A mother and daughter stood were standing in our shop. They seemed to be at a loss. ‘So what’s better? Lenses or glasses? I just can’t decide,’ the girl was saying to our manager.
‘Wait a minute,’ her mother said. ‘At what age do you even recommend wearing lenses?’
‘We get asked such questions all the time,’ Einit’s optometrist, Hillel Cohen, tells us. ‘There are people who are still afraid about putting contact lenses into their eyes, others are not willing to hear about glasses, and there are those who are simply undecided.’
So for the benefit of those of you who can’t make up your minds, we’ve consulted with an expert in the field.
Firstly, Einit’s Hillel Cohen explains to us how contact lenses work:
“Contact lenses are like small glasses lenses which sit on the eye. The lenses sit on the cornea, which is responsible for refracting light and is next to the tear ducts. With hard lenses there is an additional effect – the tears fill the space between the tear ducts and the cornea, lubricating the surface of the cornea, especially with corneas which are affected by distortions like keratoconus, and allows exceptional vision.”
There are different types of lenses, and they are administered to our clients according to their eyes and their personal needs. At Einit, we received the low down about the different options:
Hard lenses: gas-permeable, less flexible, smaller than soft lenses (by about 10mm), recommended for far-sighted people or in special circumstances. They are known to be harder to adjust to because of the lack of softness and flexibility. There are those who hold that the risk of eye infection is lower than with soft lenses. Hard lenses are particularly good for people with dry eyes.
Soft lenses: flexible, soft and comfortable. Soft lenses are dome-shaped and are about 14mm wide. They are made from a special polymer which is water-permeable (between 28-79%), and rests nicely on the cornea. The factors that make soft lenses so comfortable include the build of the lens (diameter, curves, edging and more) and the materials used (prevents allergies, doesn’t dry out, stable, durable, maintains eye’s moisture and more). There are soft lenses which are available as dailies, bi-monthly, monthly and yearly. There are even soft lenses which don’t have to be removed for a full month. Changing lenses more often reduces the risk of various eye problems.
Daily multifocals: these are advanced lenses which are created with 3D technology, and are made from three lenses which are ‘stuck’ on top of one another so that each lens is designated for a different vision segment—far, intermediary and near vision.
Daily contact lenses for patients with astigmatism:
Until recently, only hard or monthly contact lenses were available with cylinders. Today, dailies can be made with cylinders and are also suitable for near-sightedness.
Moist Lenses:
Patients with sensitivity or dryness who until now were forced to limit the amount of time they wore lenses because of discomfort, can purchase lenses with added moisture. These lenses contain polyvinyl alcohol which gives added moisture with every blink of the eye
Silicon Hydrogels:
Absorb up to five times more oxygen than regular lenses, which makes them suitable for sleeping in. Silicon Hydrogels are suitable for frequent flyers, for example, or for people who take regular afternoon naps.
Healthy lenses for vision distortions:
Keratoconus is a vision problem where the cornea is distorted and becomes like a cone. The ramifications of keratoconus is blurring of vision if it is not corrected by eyeglasses. Usage of contact lenses that are healthy for keratoconus is the best treatment. There are only a few types of contact lenses for those that suffer from keratoconus.
Einit is a leading glasses chain with multiple branches in the Jerusalem and Bnei Brak areas. For more information, see here.
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