Eye health resource
Benefits of Wearing Contact Lenses
Contact lenses can provide clear vision without eyeglass frames, a wide field of view, and specialty options for many prescriptions. Learn the benefits and tradeoffs.
Reviewed for accuracy by Justin Bazan, OD on .
Contact lenses are an alternative to glasses for many people with myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and more complex corneal or prescription needs.
The main benefits are practical: vision correction without eyeglass frames, an unobstructed field of view, less interference during many sports and activities, and access to specialty lens designs that can solve problems ordinary glasses or soft lenses cannot.
Contacts are medical devices, so those benefits depend on appropriate fitting, healthy wearing habits, and a current prescription.
Why Choose Contact Lenses?
A Wide Field of View
Because a contact lens moves with the eye, there is no eyeglass frame at the edge of the visual field. Some patients prefer this for sports, exercise, photography, performance work, or other activities where frames feel limiting.
No Lens Fogging
Contact lenses do not fog the way eyeglass lenses can when moving between temperatures or wearing a mask. They also do not collect rain on an external lens surface.
Freedom to Wear Non-Prescription Sunglasses or Protective Gear
A patient wearing contacts can use many non-prescription sunglasses, helmets, goggles, or protective eyewear without needing a prescription built into that equipment. Sunglasses should still provide appropriate UV protection; ordinary contact lenses do not substitute for UV-protective sunglasses.
What Kinds of Contact Lenses Are Available?
Soft Spherical and Toric Lenses
Soft spherical lenses correct many common prescriptions. Toric lenses add astigmatism correction and are designed to maintain an appropriate orientation on the eye.
Multifocal and Monovision Options
Patients with presbyopia may be able to use multifocal contact lenses, monovision, or modified monovision depending on their visual needs. These approaches involve tradeoffs, so trial lenses and follow-up are often important.
Corneal GP/RGP Lenses
Rigid gas-permeable lenses can provide excellent optics for selected prescriptions and irregular corneas. They are smaller than scleral lenses and require a different adaptation and care routine than soft lenses.
Scleral Lenses
Scleral lenses vault over the cornea and rest on the white part of the eye. They can be especially useful for keratoconus, irregular corneas, severe ocular-surface disease, or other hard-to-fit situations.
Ortho-K
Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) uses specially designed rigid lenses worn during sleep to temporarily reshape the cornea. The lenses are removed in the morning, allowing many patients to see clearly during the day without glasses or daytime contacts. In children, Ortho-K can also be one option in a broader myopia-management plan.
Are Contacts Better Than Glasses?
Not universally. Some prescriptions look or feel better in contacts; others are easier to manage in glasses. Glasses are lower maintenance and do not sit on the ocular surface. Contacts provide different optical and lifestyle advantages but require more attention to hygiene and eye health.
Many people use both: contacts for selected days or activities and glasses as a comfortable backup.
Contact-Lens Safety Matters
- Wash and dry your hands before handling lenses.
- Use each lens only for its prescribed replacement schedule.
- Keep contacts away from tap water, pools, showers, and hot tubs.
- Use fresh recommended disinfecting solution for reusable lenses.
- Do not sleep in lenses unless the exact lens and schedule have been prescribed for overnight wear.
- Remove lenses and seek eye-care advice for significant pain, redness, light sensitivity, discharge, or sudden blur.
Do I Need a Separate Contact Lens Fitting?
Yes. A recent comprehensive eye examination provides the prescription and eye-health information needed before fitting care. The contact lens fitting is a separate service because the doctor also needs to choose lens parameters, assess how the lens behaves on the eye, and confirm vision and comfort.
Park Slope Eye fits routine and hard-to-fit lenses, including toric, multifocal, monovision, corneal GP/RGP, scleral, and Ortho-K lenses. Book an appointment if you want to find out which options fit your eyes and lifestyle.
Originally published . Substantially updated .