Contact Lenses vs. Prescription Glasses: The Choice is Yours
Whether you swear by contacts or glasses, the choice is really up to you. If you’re unsure how to choose, there are multiple factors to consider such as your lifestyle, budget, comfort level, and how you want to look.
Both options are solid and have their benefits and downsides. Every person is unique so there is not necessarily a bad choice between the two.
Gearing Towards Glasses
If you like the look and ease of glasses, then they may be a great option for you. Here are some of the advantages of glasses:
- Low maintenance and easy to clean
- You don’t have to touch your eyes like you do with contacts
- Less expensive long term as they don’t have to be replaced (unless you break or misplace them)
- Can be a fashionable choice showing off your unique style
- If your eyes are more sensitive, then they won’t be as irritated as they would be with contact lenses
- Glasses can protect your eyes from wind, dust and debris
Glasses can be a wonderful choice, but it’s important to consider the cons involved. Here are some disadvantages of glasses:
- Peripheral vision can be blurry due to the location of where the eyeglasses sit
- When first wearing glasses, things may appear blurry and they can give you a headache
- Although some love making a fashion statement with glasses, others feel it may cover up their looks or they don’t like their appearance in glasses
- If your prescription is on the stronger side, the lenses may be so thick that your eyes look out of proportion
- Weather can be a real drag in glasses – rain, snow or other weather can fog up your glasses
- Certain frames can put pressure on your nose or behind your ears, which can be very uncomfortable
Choosing Contact Lenses
Some people swear by their contact lenses. Here are some reasons why contact lenses are appealing:
- They wrap around the curve of your eye, which helps to see better than in glasses
- You can use contacts when playing sports or doing physical activity
- The weather does not interfere with contacts
- With the latest technology, some contact lenses can correct myopia and give you clear vision the next day
Contacts aren’t perfect and include downsides as well. Here are the disadvantages of contacts:
- Application can be difficult
- Contacts decrease oxygen in the eye which can lead to dry eyes
- If your job requires you to work at a computer, your contacts could make it easier to develop computer vision syndrome
- The care required for contacts can be high maintenance
- People who have slept in contacts can tell you how horrible this experience is – eyes become dry, agitated, and bloodshot
If you’re having trouble choosing between the two, there is always the option of using both contacts and glasses. Because there are so many advancements coming out in eye care technologies, some people opt to try contacts and then resort to glasses when they’re at home or doing something low key.
All in all, wearing glasses or contacts is ultimately up to you. However, our staff would recommend that if you need to stop wearing your contacts due to an infection, then having a back up pair of glasses would be of benefit to you.
If you want to ditch the glasses and contacts, our clinic also specializes in Lasik eye surgery. Not everyone will be eligible for this type of surgery, but it’s always a good idea to check in with us and see if this can be an option for you. You can refer to our previous blog post about Lasik for more information, or you can get in touch with our friendly team to book a free consultation.
We look forward to seeing you soon!