Contact lenses have become a style statement due to their availability in several colours. It was not long ago that these lenses were made from blown glass. In those days, you wouldn’t be able to wear contact lenses for a long time because they would not allow much oxygen to pass through. Today, it’s a whole different story. You can easily buy contact lenses in London that offer a range of comfortable options. But before you can make the decision, you must know the types of contact lenses and their benefit.

That’s what we are going to explore in this article.

Types Before you Buy Contact Lenses

Depending on your visual and medical needs, your optician will prescribe you contact lenses. This is why you must be aware of the types before you buy contact lenses in London.

Soft Contact Lenses

The most common types of contact lenses that people prefer our soft contact lenses. They are made from a mix of flexible materials, these contact lenses more quickly to the shape of your eye. They’re the most comfortable contact lenses because they retain moisture and let oxygen through the eye. If you’re planning to buy contact lenses in London, you can never go wrong with soft contact lenses.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses

RGP contact lenses are also called hard contact lenses because they have no flexibility like soft contact lenses. However, as the name suggests, rigid gas-permeable contact lenses still allow oxygen to the eye, making them comfortable and safe for prolonged use. While hard contact lenses may require some time to get used to, they offer several benefits. RGP contact lenses are less prone to irritant deposits. Also, compared to soft contact lenses, they provide crisper vision correction.

Scleral Contact Lenses

When rigid gas-permeable contact lenses are designed to extend over a broader portion of the cover of the sclera (eyes’ white part), they are known as scleral contact lenses. These contact lenses are prescribed for patients who have corneal abnormalities. Do not go for this contact lenses directly, get your eyes tested from your local opticians and then use any contact lenses if prescribed by your doctor. If you are from Essex, we recommend “Belson Opticians” for contact lenses.

Hybrid Contact Lenses

With the improvement in manufacturing technology, you can now buy contact lenses in London with hybrid properties. These contacts offer the softness of soft contact lenses and a clearer vision of RGP contact lenses. In their construction, the hybrid contact lenses have a soft skirt around a rigid zone at the centre.

Hybrid lenses are costly compared to other contact lenses because they require custom construction based on a precise fit.

Other Specialty Contacts

Two unique types of contact lenses are available for specific visual correction needs.

Monovision Contact Lenses 

These contact lenses correct the problem of distance vision presbyopia. Monovision contact lenses are a set of two contacts, one corrects your near vision in one eye, and the other lens corrects distance vision in the other. These lenses require some time to get used to because your brain needs to eventually adjust to the lenses so you can look out of the lens required for a task.

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)

Ortho-K lenses are used in a treatment that requires you to use rigid gas-permeable contacts overnight while you sleep. These contact lenses gradually reshape your cornea to correct the effects of myopia. However, these benefits last as long as you regularly wear the lenses.

Conclusion 

Whether you require contact lenses for vision correction or cosmetic use, you can buy contact lenses in London with or without a prescription. Still, we advise you to choose the right contact lenses because the wrong contacts can cause eye irritation or worse, affect your vision. This guide on types of contact lenses will help you make a choice.