor vision, so you need to rinse your lenses well every day and carry out additional weekly cleaning.
  2. To clean the lenses, there are specialized solutions that do not harm the eyes. Never use them if the expiration date has passed. It is best to use multi-purpose solutions that solve several problems at once: they wash, disinfect and serve as a means for storing lenses.
  3. Wash your hands thoroughly before putting on or taking off your lenses. Remove lenses from container with tweezers.
  4. Rules for cleaning lenses: a solution is poured into a clean container, the lens is placed on the palm of your hand with the concave part up, apply a drop of the solution on it and lightly pressing, wipe the lens. Next, rinse it in a solution.
  5. For the purpose of disinfection, the lenses are placed in the solution overnight (at least 4 hours). After this procedure, you can use them again.

Do not attempt to make your own lens cleaning solution at home. Most likely, you will get only eye irritation and lens damage.

Alternatively, you can buy regular saline solution at the pharmacy, but it is best to use a specially designed cleaning and disinfection solution.

Use of glasses

Every person with vision problems experiences discomfort. What is better glasses or lenses in this case? The use of both vision correction aids may result in visual impairment. Let's talk separately about points.

No matter how hard ophthalmologists try to help improve vision, it can fall without special features. The reasons for this may be great amount: read in bad light, watch a lot of movies, do not give rest to the eyes, etc. Tension of the muscles of the eye increases pressure on the eyeball.

For a long time it was believed that if vision has fallen, then it can no longer be restored and it is worth using glasses for correction. The doctor wrote a prescription for glasses with a sense of accomplishment, and the patient thought it was only decision his problems.

As a result, a person thinks that once the problem is solved, then it is not worth treating further. fallen vision. But this position is far from the truth. Wearing glasses for a long time leads to the fact that a person sees worse again and now he needs glasses with other diopters. Therefore, think for yourself what is better glasses or lenses.

Is wearing glasses useful or not?

If you have vision problems and need to wear glasses, this does not mean that the problem is completely solved.

Glasses help you see sharper and clearer, you can read and write, but constant pressure over time leads to atrophy of the muscles of the eye. As a result, vision becomes worse again. That is, you only get short period improvements before further development diseases.

We hope that by analyzing the pros and cons of wearing glasses and contact lenses, you will be able to answer yourself the question of what is better glasses or lenses.

Thanks to vision, a person receives 90% of all information about the world that surrounds us. Not everyone is perfect. Some have had problems with it since childhood. Also due to tend to get worse. Some people are nearsighted, some are farsighted. For correction, the doctor may prescribe glasses with diopters or contact lenses. What is better - glasses or lenses, we will consider further.

When points are awarded

Glasses are made up of frames and spectacle lenses. They should be selected by an ophthalmologist. This accessory is necessary to improve and correct vision.

What are the indications for wearing glasses:

  • Astigmatism. With this disease, objects bifurcate in the eyes, sometimes they are seen curved. Clarity is lost, eyes quickly get tired during work. There may be headaches from overwork. With this pathology, the shape of the cornea or lens is broken.
  • Myopia, or nearsightedness. A person does not see distant objects clearly, but well up close. Focusing occurs in front of the retina.
  • Hypermetropia, or farsightedness. The gaze is focused behind the retina, so a person sees well in the distance, and near objects are blurred.
  • Aniseikonia. It is very difficult to read, to perceive the ratio of objects. Since the same image has different values ​​on the retina of the right and left eyes. Accompanied by increased visual fatigue.
  • heterophoria, or eyeballs have a deviation from parallel axes.
  • Presbyopia. Age or senile farsightedness.

Indications for the use of lenses

Contact lenses are used:

  • With astigmatism.
  • Myopia.
  • Farsightedness.
  • Keratoconus is a disorder of the cornea.
  • The absence of a lens.
  • Anisometropia.

