Have your eyes examined regularly and always follow your eye care professional instructions for the proper use and care of your contact lenses. If you experience any pain or discomfort from your contact lenses, REMOVE them immediately! Should the pain or discomfort persists, please consult your eye care professional. TAKE your contact lenses, storage case and cleaning solution with you - it will help them establish what has happened. The following info. is for your references only. Please consult your eye care professional should you have further concern.

Tips on caring your eyes with contact lenses

Contact Lens FAQ:

• Can I purchase a different brand of contact lenses from the one prescribed to me?

• Is a Eye Care Practitioner required by law to release my contact lenses prescription?

• How do I read my soft contact lenses prescription?

• Can I wear soft contact lenses if I have astigmatism?

• Can '2-week' disposable contact lenses be worn part time?

• Can I extend the use of '2-week' disposable contact lenses?

• Can my Daily Wear contact lenses be worn on a continual day-and-night basis?

• Can Daily-Disposable lenses be used for more than one day?

• What is bifocal lenses?

• Is a prescription needed to wear color contact lenses?

• Can you recommend a type of colored contact lens for dark colored eyes?

• Can patients with 'dry eye' problems wear soft contact lenses?

• Which type of soft contact lens is best for occasional wear?

• Can contact lenses be worn while traveling by aeroplane?

• Can contact lenses fall out of the eye from blinking?

• Is it okay to play sports while wearing contact lenses?

• Which type of lens care system is best?

• Can contact lenses block ultraviolet light?

• Can contact lenses be fitted after refractive surgery?

• How do I know if my contact lenses are 'worn out'?

• Can contact lenses be worn if the eyes are sensitive or tender?

• What are contact lenses made of? 

Is an Eye Care Practitioner required by law to release my contact lenses prescription?
The law varies from place to place, but in most areas the practitioner is required to release your contact lenses prescription once the fitting is complete. However, your practitioner is not required to release an expired prescription. Your prescription is also found on the box in which your contact lenses were supplied.

How do I read my soft contact lenses prescription?
Please refer to "How do I read my Prescription"? The prescription for contact lenses is different from the prescription for your spectacles since it includes the sizes required to fit the lenses to your left and right eyes.

Can I wear soft contact lenses if I have astigmatism?
Yes. There is a special type of soft contact lenses called a toric lens which will correct your astigmatism. However, these lenses are more expensive and there are fewer types and colors available than there are with regular (spherical) lenses. Wesley-Jessen has introduced a 2-week disposable toric lenses, the Freshlook Toric.  Ciba Vision produces Focus Torics- a monthly replacement toric lenses.

Can "2-week" disposable contact lenses be worn part time?
The "2-weeks" refers to the actual amount of wearing time so they can last longer than 2 weeks if you are not wearing them full time. However, they should not be used for longer than 4 weeks to prevent infection for ideal eye care.

Can I extend the use of '2-week' disposable contact lenses?
It is important to adhere to the wearing schedule prescribed by your lens manufacturer. The main advantage of wearing disposable contact lenses is that you are putting a fresh new pair of lenses in your eyes every 2 weeks. This provides better eye care. The cleaning regimen of a 'disposable' lens is only adequate for a maximum 4-week wearing schedule. For health reasons, extended or overnight wear of contact lenses is not recommended by SaveOnLens.

Can my Daily Wear contact lenses be worn on a continual day-and-night basis?
No. This is called extended wear and has a much greater chance of causing an infection. It can also damage the membrane which covers the front of your eye (the cornea). SaveOnLens does not recommend wearing your lenses on a continual or extended basis. You should take your lenses out of your eyes each night, or when you sleep. and follow our eye care guidelines. Should you require extended use of lenses, please refer to Extended Wear.

Can Daily-Disposable lenses be used for more than one day?
No. These type of contact lenses should not be worn for longer than one day. They obviate the need to clean and disinfect the lenses in a storage case that saves time, effort and expensive disinfecting solutions.

