Athletes of all kinds have discovered the advantages of wearing contacts when participating in sports or working out. Contacts don't steam up from perspiration, don't smudge and don't get foggy if you go from cold to warm temperatures. They provide better depth perception and peripheral vision. Today's close-fitting contacts stay on your eyes, even during vigorous activity. Click here for more.

Your eyecare professional will recommend contact lenses, contact lens care procedures and solutions specifically designed for your particular eye condition. Don't switch without consulting your eyecare professional. Click here for complete information on solutions.

While e-commerce may provide timesaving conveniences for those with hectic lifestyles, it is important to remember that contact lenses are a medical device that require proper fitting, wear and care, and proper monitoring by an eyecare professional. It is therefore critical that certain guidelines are adhered to when ordering contacts online.

• Continue your regular eye-health screenings by an eyecare professional
• Check and double-check the order for any typing errors before you submit it
• Do not request or accept a substitute for the prescribed lens without checking with your eyecare practitioner
• Check the expiration date on the product immediately upon receipt of order
• Make sure your prescription is current and has not expired before placing your order. A legitimate distributor should confirm this with every order. Finally, if a problem results from the order, visit your eyecare professional immediately.
  
  

It is difficult to determine an "average cost" for contact lenses, as there are many variables that can affect the cost. These variables include the type of lenses you require, your lens care and replacement plan, and the eyecare professional's service and examination fees. Any or all of these variables may be fully or partially covered under your individual insurance plan. Contact your eyecare professional for prices on specific types of lenses.

Very possibly. Read the small print in the laser surgery ads. Only a small percentage of patients who undergo the operation achieve 20/20 vision. And laser surgery can do nothing to correct presbyopia, which hits nearly everyone by age 40, and usually requires contact lenses or reading glasses to correct. Click here for more on presbyopia. And click here for more facts about laser surgery.

Daily-wear contact lenses are designed to be removed each day for cleaning or replacement, and should be taken out before you sleep or nap. Depending on your particular eye condition and other important factors, extended-wear lenses can be prescribed for overnight wear from one day to as many as seven before they are removed. Extended-wear lenses can also be prescribed for removal each day for cleaning and slept in occasionally when special circumstances arise. Eyecare professionals consider many variables in deciding between daily-wear and extended-wear lenses for each person's needs.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD or osteopath) uniquely trained to diagnose and treat all disorders of the eye. An ophthalmologist is trained in all aspects of eyecare--medical, surgical and optical.

An optometrist (OD) is a state-licensed healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats eye health and vision problems. An OD prescribes glasses, contact lenses, engages in low vision rehabilitation and vision therapy, and, in some states, can prescribe ophthalmic medications and perform certain surgical procedures. Optometrists hold the doctor of optometry (OD) degree.

An optician is a paramedical professional who manufactures and dispenses eyeglasses and helps in the selection of frames. The optician may also dispense and/or fit contact lenses, depending on individual states' licensing practices.

A growing number of people now wear disposable soft lenses, which can be worn for either a single day or up to 14, depending on the wear schedule prescribed by the eyecare professional. Disposable lenses are usually prescribed in multi-packs, providing several weeks' supply at a time.

Frequent and planned replacement lenses are lenses that are replaced on a planned schedule, most often monthly, quarterly or biannually.

Contact lenses can correct most vision conditions, including nearsightedness and farsightedness. They can also correct an astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea) and presbyopia (also known as "aging eye") that affects nearly everyone as they grow older. It's estimated that nearly 71 million Americans have astigmatism to some degree and 77 million Americans are affected by presbyopia. Today's lenses and lens fitting techniques can help many of these people.

It is likely that your contact lenses are included in an eyecare insurance plan, but it is best to contact your insurance provider/administrator to determine you individual coverage.

Vision may become slightly impaired or altered during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, dry eyes, and water retention. Moms-to-be may experience increased eye dryness, blurred or distorted vision, spots or even hemorrhages in the eye. If any of the symptoms occur, contact your eyecare professional and obstetrician. Expectant mothers who require vision correction but are experiencing vision changes may want to consider disposable contacts, as these allow your prescription to be modified on a regular basis at a lower overall cost than some other lenses. Some pregnant women should limit the number of hours per day that they wear contact lenses, due to possible eye changes, while some expectant mothers should not wear lenses at all. An eyecare professional can help you make these decisions. Most pregnant women find that their vision returns to normal soon after delivery.

Advances in materials technology and better understanding of the eye's needs in health and disease have enabled the development of soft and rigid lenses to aid in protecting and helping a sick eye to heal. A variety of conditions may be treated and in some cases, even cured in this manner. These unique lenses are frequently combined with precise medication delivery schedules to help heal the eye.

Most first time wearers are delighted with the level of comfort that contact lenses provide. Initial contact lens fittings by professional eyecare practitioners can minimize or eliminate any irritation associated with new lenses. After a brief adjustment period, most people report they can no longer feel contact lenses on their eyes.

You don't have to have vision problems to wear colored contacts. Some people simply want to change their eye color, as colored contacts can be great fun. It is essential, however, that contact lenses be professionally prescribed and fitted. Contact lenses are an FDA-regulated medical device.

Contact lenses that do not fit correctly or are used in an eye other than the prescribed eye can cause serious eye problems, potentially resulting in permanent eye damage.

Today's tinted soft lenses offer the fun of enhancing or changing your eye color. The color is seen on your eye, but does not affect the color of things you see. Enhancing tints give drama and added color to existing eye color, and come in a variety of colors including aqua, blue, green, brown, amber, and violet. Opaque tints cover the natural color of the iris, making the eye appear a completely different color (such as blue over a brown iris). The wearer sees through a clear area in the center of the lens while showing the world a different eye color. There are even visibility tints, which are lenses that are lightly tinted to make them easy to find but which don't change the color of your eyes. RGP lenses are only available in clear and visibility tints. Some types of lenses also offer additional ultraviolet-radiation absorption properties.

Yes, there are many different ways to correct presbyopia and other vision needs with bifocal contact lenses. Click here for a complete description of bifocal lenses.

It is important for an eyecare professional to assess a young patient's vision correction needs and to discuss his or her capabilities and maturity level with both the patient and the parents when considering contacts. Personal wear and care regimens may depend upon the type of contact prescribed, the nature of the vision problem being corrected, and the patient's unique eye chemistry. There are no hard and fast rules here--so much depends on the responsibility level of the young patient.

Click here for one optometrist's opinion on contacts for young people.

Certain contact lenses have ultraviolet inhibitors built into the lens material. Sunglasses should still be worn for protection from the sun's harmful rays. Check with your eyecare professional to determine which lenses have ultraviolet inhibitors, and whether these contacts are right for you.

While they can not "cure" color blindness, there are lenses available that can enhance the ability to distinguish colors. Contact your eyecare professional if you suffer from color blindness and are interested in these contact lenses.

The Contact Lens Council is a non-profit organization serving as an educational resource on vision correction for consumers and is devoted to promoting the safe use of contact lenses. Advisory members of the CLC include the American Optometric Association, Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, and the Contact Lens Society of America. While contact lens manufacturers do indeed sponsor the CLC, we are not involved at all in the manufacturing or sale of contact lenses. For specific information on contact lenses, it is best to contact a manufacturer directly. Click here for a list of manufacturers.