Lenses are also used

  • Those who cannot, according to indications, use glasses due to their profession, for example, actors, athletes.
  • For the treatment of eye diseases.
  • For drug administration long-acting after microsurgical operations.
  • For diagnostic testing.
  • To disguise cosmetic defects eye.

Contraindications to and lenses

A few reasons that do not allow you to wear glasses:

  • Infant age.
  • Eyeglass intolerance.
  • Some mental illnesses.

Reasons for not using lenses:

  • Conjunctivitis.
  • Glaucoma.
  • Strabismus if the angle is more than 15 degrees.
  • Certain diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis.
  • Increased sensitivity of the cornea.
  • Tendency to allergic diseases century.
  • Inflammatory diseases of the eyes.

  • Colds.
  • Use of certain medications.
  • Age up to 12 years.

Points Benefits

Here are the benefits of wearing glasses:

  • Practical to use. Can be taken off or put on at any time.
  • There is no close contact with the eyes, which eliminates the possibility of developing eye diseases.
  • Improve and allow you to increase the clarity of vision.
  • They protect the eyes from dust and specks.
  • Glasses are easy to care for.

  • The life of the glasses depends on how carefully the user handles them.
  • With glasses you can change the style.
  • As a rule, they are inexpensive and accessible to most people.
  • If you want to cry, cry, glasses will not interfere with this.

Comparison of glasses and lenses cannot fail to highlight the dignity of the latter.

Benefits of wearing lenses

Let's name the advantages of lenses:


With all the advantages of lenses, there are disadvantages. About them - further.

Cons of wearing lenses

Before buying lenses, you should consult with your doctor. They may not suit you. Cons that are available when using lenses:

  • Contact lenses should not be worn by people with sensitive eyes. You can earn corneal erosion.
  • It needs to be put on and taken off at night every morning.
  • Putting on lenses is not an easy process. It is necessary to wash your hands, rinse the lenses in a special solution. At first it takes a lot of time in the morning.
  • Putting on and taking off lenses is not a very pleasant procedure.
  • If there is discomfort in the eye after the lens is put on, you will have to remove it again, perhaps you did not wash it well or did something wrong.
  • The lens is easy to lose and can also break.
  • Always carry lens solution with you.
  • They require meticulous care.
  • If you get sick colds or some medicine causes dry eyes, you will feel discomfort in the lenses.
  • Lenses can get under the eyelid if worn for a long time or incorrectly positioned. In this case, you will need someone's help to extract it.
  • If you do not remove the lenses at night, you will feel discomfort in the morning. There will be a feeling of dryness and film on the eyes.
  • Possible development allergic reactions on the lens material or solution.
  • If the lens is damaged or after its expiration date, it can cause redness, inflammation. Therefore, doctors recommend having in the first aid kit medicinal drops for eyes.
  • If you want to cry in lenses, know that your eyes will lose clarity, everything around will be covered with fog. Lenses will need to be removed and washed.
  • They are not allowed to take showers or baths.
  • The eye does not get enough oxygen.
  • The cost of lenses is much higher than the price of glasses.

Some of the problems described above are easy to solve if disposable lenses are used. They are very practical.

To find out which is better - glasses or lenses, consider the disadvantages of glasses.

Negative points

Let's highlight a few cons:

  • Fogging with temperature fluctuations.
  • With glasses, vision is limited and distorted.
  • With the wrong selection, dizziness, fainting and other conditions associated with malaise are possible.
  • AT dark time glasses reflect light.
  • Peripheral vision is limited.
  • You can't drive with glasses active image life, sports.
  • For the summer you need to stock up on sunglasses with diopters.
  • This vision correction device can be broken or lost at the moment when it is needed.

It should be noted when comparing contact lenses and glasses: there is a difference in their selection. More on this later.

How to choose glasses

The selection of glasses and contact lenses can only be carried out by an ophthalmologist. They need to correct their vision.

What is important when choosing points:

1. Choose the right lenses. They can be:

  • Single vision. The optical power over the entire surface is the same.
  • Multifocal. On the surface there are several zones with different diopters, which pass one into another.

