It seems that more people than ever need to wear glasses – and this comes as a surprise to many when they are sitting in the chair at the optometrist. Perhaps it has come about from the amount of time we spend staring at screens, whether in the office or at home. Whatever the reason, there are more of us walking around with glasses now, and many more who have their prescription hidden by means of contact lenses.
If you have just had the news that you need to wear a form of optical aid to help your vision, you will probably be trying to decide whether you should wear glasses or contact lenses. This decision doesn’t need to be made right away; you can take a bit of time to decide, just don’t let your eyes strain too much in the meantime.
Here are a few suggestions and tips that should help you to assess what solution is the best for you; however if you don’t feel comfortable with your final decision in a couple of month, you can always head back to the optometrist for an alternative option…
Glasses
Like many other things, glasses seem to go in and out of fashion. Luckily they are very “in” at the moment, with many celebrities rocking them on the red carpets and in films. This means you should be able to find something that suits your face shape; it is a good idea to try some on in the shops to get an idea what looks good on you. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to glasses:
● Glasses may not be the most practical for forms of exercise so ask yourself whether you would need to wear them whilst running. If you are heading to the swimming pool, you could look into prescription goggles.
● You are likely to have a few moments when your glasses feel the effects of condensation when heading indoors on a cold day (and when drinking a cup of tea) so ensure you have some cloths handy.
● There are some occasions that you may not want to wear glasses, such as on your wedding day, so you could think about wearing contact lenses on a temporary basis then.
● Glasses can be misplaced or broken, so it makes sense to have a spare pair just in case.
Contact lenses
Then again, you might be leaning towards the idea of wearing contact lenses. Many people who wear them say that contacts give them the freedom to do things that can be problematic with glasses, and that you don’t need to spend time coordinating them with your outfit. However, you should also keep these things in mind:
● Contact lenses can give you dry eyes, so make sure you follow the instructions to reduce the risk of this happening. You may also be able to use certain eye drops to reduce redness.
● You will need to take out your lenses before going to bed, so you will need to get into a good routine to maintain your eye health.
● If you are travelling overseas, ensure that you are bringing enough of your lenses with you in case you lose one or more – this can be easily done.