A: You are less likely to be comfortable with contact lenses than someone who has normal eye lubrication. However, you may choose to wear your lenses only occasionally. You can increase the comfort of your lenses by putting eye lubrication drops.

A: It is not advisable to wear contact lenses if your eyes are bothering you, particularly if the discomfort is related to contact lens wear.

A: Yes. Try to avoid getting makeup on your lenses. Always insert your lenses before applying eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara.

A: Yes, contact lenses provide excellent vision for most sports. However, they should also use polycarbonate sports safety goggles or glasses when participating in sports.

A: The low humidity in airplane cabins causes dry eyes and contact lens discomfort. It may help to put lubrication drops in your eyes before you enter the aircraft or during the flight. If discomfort continues, it is probably easiest to wear eyeglasses when flying.

A: Yes, but the refractive surgery will have change the curvature of your cornea, requiring a more specialized lens than normal. It is best to consult your eye doctor.

A:  It depends on your prescription, your eye health, visual need, and your lifestyle. Only a comprehensive contact lens examination can determine if your sight can be adequately corrected with contact lenses. If you work in a dusty environment or exposed to bright, windy conditions much of the time, eyeglasses may be safer and more comfortable to wear.

A: Daily-wear contact lenses are designed to be removed each day for cleaning, and should be taken out before you sleep or nap. Extended-wear lenses can be worn continuously for up to seven days before they are removed for cleaning.

A: Yes, but remember that only extended wear lenses are designed for this purpose.

A: Yes, an eye exam is needed to determine the right contact lens fit for you. Because contact lenses are medical devices, they need to be properly fitted by an eye doctor.

A:  Even lenses without correction are medical devices that can cause problems to your eyes. If you have never worn contact lenses, you need to be fitted by an eye doctor and taught how to insert, remove, and disinfect them. If you already wear clear lenses that are available in a tint then you may substitute with a tint without a problem.

A: Your doctor has a right and a responsibility to put an expiration date on your contact lens prescription, to ensure that you receive regular check-ups to rule out the possibility of long term complications of contact lens wear that you may be unaware of.

A: Although it may vary from State to State, normal regulations maintain that you should see your eye care practitioner every year to update your prescription and maintain good eye health.

A:  Depending upon your visual needs, you may or may not have all of the following items on your prescription:

• OD (Oculus Dextrus) is right eye
• OS (Oculus Sinister) is left eye
• Sphere power is the actual power of the contact lens
• Cylinder (if any) is the power of the astigmatism correction
• Axis (if any) is the alignment of the contact lens in the eye
• Base curve is the shape of the contact lens
• Diameter is the distance from edge to edge (in mm) of the lens

A: Yes. The single best way to protect your vision is through regular professional eye examinations. Eye care professionals do more than provide eye exams, they care for the overall health of your eyes. This is especially important for contact lens wearers because the contacts could be causing damage to your eyes without necessarily causing any obvious symptoms. You should see your eye care professional regularly.

A:  Yes. Though contact lenses provide benefits, you should still keep your glasses’ prescription current. There may be days that you don’t want to wear your lenses, or when your glasses are better suited for the situation.

A: The recommended life of contact lenses varies depending on the type of lenses, from 1-day, 1-week, 2-weeks, 1-month, and longer. With any contact lens, you should follow the prescribed wear and care instructions that include guidelines for replacement.

A: Typical signs that a lens is approaching the end of its life are hazy vision, discomfort, and lens discoloration and deposits. These can lead to allergies and other complications.

A: No, lenses should not be worn for longer than the recommended wearing period to stop discomfort, dryness, blurred vision and allergic reactions that can result from a build-up of protein and lipid deposits on the lenses.

A:  No, the 2 weeks refers to the actual time of wearing, so they can last longer than 2 weeks if you are not wearing them full time.

A: Soft contact lenses, especially dailies, are most appropriate for occasional wear.

A: Absolutely not. Never wear a lens that is obviously damaged, even if it feels all right. It could be causing damage to your eyes that might not be immediately apparent. In addition, never wear a lens, which is uncomfortable, causing pain or leaves your vision hazy or distorted.

A:  It could be your long fingernails or you are closing the case on the contacts. Use a thicker lens.

A: Soft lenses will appear as a smooth dish shape when placed on the end of a finger and when the lens is the right way inside. Another test is to add saline, drop by drop to fill the bowl. If the edges begin to curl inwards, it's the correct way.