2. First of all, lenses should regulate visual acuity.

3. The doctor examines each eye separately.

4. Measurements must be taken correctly. This will help to avoid additional strain on the eyes.

5. It is important to clarify for what purposes you need glasses:

  • To work with a computer.
  • Readings.
  • Vehicle management.

6. The following parameters must be indicated in the recipe:

  • The optical power of the lenses.
  • Interpupillary distance.
  • Points purpose.

Glasses are custom made.

The next step is choosing a frame. It can be from the following materials:

  • plastics or polymers.
  • Metal alloys or metal, including gold, silver.
  • Combinations of metal and plastic.

A large number of frames gives you the opportunity to choose the right option for you in accordance with your style.

You should be very responsible in choosing glasses, and they will serve you for a long time.

It should be noted that for lenses, the doctor must write a different prescription. More on this later.

We select lenses

Only an ophthalmologist can give a prescription for glasses and contact lenses, since you will not be able to determine the main selection parameters at home. Those for lenses are:

  • Curvature of the cornea.
  • The number of diopters.
  • Intraocular pressure.
  • The work of the eye muscles.
  • Peripheral vision.

It is important to consider contraindications.

Lenses are made:

  • from hydrogel.
  • Silicone hydrogel.

The hydrogel perfectly passes oxygen to the cornea. But such lenses are usually designed for one day. The next time you need to use a new pair.

Hydrogel lenses with silicone are durable. They can be used from one week to six months.

Very popular OASYS. They have a number of advantages:

  • Comfort and ease of wearing.
  • Provide good access air, reducing the risk of redness.
  • They have UV protection.
  • The latest technologies are used in the manufacture ACUVUE lenses OASYS . Allows you to maintain a sufficient level of moisture on the surface of the eye throughout the day.

A few more requirements for choosing lenses:

  • The number of diopters for lenses and glasses differs markedly, so a prescription from a doctor is required.
  • Lenses can be soft or hard. Hard ones are used for severe visual impairment.
  • They differ in duration of use.
  • Lenses have different purposes: for the treatment of eye diseases; multifocal and bifocal; imitation of the pupil and iris.

It is known that lenses are used not only to correct vision, but also to change the color of the eyes. If a person sees well, optical power should be equal to zero.

Care rules

In order for glasses and contact lenses to last longer, you need to properly care for them. It doesn't matter if they are part of your style or necessary for vision correction.

  • Do not leave glasses in direct sunlight.
  • Do not allow particles of hot steam to get on the lenses.
  • Take off your glasses with both hands. This will save the mounts and temples.
  • Use in case of bad weather special means for lenses.
  • Use the case to store and protect your glasses.
  • Do not use household cleaners to clean lenses.
  • FROM plastic lenses needs to be handled more carefully.

Rules for the care of lenses

Care of lenses consists in their careful cleaning and storage:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water before handling lenses.
  • Lenses can be cleaned using mechanical cleaning or enzyme tablets.
  • After washing with a solution, the lenses are placed in a special container for at least 4 hours. In it, they are saturated with moisture.

  • The solution in the container should be changed at least once a week.

You can ask your doctor about which care products are right for you.

Which is better - glasses or contact lenses?

When making a choice, you must consider all the pros and cons.

Having considered the pros and cons of glasses and lenses, we can conclude. It is very important that both of them fit your indications. It is very convenient to have both glasses and lenses. For leisure and work at the computer, choose glasses. Use lenses for driving and sports.

Often the question is: is it possible to wear lenses and glasses at the same time? Yes, there are situations in which this is acceptable:

  • To protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation. Great option for low vision. Use prescription lenses and sunglasses together for UV protection.
  • When working on a computer. Lenses correct vision, and glasses eliminate glare, increase contrast, and filter harmful radiation. This combination is very helpful.
  • When driving, chameleon glasses are used in conjunction with corrective lenses. They dim depending on the amount of light, which creates additional security.

