Disposable Contact Lenses

What are disposable contact lenses?

Disposable contact lenses are lenses that can be worn for a short period of time and then thrown out and replaced with new ones.

There are different types of disposable contacts.

• Daily disposable lenses: These are designed to be used for one day only and then thrown away. You put in new lenses every morning and discard them at night.
• Daily wear disposable contacts: These are worn each day, removed and disinfected each night, and discarded at the end of 1 or 2 weeks.
• Frequent replacement (also called planned replacement) lenses: These are worn each day, removed and disinfected each night, and thrown away every month or 3 months (depending on the brand).
• Disposable extended wear contacts: These can be worn overnight. Ask your eye care provider how long you can safely keep them in. Even though these contacts are approved for longer wear, most providers recommend removing and cleaning them every night to prevent infection. You usually need to throw disposable extended wear contacts away after about 2 weeks.

What are the advantages of disposable contact lenses?

There are many advantages to disposable lenses:

• They can provide excellent vision and comfort.
• Cleaning costs are less and they are easier to care for than regular soft contacts.
• If a lens is lost or torn, you almost always have a replacement lens on hand and do not have to wait for a new contact to be ordered.
• The lenses are replaced before proteins and other deposits can build up on them. These deposits can lead to eye problems.
• They are an inexpensive way to have another eyewear option other than your glasses. You may only want to wear contacts now and then (such as for special events or sports).

What are the disadvantages of disposable contact lenses?

• The biggest potential disadvantage of the lenses may be related more to the contact lens wearer than to the contacts themselves. Some people may think they can wear the lenses longer than the recommended time or reuse the lens to save money. Wearing the lenses too long or reusing them greatly increases the risk of eye irritation or serious eye infection.
• Disposable lenses cost more than soft contact lenses.
• Although disposable lenses are available in fewer powers and sizes than some other types of contact lenses, most people are candidates for these lenses. As with other types of lenses, tearing problems and other eye conditions may get in the way of successful wearing of disposable lenses.

Reviewed for medical accuracy by faculty at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. Web site: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/

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