- I can't wear contact lenses. Yes, you can! With so many product improvements in recent years, just about everyone can wear contacts. For example, there are now bifocal contact lenses for people with presbyopia, and toric soft lenses that correct astigmatism. If there are other reasons you couldn't wear contacts in the past, check with your eye doctor — you'll probably get a welcome surprise.
- A contact lens will get lost behind my eye. Nope! A thin membrane covers your eye and connects to the inside of your eyelids, making this a physical impossibility.
- Contact lenses are uncomfortable. Not true. After a brief adaptation period, most people don't even notice they're wearing contact lenses and you shouldn't have any eye pain. For those that do experiene contact lens discomfort, there are several remedies available once the cause is pinpointed.
- Contact lenses can get stuck to my eye. Remember the old eye injury urban legend about the welder who accidentally fused contacts to his eyes? It's just a tall tale, as are other stories about contacts becoming "attached."
- Contact lenses are too much trouble to take care of. Wrong! One-bottle contact lens care systems make cleaning and disinfecting your lenses easy. Or you can choose to eliminate contact lens care altogether with daily disposables or 30-day extended wear contact lenses. Don't opt for LASIK surgery without first giving these convenient contact lens options a try.
- Wearing contact lenses causes eye problems. In general, this is not true if you're a conscientious wearer. Although contact lens-related problems can occur, they are rare and most result from not properly wearing or caring for lenses as instructed by your doctor.
- I'll never be able to get them in my eyes. Sure you will. It might appear difficult, but your eye doctor and his staff can teach you tried-and-true, simple methods for contact lens insertion and removal. Tens of millions of contact lens wearers do it!
- Contacts can pop out of my eye. Decades ago, old-style hard lenses were prone to do this. But with today's contact lenses, this problem is a distant memory.
- Contact lenses are too expensive. Not true. Contact lenses can sometimes be less expensive than a good pair of eyeglasses. Even daily disposable contact lenses, once considered a luxury, cost only about a dollar a day.
- I'm too old to get contact lenses. Never. With the advent of bifocal contact lenses, and contact lenses that are especially good for those that suffer from dry eye syndrome, age is no longer a problem.
For more in-depth information about contacts, visit AllAboutVision.com.