Comparison of glasses and lenses led us to the conclusion that vision correction is necessary, and how to do it correctly with lenses or glasses is up to you, and only an ophthalmologist can help with this.

Glasses are the most popular device for correcting human vision, despite the appearance of comfortable and invisible lenses, most people still use them. The glasses are easy to use, improve vision well and do not require careful maintenance. But there is an opinion that glasses reduce visual acuity. A person begins to see worse when the external muscles of the eyes stop working well and cannot provide desired shape lens. If you constantly wear glasses, according to many experts, the muscles will begin to get used to this state and atrophy. As a result, vision continues, the person goes on new glasses, and this situation repeats. Therefore, lenses are often prescribed to patients with slightly understated ones in order to load the muscles of the eye. In fact, the harm from glasses has not been definitely proven, there is when a person wears glasses all his life, and his vision does not decrease, and vice versa, in many people visual acuity worsens, despite the fact that they do not use devices for correction.

But it can be said for sure that incorrectly selected glasses are harmful to the eyes. Doctors say that if a person wears a device that is not designed for his performance, then his vision will deteriorate by about 5% per year. Therefore, you need to select glasses only from a competent specialist, while it is important to check both eyes. The doctor must not only select the right amount of diopters for each eye, but also determine the focus and distance of honey.

cheap Sunglasses made of plastic or any material that allows sun rays, are also harmful to the eyes, they lead to corneal burns and cataracts.

Harm of contact lenses for the eyes

Modern contact lenses allow air to pass through, lie softly without causing inconvenience and without causing scratches, correct vision well, providing full review, while with glasses peripheral vision remains bad. But the harm from improperly selected lenses can be even greater than from incorrectly selected glasses, since the lenses fit snugly to, are constantly with the mucous membrane, can rub the eye, cause corneal erosion, ulcers and other diseases.

You need to buy lenses only in a specialized salon or a vision correction center after being examined by a specialist.

Lack of care and non-compliance with the rules for wearing contact lenses also lead to unpleasant consequences. Lenses must be cleaned every day, stored in a special solution, put on and removed only with clean and dry hands, otherwise infection can occur.

Contact lenses are an excellent solution for those who, for whatever reason, do not want or cannot wear glasses. However, they are not one hundred percent safe and can cause certain problems.

Instruction

Unfortunately, contact glasses cannot be completely replaced. To strain the eyes, it is recommended to alternate wearing lenses and. So, if you do not want to be shown in public with glasses, you can only wear them at home, putting on lenses for work or school. Both colored and regular lenses make life much easier by providing high quality vision, convenience and comfort. But to avoid unpleasant consequences, you need to wear them according to the instructions, because misuse can harm eye health. Lenses can seriously impair your visual acuity or cause discomfort. inflammatory diseases if they are selected or you neglect safety precautions and doctor's recommendations.

Under no circumstances should lenses be used beyond the recommended wearing time. Contact lenses accumulate foreign particles on the surface over time, which can cause inflammatory processes. Experts do not advise around the clock, staying in them overnight. During sleep, the eyes receive much less oxygen than during wakefulness, and lenses reduce this amount even more.

It should be borne in mind that poorly selected corrective and colored lenses cause significant harm, reducing visual acuity, in some cases they can even cause blindness. Most often, problems arise when choosing lenses on your own - allergies, conjunctivitis, corneal edema, inflammation and other troubles can greatly complicate your life. Therefore, it is very important to choose and buy lenses only after consulting with ophthalmologists.

It would seem that the advantages of contact lenses over glasses are obvious: they do not spoil the face, do not distort images, do not restrict side vision and do not fog up. However, before making a choice in favor of the latter, it does not hurt to think carefully ...

At the same time, a mote that gets under the lens can cause a huge inconvenience: you have to remove the lenses and put them on again. Since the lenses are in direct contact with eye cornea, they can irritate the eyes.