What are bifocal lenses?
Bifocal contact lenses allow the wearer to focus on both distant and close-up objects. Such lenses have been much more expensive in the past but recently Johnson and Johnson have released new Acuvue Bifocal lens which is a  disposable bifocal lens that is reasonably priced and becoming very popular.

Is a prescription needed to wear color contact lenses?
Yes, you still need to be fitted for the lenses by an optometrist or ophthalmologist even if you don't need vision correction. This is because color contact lenses are medical devices and professional advice must be sought before using.

Can you recommend a type of colored contact lenses for dark colored eyes?
Yes, they are called opaque contact lenses as opposed to enhancertints which work only on light colored eyes. Year-long daily-wear opaque contact lenses are available in many different colors and shades but there is currently only one brand that offers a 2-week disposable opaque lens. These are Freshlook Opaque Colors by Wesley-Jessen - follow this link to see the tints and colors available! follow this link to see the tints and colors available!

Can patients with 'dry eye' problems wear soft contact lenses?
Yes.
However, you are less likely to have success with contact lenses than someone who does not have this condition. This does not mean that you cannot wear contact lenses at all. It simply means you may have a shorter contact lens wearing period than normal or that you may choose to wear your lenses only occasionally. You can increase the comfort of your lenses by inserting eye lubrication drops. As always, please consult your eye care practitioner for the best advice regarding this issue.

Which type of soft contact lenses is best for occasional wear?
It is best to use a daily-disposable soft contact lenses so that there is no need to disinfect the lens between intermittent wearing sessions when contamination may occur. Daily-disposable lenses such as 1-DayAcuvue and Focus Dailies are ideal for sports wear.

Can contact lenses be worn while traveling by aeroplane?
Not recommended. The low humidity in an aircraft cabin contributes to dry eye symptoms and contact lens discomfort. It may help to put lubrication drops in your eyes before you enter the airplane or during flight. If symptoms persist or become severe, it will be easier and more comfortable for you to wear spectacles.

Is it okay to play sports while wearing contact lenses?
Yes. Wearing soft contact lenses for sports is more comfortable and stable than spectacles. If your sport involves vigorous exercise, soft contact lens is the best choice. If contact lenses are only worn for sports, then use of daily-disposable lens is the simplest and safest way.

Which type of lens care system is best?
Recently, the 'one-bottle' systems have become popular. These 'All-in-One' solutions are the easiest and quickest ways to 'rinse-and-rub' and then store and disinfect your soft lenses. However, if you are particularly sensitive to chemicals, it may be better to use a hydrogen peroxide-based system. Please refer to eye care guideline and also to the manufacturer's instructions.

Can contact lenses block ultraviolet light?
Yes, but only partially. Some manufacturers have added UV blocking properties to some lenses but none of them can block all of the harmful UV light. Health organizations state that contact lenses are not a substitute for UV protecting eye wear such as UV protected  sunglasses because contact lenses cover only a portion of the eye. It is recommended that you wear UV protected sunglasses with your contact lenses, even if they contain UV blocking properties.

Can contact lenses be fitted after refractive surgery?
Yes, but the refractive surgery will altered the contour of your eyes. You may require a more specialized lens than normal. Please consult your eye care practitioner for details.

How do I know if my contact lenses are "worn out"?
Typical signs that a lens is approaching the end of its life are hazy vision, discomfort, and lens discoloration and deposits. These can lead to allergies and other complications.

Can contact lenses be worn if the eyes are sensitive or tender?
No. It is not advisable to wear contact lenses if your eyes are sensitive or tender. Please consult your eye care practitioner.

What are contact lenses made of?
Today's contact lenses are made from polymers. These polymers ensure comfortable lens wear by allowing the eyes to breath and keeping their shape on the eye. Modern soft lenses offer excellent comfort because they contain water. Typically, the water content of lenses varies from about 40% to 70%.