A: Check the vision of each eye by covering alternate eyes with your hand. If the vision is unclear then try swapping the lenses and then recheck the vision.

A: Generally not. With normal use, contact lenses will stay firmly in position. However, they can come out under certain conditions. High winds can cause the eyes to water and pull the eyelid tight against the eye, increasing the chance of lens loss. A sharp blow to the head may dislodge rigid gas permeable lenses. And rubbing your eye carelessly may result in a lost lens.

A: No. There is no place for it to go. There is a thin, transparent membrane, called conjunctiva that covers the sclera (white part) and inside of your eyelids is well attached to the sidewalls of the eye socket. This forms a seal which prevents contact lenses (as well as dust and other ‘foreign’ material) passing to the back of the eye.

A: Sometimes contact lenses ‘hide’ beneath eyelids. If you wear soft contact lenses, they will tend to center automatically on the cornea. If you wear rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, you may need to manipulate a displaced lens through the eyelid. In rare instances, a RGP lens may adhere by suction to the conjunctiva. First, apply wetting solution to the lens and wait about a minute. Then try to move the lens while gently pressing on one edge. If that doesn't work, you can try to very gently lift up under one edge to break the seal. Or go see your eye doctor. If a contact lens adheres repeatedly, it is not fitted correctly and should be replaced.

A: Possibly yes. Now, there are many new types of soft contact lenses available. Many eye conditions, which were previously corrected only by hard contact lenses, may now be corrected with soft contact lenses. Make an appointment with your eye doctor and get trial samples of soft contact lenses.

A: No. They do not need to because the material itself allows oxygen to diffuse through it making water irrelevant.

A: It indicates increased deposits on the contacts and / or possible allergic response of upper lids to dirty contacts. Discard the old lenses and use fresh ones.

A: Use re-wetting drops.

A: There are three possibilities (1) tear in contact; (2) increased deposits, or (3) contact is inside out.

A: This may be an allergic reaction to deposits on contacts or possibly an eye infection. Set up an appointment with your eye doctor.

A: No. Home-made saline is not sterile and there is the risk of bacterial or parasitic contamination. Although extremely rare, the resulting infection can be so damaging that it simply is not worth the risk.

A: Absolutely not. This can result in infection. Temporary storage in saline is OK, but the lenses will need to be cleaned and conditioned by soaking in an appropriate disinfecting solution prior to use.

A: Absolutely not. Soft lenses will turn into "corn-flakes" and pop when you touch them. Hard lenses should also be stored in a soaking disinfecting solution to reduce lens contamination.

A: This varies according to the cleaning and disinfection routine that you use before storing the lens. For specific details, consult the package insert of your lens care system.

A: Soft lenses are good until expiration date written on the box. Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses are good for 2-3 years.

A: Contact lens solutions do three things: (1) clean the lenses to remove over 90% of the germs that can grow on them; (2) disinfect to kill any germs on the lens to prevent eye infections; and (3) buffer and wet the lenses to make them more comfortable to wear. Almost all contact lenses need to be kept wet to prevent them from changing shape.

A: Do not "mix and match" contact lens cleaning solutions. The chemicals used in one cleaning solution could react with the chemicals in another cleaning solution, which could damage or discolor the lenses, irritate your eyes. Keep your lens care products clean. Do not touch the tip of the bottles to any surface. If you do so, quickly discard the next few drops. Always close the container with the original top immediately after use.

A: It varies from lens to lens. The slick surface of RGP’s resists deposit buildup, therefore they need only daily cleaning and disinfecting and no enzyme treatment. Daily disposable lenses are worn only once and then discarded. Weekly soft disposables are cleaned at the end of the day; then soaked in disinfecting solution until they're worn again. Since they're discarded before deposit buildups occur, they don't need to be cleaned in an enzyme solution either. Other soft lenses however, usually require daily cleaning / disinfection and weekly enzyme treatment.

A: Yes, you can. Wear disposable contacts that have a minimal requirement for cleaning. One of the benefits of disposable contact lenses is that protein cleaners are not necessary because the lenses are disposed of before there is a large build up of proteins.

A: Schedule an appointment at NeoVision Eye Center by calling toll free at: 1-877-NEOVISION (1-877-636-8474)