Contact Lenses or Glasses: Which is Better for You?

Eyeglasses or contact lenses. Choosing between these two options can sometimes be a little overwhelming for someone whose eyesight isn’t as crystal clear as others.

Having an imperfect vision is already stressful enough. So the burden of picking which one suits you best isn’t supposed to add to that amount of stress.

But regardless of your personal preferences, bear in mind that one is not necessarily better than the other.

Whether your choices lean more on spectacles or contact lenses, it’s important that you keep in mind of these essential deciding factors:

Lifestyle. Your lifestyle is one of the most important factors you should put into consideration when you decide among vision options.

For example, active people might prefer contact lenses because these give them less obstruction in their field of view.

Budget. In the long run, eyeglasses are more budget-friendly as it does not require a lot of replacement and maintenance.

Aesthetic. Some people view spectacles and contact lenses as something that adds an oomph to their appearances. If the thought of temporarily changing your eye color entices you, then contact lenses might be best for you.

If you like wearing eyeglasses to emphasize your features, then a pair of glasses is the perfect option for you.

Both eyeglasses and contact lenses have their shares of advantages and disadvantages. To help you decide which one is more fitting for you, here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of both eyewear:

Contact Lenses

Pros:

• • Contact lens is a great choice for people who are into certain sports like swimming, running, and biking.

    Unlike eyeglasses, contact lenses do not obstruct your field of view.

    It also does not interfere when you need to wear protective head gears like helmets and goggles.

• • The weather condition does not typically affect contact lenses. Contacts do not fog up when you are sweating or in a cold place.

• • Contact lenses adapt to the curvature of your eye. In that case, you get less frequent eye strains caused by vision distortions.

    It also provides you with a wider and clearer field of view.

  • Contact lenses allow you to temporarily change the color of your eyes and experiment with a wide array of colors and effects.

• • Some contact lenses, specifically the Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) aids in correcting your eyesight and reduce your dependence on prescribed lenses.

    An Ortho-K is a gas-permeable contact lens that you need to wear overnight to reap its positive result.

    While you are asleep, the lens reshapes your cornea. Thus, making you see a lot more clearly the following day.

Cons:

• • It can be a little hard for some people to apply contact lenses, especially when they are new to it.

    Although, with practice and proper technique, you can eventually teach yourself the right and easy ways to put in one.

• • Contact lenses do not help much especially when most of your days are spent in front of a computer.

    not enough components to block out harmful rays, contacts may give you computer-related eye problems like the computer vision syndrome.

    Symptoms include tired-looking eyes and recurring eye strains when staring at a digital screen for a long period of time.

• • Contact lenses require proper cleaning and maintenance every day. Otherwise, you risk yourself of having eye-related infections.

• • Contact lenses can cost you a huge amount of money for cleaning solutions and regular lens replacement. Additionally, the constant visit to your eye doctor may require you a much higher sum.

• • If you accidentally fall asleep with your contacts on, your eyes become gritty, dry, and irritated when you wake up.

    However, there are also contact lenses that are pretty much safe to use continuously without developing discomforts.

Eyeglasses

Pros:

• • Unlike contact lenses, eyeglasses protect your eyes from sunlight, dust, smoke, and other harmful debris.

    The lenses act as protective covers from these external factors, which can lower your risk of developing eye irritation.

• • Wearing eyeglasses lessens your tendency of touching your eyes. When you touch your eyes too often, you increase your likelihood of having eye-related problems like sore eyes.

• • Depending on the frames that you have, your eyeglasses can speak a lot about your personality and style.

    You can choose from a wide array of frame shapes and colors that you think would reflect your personality the most.

    Wearing the right frame shape can also emphasize your best facial features.

• • Unless your eye prescription changes, you do not have to replace your eyeglasses as often as contact lenses.

    You do not also have to invest in disinfecting solutions for contacts. In that case, eyeglasses allow you to save more money in the long run.

• • Eyeglasses are much easier to use, which makes them a safer option for children.

    Although there are contact lenses that are perfectly safe even for the young ones, some kids just might have difficulty in applying and taking care of their contacts.

Cons:

• • Extreme and sudden changes of temperatures are a nuisance when you wear eyeglasses.

    If you sweat a lot during a hot day, the nose pads in your eyeglasses become slippery.As a result, you often have to adjust your eyewear as it easily slides off your nose.

    Similarly, you also have to deal with the inconvenience of a fogged up glasses when you drink a hot cup of beverages.

• • You can never put down your head in a pillow for a nap without the frustrating feeling of your glasses getting in the way.

    Several activities such as playing certain sports also require you to take off your glasses.

• • Your eye-wear sits approximately half an inch from your eyes. Thus, you often have to deal with the uncomfortable feeling of a distorted peripheral vision.

    Some people also report the same kind of discomfort when they first start wearing eyeglasses.

• • Some frames exert too much pressure on your nasal bridge and ears. The tension often leads up to headaches and general discomfort.

• • If you have high eye prescription, your lenses can be a little too thick and unappealing to look at.

    A thick lens might also make your eyes appear minified or magnified, depending on the type of your lens.

    Lenses for nearsighted people make the eyes look smaller, while lenses for farsighted people make the eyes look bigger.

    higher the prescription of your reading glasses, the more magnified your eyes also appears.

The list above can be a helpful guide to choose which one suits you better. But if you find it hard to figure out the right eye-wear for you, your eye doctor can also help in explaining the advantages and disadvantages of your options.

So which one is better for you?

As previously said, one is not necessarily better than the other. That is to say, it all boils down to your solid preference and what is deemed to be more practical in the long run.

So put in a lot of careful consideration when choosing between eyeglasses and contact lenses.

After all, the most important purpose of these is to give you a better sight.

References:

Contact Lenses vs. Eyeglasses: Which Are Best For You? (https://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/faq/contacts-vs-glasses.htm)

Reading Glasses Make Your Eyes Look Bigger (www.sightstation.com/blog/reading-glasses-make-your-eyes-look-bigger)

Ortho-K And Corneal Refractive Therapy: Overnight Contacts To Correct Myopia (https://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/orthok.htm)