Contact Lenses vs Glasses: A Guide

Are you considering making the switch from glasses to contact lenses?

Contact lenses can have many advantages over glasses especially when it comes to sports. In this blog we’re going to look into the benefits of contact lenses over glasses and why you should consider trying them for yourself.

The Benefits of Contact Lenses 

• Wider Field of View: With glasses, lenses and frames restrict the field of view
• Greater Stability: Less risk of dislodging contact lenses as opposed to knocking glasses off your face.
• Not Affected by Fogging up or Rain: Contact lenses aren’t exposed to environmental conditions.
• Less Susceptible to Dirt: Whilst contacts can get dirty if not maintained or cleaned properly, they are less susceptible than glasses to dirt and smearing.
• Protective Eyewear/Non-Prescription Sunglasses Can be Worn: Glasses interfere with eye protection.
• Low Risk of Damage to Lens During Wear: High risk of damage to glasses during wear, breaking of both lenses and frames.
• Disposable and Easy to Replace: Lost or damaged glasses are costly to replace.
• Fewer Distortions: Contact lens move with the eyes so the centre of the lens is always in the line of sight.
• Fewer Reflections: Glasses wearers may experience reflections off the lens surfaces.
• Aesthetics: Some people don’t like how they look in glasses.

The Drawbacks of Wearing Contact Lenses

• Higher Maintenance: Reusable contact lenses need to be stored and cleaned properly to avoid eye infections.
• Usage: It can take some getting used to, to learn how to properly insert and take out contact lenses.

The Benefits of Glasses

• Easy to wear: Just put them on and you’re good to go.
• No Need to Frequently Replace: Glasses are designed to last a long time, as opposed to regularly disposing of contact lenses.
• Lots of Lens Options: You can choose from a variety of lens types for your glasses, from tinted, mirror-coated, or even light-responsive.
• Some Elemental Protection: Glasses can block out some of the dust, wind, and debris in the air from getting in your eyes.
• Don’t Need to Touch your Eyes: If you’re sensitive to touching your eyes, glasses are the better option.
• Fashionable: Glasses can be seen as a fashion accessory to elevate an outfit.

The Drawbacks of Wearing Glasses

• They Don’t Cover Your Entire Field of Vision: This can be slightly disorientating as your entire periphery is not covered.
• Expensive to Replace: Glasses are much more expensive than contact lenses.
• Some People Find Them Uncomfortable: Having glasses resting on the bridge of your nose and the tops of your ears can be irritating or uncomfortable for some people.
• Damage: Glasses can fog up, smudge, and get scratched. Wear and tear is much more likely.

The Best of Both Worlds 

The bottom line is glasses and contact lenses each compensate for the drawbacks of the other. The ideal set up would be to have both and alternate between them depending on the situation. Maybe you only wear contact lenses when glasses feel impractical, like during sports or at a theme park. You might wear glasses during the workday in the office. Then, you switch to contact lenses when going out for drinks on the weekend.

The choice is yours for what works best for you.

Wanting to try contact lenses for yourself?

Book an appointment with Opticare today here.