In order not to harm yourself by wearing lenses, you must strictly observe a few important rules. First of all, you can select lenses only with the help of a doctor and after careful medical examination your eyes. In some eye diseases, wearing lenses is generally contraindicated.

Please read the instructions carefully before putting on your lenses. First you have to learn how to put them on and take them off. It is usually taught in medical office where to order lenses. But not everyone succeeds right away. So you still have to go home a long period lens habituation. Be patient and be prepared for the fact that you have to fiddle with them for a long time. In the early days, you may also have severe watery and sore eyes.

Remember that wearing lenses for longer than indicated in the instructions, and even more so, you should never go to bed in them! This can lead to vascular ingrowth into the cornea, malnutrition and other problems, up to complete loss of vision!

You can store removed contact lenses only in a special liquid, not forgetting to disinfect them. Lenses are not able to completely replace glasses, as it is not recommended to wear them for colds and some other diseases.

If you wear lenses, you should have regular check-ups with an ophthalmologist. Lenses need to be changed periodically, the period of wearing them is usually indicated in the instructions. If you begin to feel discomfort while wearing lenses, then it's time to go to the doctor.

Recently, researchers from the University of La Laguna ( Canary Islands) came to the conclusion that constant wear contact lenses can lead to severe infectious disease- amoebic keratitis, which causes inflammation of the cornea and blindness. It is caused by amoeba Acanthamoeba found in soil and running water.

Recently, the incidence of amoebic keratitis has increased worldwide precisely because people began to wear contact lenses, scientists say. Amoebas get into lens cases when they are washed tap water, and the solutions in which the lenses are stored are not capable of destroying these microorganisms.

So is the game worth the candle? Before purchasing lenses, weigh the pros and cons. After all, the main thing is to maintain your health.

Ophthalmologists do not have an unequivocal answer to this question, and everyone chooses what is more comfortable for him to use. But some myths about contact lenses and glasses should be dispelled.

First delusion- Lenses damage your eyesight. If you are used to wearing glasses and are prescribed lenses c more correction vision compared to glasses, of course, it will scare you.

But it’s worth understanding: the glasses are always located on the bridge of the nose, at a distance of 1-2 cm from the eye, while the lenses fit snugly to the eye. This affects the choice of diopters. The widespread opinion that glasses should not be "crutches" for the eyes, that the eyes should "work", ultimately leads to the fact that in Everyday life eyes are constantly straining and vision from this only becomes worse. In order for the eyes to "work", you should do certain exercises, "gymnastics", train them in various ways.

Second fallacy- you need to wear only contact lenses or only glasses. In fact, most ophthalmologists recommend alternating between these two methods of vision correction. For sports, outdoor activities, city walks and other activities, enjoy using lenses and their benefits. At home, in the workplace, you can use glasses or do without them at all. So you give your eyes different loads and "train" them.

Third delusion- contact lenses do not allow the eye to breathe and can cause infection. But modern materials, from which most contact lenses are made, allow the eye to breathe freely without disturbing the natural water-oxygen balance. Employees of Glaz-Almaz in any salon of the network can always advise on this issue, familiarize them with the range of "breathing" lenses.

The issue of contact lens safety is rather a question personal hygiene. If you wash your hands before putting on or taking off the lenses, and change the storage solution regularly, no inflammation will occur. The natural protection of the eye is enough to protect the eyes from infections.

Advantages of contact lenses:

  • They provide good peripheral vision, which is impossible to achieve with glasses. This is especially important when driving a car.
  • Contact lenses do not get dirty, do not fall from the nose, do not break. With them it is convenient to play sports and lead an active lifestyle.
  • In winter, contact lenses do not fog up like glasses when you enter a warm room.
  • In summer, you do not need to carry two pairs of glasses: regular and sunglasses. No need to specially order prescription sunglasses. You simply put on your UV filter contact lenses and choose your favorite sunglasses.