By Arden Nguyen and Kevin Doan, Staff Writers
If you have ever had trouble seeing notes written on the board or noticed that anything more than a few feet ahead of you was a blur, chances are you have vision problems. The two most common choices to remedy them are glasses or contact lenses, but which one is right for you?
Glasses
Glasses, which can simply be put on, are easier to use than contacts. Contacts are tiny (increasing the likelihood that they’ll be lost) and have to be pressed carefully onto one’s eyes, but this aspect might be more convenient for athletes. When cleaning glasses, dust and fingerprints that accumulate on the lenses can quickly be removed with a microfiber cloth. Contacts, on the other hand, need rinsing with solution for thorough maintenance. Regarding cost, glasses usually have a one-time fee (varies based on different factors) with a year or two before prescriptions must be readjusted, while contacts have to be replaced every few weeks. Along with contact lens solution, buying several sets of contacts a year can add up in costs far beyond that of one pair of glasses. Finally, glasses are considerably safer for your eyes than contacts. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), wearing contacts can result in irritation and bacterial eye infections.
You may be wondering if ortho-k/night contact lenses―which improve vision by correcting the eye’s cornea―are a better option. Although they may sound like a dream come true, let’s take a step back and consider the downsides. Night contacts are not a permanent solution, so one can expect their former vision to return soon after ortho-k usage has stopped. Their temporary visual aid doesn’t make them any more beneficial than glasses. Furthermore, wearing these contacts overnight may be a source of painful discomfort for some. Due to the considerable cost, high maintenance and serious risks of contact lenses, glasses are clearly the better option to improve one’s eyesight.
Contacts
The contact’s ability to “fix” one’s vision without impeding their appearance is perfect for those who don’t want to inconvenience themselves with the struggle of having to wear an amalgam of plastic and silicone on their face. In addition, to those struggling with the idea of putting a piece of glass in their eye, there is always the option of ortho-k contact lenses where an individual would sleep with the contact lenses in their eye at night and wake up to corrected vision. There is also a difference between hard contacts which are reusable and soft contacts which are not. For those looking to use hard contacts, these can cost upwards of $100 per contact making it $200 for a pair of contacts. The plus side for these are that they are reusable for around 3 years (according to my personal experience) which makes them comparable to a pair of glasses.
On the other side of the spectrum are soft contacts that are not reusable. These soft contacts fulfill the ease of use section, but because they are not reusable, this might not be the best longitudinal investment. The spread out large form factor of these contacts and the thinner and more flexible and breathable material provides comfort and ease of use. This, paired with an unaltered appearance makes these contacts a great snag.
Different variations of contacts today, from soft to hard, have given us different opportunities to fix our vision. There no longer needs to be an unwieldy clump of glass on your face. Your appearance no longer needs to be altered so that you can see the white board or the tiny weekly agenda that your teachers like to right on the side of the board hoping that students from across the room can see. Today, in this day and age, we have contacts that can fit one’s personal preference. From soft contacts that can be worn during the day to correct one’s vision to hard contacts that can be worn during the night so that one doesn’t need to deal with the complexity of adding more to their morning routines. There is a solution to the hideous glasses of today; that solution is the contact.
