Contact Lenses vs. Glasses: Which Is the Better Choice?

You have probably thought about whether you should use contacts or glasses to correct your vision if you’re nearsighted or farsighted. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, though. Contacts require special cleaning and care, while glasses are easy to use and don’t require any special care. Contacts also offer better peripheral vision and ease of movement when playing sports or other activities. In addition to being a fantastic fashion accessory, glasses can serve as an extension of your individuality. Nevertheless, compared to spectacles, contact lenses offer numerous benefits.  

Your eyesight, especially your peripheral vision, is unhindered because contacts are placed directly on your eye. You may engage in outdoor activities and sports without worrying about your glasses breaking, falling off or getting in the way. With colour contact lenses, you can even alter the colour of your eyes. So, many people wonder, ‘Are contact lenses better than glasses?’ It all depends on individual preferences. So, which is better for your needs and way of life: Contacts or glasses? Here is a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of eyewear to help you choose.  

Contact lenses vs glasses  

The decision to utilise contact lenses versus glasses for vision correction primarily comes down to personal preference. Your decision-making process should take into account your lifestyle, comfort, convenience, finances and aesthetic preferences. Remember that each option has advantages and disadvantages in terms of vision, usability and eye health when choosing between contacts and glasses. Compared to contact lenses, glasses have several advantages. In the long term, glasses are less expensive than contact lenses since they don’t need to be updated as frequently, they require very little cleaning and maintenance and wearing them reduces your risk of eye infections because you don’t have to touch your eyes. Contact lenses with power are also available.  

Additionally, eyeglasses may modify the quantity of light entering your eye for the best possible comfort and vision, something that contact lenses cannot accomplish. In particular, photochromic lenses provide comfortable, clear vision in any light by automatically darkening in sunshine. They are also clear indoors and at night. While some contact lenses can partially prevent UV radiation from entering the eye, photochromic lenses completely filter UV light, protecting the outside of the eye and the eyelids from UV rays.  

How do you decide between contacts and glasses?

There is always a thought in people’s minds: Are contact lenses better than glasses or vice versa? However, the choice between contacts and glasses depends on your lifestyle, personal preferences and sense of style. When contact lenses were first created, they could only be purchased as hard lenses. The gas-permeable hard lenses of today are far better. If properly maintained, they can be worn for up to a year before needing to be replaced.

The vast majority of people choose soft lenses. Soft lenses are easy to wear as they are thinner compared to other types. In addition, they are lighter and more comfortable than hard types. This is also advantaged by the addition of silicone hydrogel materials, which improves the movement of oxygen into the eyes, offering hydration and aeration. These are three types of soft contact lenses:  

• Monthly disposables: Here, the lens is removed and stored in a disinfectant solution overnight. Repeat this for 30 days and then discard.
• Bi-weekly disposables: Here, the lens is thrown away after two weeks.
• Daily disposable: These lenses have to be disposed of after each use.  
• Eyeglasses are traditional wear that has existed for a very long period. They are constantly evolving to match the time’s design and equipment. There are two distinct types of eyeglasses, those include:
• Single-vision lenses: the lenses used in single-vision glasses correct vision for a single distance and can correct near-sightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.
• Multifocal lenses: These are widely used to address vision issues at multiple different distances.  

The majority of eyeglass lenses are usually made of plastic or polycarbonate. They can have specific coatings to help lessen reflection and glare, and they are typically lightweight. The glass lens is designed to address different and specific eye conditions. For example, concave lenses are designed to treat near-sightedness or myopia. They are made in a convex shape to correct hyperopia or farsightedness. Bifocal lenses typically are made up of two distinct powers placed at different positions, such as one power at the top to aid in accommodating distinct vision and increased focal power at the bottom to adjust reading.  

Contact lenses pros and cons

Advantages of contact lenses

• Contact lenses conform to the curvature of your eye, providing a wider field of view and causing less vision distortions and obstruction than eyeglasses.
• Contact lenses don’t get in the way when playing any sports or while exercising.
• Contact lenses with power are also available and can be used for eyesight corrections.  
• They are easy to carry.
• Contact lenses do not clash with what you are wearing.
• They are not affected by any surrounding conditions and do not fog up in cold weather like glasses.
• They can reshape your cornea while you sleep.
• There are different options based on the need.  
• They are not obvious on your face.

Contact lenses disadvantages

• Some people have problems wearing contact lenses in their eyes, but most of the time, this can be fixed with experience and the right technique.
• Contact lenses can cause or worsen dry eye syndrome by reducing the quantity of oxygen that reaches your eye.
• Wearing contact lenses will probably exacerbate computer vision syndrome symptoms if you spend a lot of time in front of a computer.  
• There is a chance that they might lead to eye infections when used incorrectly.  
• To prevent potentially dangerous eye infections, contact lenses need to be properly cared for, and their case must be cleaned daily. Consider daily disposables if you are unable to maintain your contacts and follow the prescribed replacement schedule.
• Your eyes will usually be dry, gritty, red and irritated when you wake up if you unintentionally fall asleep while wearing your contacts for daily use. Consider extended-wear contact lenses if you often nod off while wearing them. Some of these lenses are authorised for up to 30 days of continuous wear.  

Conclusion

To sum up, contact lenses are widely used nowadays by many people, all thanks to advancements in contact lens technology. Therefore, whether or not to wear contacts or glasses, as well as when to do so, is typically a question of personal preference. However, if you wear contact lenses on a daily basis, you should also carry a current pair of glasses in case you need to take a break from wearing them because of an eye infection or discomfort or just because you want to give your eyes a rest.