Spectacles and some sort of large external corrective lenses have been around for a while. But contact lenses were only introduced in the 1970’s, and became popular even later. As with all new technologies, when it was introduced, there weren’t many backers because of its shortcomings, but since then contact lenses have come a long way. Even though so many things about contact lenses have changed, there are still widespread myths about them floating around, which is stopping a lot of people from adopting them. A few of them are completely outdated, and a few are simply misconceptions. So if you’re here because you’re considering wearing contacts but aren’t sure yet, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s the top 8 myths about contact lenses, debunked
Myth 1: Contact Lenses are expensive
This used to be true much earlier when contact lenses were just introduced, but with advances in technology, they have become much more affordable. In fact, contact lenses can turn out to be cheaper than a pair of premium eyeglasses, if you factor in total costs. You can pretty much get a pair of contact lenses, the daily disposable type, for a dollar a day. Not a bad deal at all, eh?
Myth 2: Contact Lenses are difficult to maintain
Compared to regular spectacles, contact lenses may be a little bit more difficult to maintain, but that doesn’t mean it’s annoyingly so. The cleaning process for contact lenses just requires patience and a couple of minutes. You should be able to finish the whole process in about 15 minutes. But, cleanliness is absolutely necessary here, so there’s that. Alternatively, you can just opt for daily disposable contact lenses and dump them after use every day, no cleaning required.
Myth 3: Contact Lenses are not for kids or teenagers
While really young kids won’t be able to adjust to contact lenses, even young kids should be able to wear lenses with no problems whatsoever. There are a lot of 12 year olds rocking contact lenses simply because they are mature enough to take care of them. You don’t have to be of a certain age to start wearing contact lenses, it just depends on attitude and maturity. Younger kids can simply opt for daily disposable contact lenses to skip the cleaning process, which is usually the reason why most people say kids cannot handle contact lenses.
Myth 4: Contact Lenses cause eye infections
Another very prevalent myth, it’s somehow always believed that contact lenses cause eye infections. It’s pretty obvious that using a foreign object with delicate organs like your eyes will require some extra care, so this is more of an issue with cleanliness. The contact lenses aren’t causing the infections, an improper cleaning routine is. That’s the same thing as saying that in an unclean restaurant, it’s the soiled frying pan that’s causing the infections. It just doesn’t make sense, does it?
Myth 5: People suffering from astigmatism or presbyopia cannot use contact lenses
This is also one of those myths that was true a while earlier but not anymore. When contact lenses were introduced, they were much simpler and had a lot of shortcomings, but modern contact lenses fare far better on all counts. There are now bifocal and varifocal contact lenses available as well, so pretty much all types of users can go for contact lenses.
Myth 6: Older people cannot wear contact lenses
It’s also been said that people over the age of 40 cannot use contact lenses, or people over the age of 60 cannot do so either. Both of these things are untrue. While your eyes get drier or develop minor problems in the old age, there’s absolutely no problem wearing contact lenses, as long as they have been prescribed correctly. It’s a good idea to get your eyes checked frequently after the age of 40 or so, because there’s usually a decline in visual fidelity after a while.
Myth 7: Contact lenses are uncomfortable
Probably one of the most widely spread myths around is that contact lenses are uncomfortable or ‘unnatural’. This is completely untrue. Earlier contact lenses weren’t as advanced as the ones we have today, and felt a little cumbersome to use, but modern contact lenses are made from a variety of soft materials which cause absolutely no discomfort. It will take a little bit of time before you adjust to the change, but we guarantee that you won’t feel like there’s anything out of place after a while. In fact, some contact lenses are so comfortable, it doesn’t even feel like there are foreign objects in your eyes!
Myth 8: Contact lenses can get lost behind my eye
A common concern for the uninitiated, contact lenses don’t, in fact, get lost behind your eyes. Well fitted contact lenses are perfectly comfortable and don’t move around, but even if they do, there’s absolutely no risk of them going around to the back of your eyes. There’s a thin membrane called the conjunctiva connecting the inside of your eyelids with the whites of your eyes, so there’s no question of contacts getting ‘lost’.
As mentioned earlier, contact lenses have come a long way from being one of those luxuries with a bunch of problems to essentials than can be used by everyone. If you still had reservations about getting a pair of contact lenses, we hope this cleared it up!