One of the most obvious — and critical — components of your eye health is the quality of your vision. According to the Vision Council of America, roughly 75% of American adults have vision problems that require the use of corrective lenses. These can include eyeglasses or contact lenses. But how can you know which option is the best for you?
Let’s review some of the pros and cons of each type of corrective lens to help you narrow down how best to address your individual vision problems and make your eye health a top priority.
Eyeglasses vs. Contact Lenses: Weighing the Pros and Cons
Both glasses and contacts come with their share of advantages and drawbacks, and there is no one-size-fits-all vision solution for everybody. The following list will help you better determine which style of corrective lens is the best for your unique needs.
Glasses come with obvious benefits that contacts can’t offer. They require minimal cleaning and upkeep between uses. You don’t have to touch your eyes in order to put them on, which greatly reduces your chances of contracting an eye infection. They also tend to be cheaper considering you’re only paying for a single pair versus potentially dozens of pairs of replacement contacts.
Additionally, glasses with photochromic lenses automatically adjust to whatever environment you’re in, controlling the amount of light that enters your eye and ensuring your maximal comfort and ease of vision. In brightly lit environments, the lenses darken to protect your eyes, and in darker environments they become clear. Photochromic technology blocks 100% of UV rays from entering your eyes, making them a sound investment, especially in the summer months.
As a bonus, glasses of all kinds can be an outward expression of your personal tastes. Although once considered a fashion don’t, nowadays glasses have been widely embraced not only as a vision correction tool but as a statement of style. You can buy frames in a huge range of colors, styles, shapes, and sizes to perfectly accent your looks and preferences. You can even alternate between different frames to change up your look as desired.
Finally, glasses can be preferable to wearers prone to dry eyes, which can be further irritated by contacts, especially as the day wears on.
With that in mind, contacts have their share of advantages as well. Unlike glasses, contacts come with no risk of being broken, and in the event that you tear a lens, it’s much simpler and quicker to order a replacement than it is to wait on a new pair of frames with prescription lenses. Many wearers find them more comfortable particularly when it’s hot out, when perspiration can make glasses slide down the bridge of your nose. They also sit directly on the surface of your eye, which means your peripheral vision is left unobstructed, unlike when wearing glasses.
If you’re playing contact sports or participating in other outdoor activities like swimming or biking, there’s no risk that your contacts will fall off or be damaged, making them an optimal choice for very active people. Additionally, wearers can choose between hard or soft contacts depending upon their specific vision problems and their comfort level.
Contacts also allow room for making a statement about your personal style. If you want to change up your look, you can invest in colored contacts to change your eyes from blue to brown or from green to gray. It’s a simple, subtle way of setting yourself apart.
As you can see, there are benefits and drawbacks to both forms of corrective lenses, and one isn’t necessarily better than the other. Many wearers like to double up by purchasing both glasses and contacts, so they can alternate between the two as needed. Until you try each for yourself, you can’t know which is the best fit for you.
Please note that this article was for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for medical care. For more questions or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at Florida Eye Specialists & Cataract Institute.
