Color Contacts Articles and News

News, Views and Articles relating to Color Contact Lenses and Eye Care.

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Location: United Kingdom

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

5 Complications Associated With Lasik Surgery

If you are a wearer of glasses or contact lenses then you have probably looked into the possibility of getting LASIK eye surgery performed. This surgery has become increasingly popular as the costs associated with it have come down and the number of doctors performing it has gone up. While you are looking into have the procedure done, be sure to check out the complications that can arise from this, mostly uncomplicated, surgery.



1- The most obvious danger with any surgery that is being performed on your eyes is the loss of sight. This is also true with LASIK eye surgery, although it is not a very common consequence. A more common issue with this procedure is actually the partial loss of vision. This includes losing bands of sight on the reading chart, if this happens the use of glasses or contacts will not be able to correct the situation.



2- There are a fair amount of people that complain of distorted vision as a result of the LASIK procedure being performed. These complications include seeing halos around objects, blurred vision, and an increased difficulty seeing in adverse conditions such as nighttime or foggy weather. This is because of the diminishing contrasts in colors in these types of situations.



3- Another common complication that can arise from the LASIK surgery is the condition known as dry eye. This is when the eye does not produce enough tears to keep the eye moist. There are people that have this issue without ever having LASIK surgery; however, there is a very high incident rate among recent patients after the surgery. Most people do experience some relief from dry eye after about a month or so into the healing process. However, for most patients, the symptoms do not disappear entirely.



4- It is important to note that if any of these complications do arise because of your decision to get the LASIK surgery done on your eyes, that corrective eyewear will no longer be an effective solution to your vision dilemmas. Be sure to consider this when researching the surgery.



5- Talk to your surgeon about all of the risks that are associated with the LASIK surgery. You will need to weigh them against the potential gains in your self-esteem and even perhaps the future savings of not having to purchase glasses or contact lenses. Your doctor will be happy to talk to you about these potential problems and let you know how you can help to avoid having them happen to you.


About the Author: John Mancini has been writing about Eye Surgery online and offline for a long time. Visit http://ez-laser-eye-surgery.info or http://laser-eye-surgery-center.com to read more about matters like laser eye surgery and eye surgery.


Source: www.isnare.com
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Whether you�re wearing contact lenses for the first time or you�re a current wearer seeking a new option, the choices have never been so diverse and plentiful.

The technology and designs available will make you�re contact lenses wearing experience a comfortable and convenient one. Some of the wonderful contact lens types include; disposable contact lenses, colored contact lenses, rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, toric and bifocal lenses and extended wear lenses.

The first step for anyone wanting to wear contact lenses is a visit to an eyecare practitioner, even if you just want to change eye color. Ophthalmologists, optometrists and in some states opticians are considered to be eyecare practitioners and can write a valid contact lenses prescription. In the United States contact lenses can only be legally purchased with a written contact lens prescription.

You�re eyecare practitioner will first check to see if you can safely wear contact lens, most people can, there are however some who cannot. Next you�re eyecare practitioner will do a thorough examination of both eyes and a contact lens fitting to determine you�re contact lens prescription. It is important to remember that contact lenses are medical devices and if not properly prescribed and fitted a person could suffer discomfort, abrasion, swelling and in some rare instances permanent eye damage. Regular eye exams are necessary to ensure any problems are looked at and taken care of.

Benefits of Wearing Contacts:
There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses. Contact lenses are so delicately designed that the wearer doesn�t even know they are there. Contact lenses eliminate the barriers that eyeglasses provide with the line of sight from above, below and the sides of the eyes, allowing for incredible peripheral vision while reducing and often eliminating image distortion often caused by eyeglasses.

Disposable Contacts:
Disposable contacts are the most common type of discount contact lenses. They offer both health and convenience benefits, and are a favorite among eyecare practitioners and consumers alike, because of the wonderful health benefits and convenience they offer. Disposable lenses designs should be worn for a certain amount of time, thrown out and replaced with a fresh pair of lenses. There are three main types of disposable contact lenses; disposable contact lenses which can be discarded and replaced every two weeks or sooner (some are daily); the traditional or reusable contact lenses that are replaced approximately every six months or longer and the frequent replacement contacts which are replaced monthly or quarterly. There can be confusion between what is known as the replacement schedule and the wearing schedule. The replacement schedule is the difference between disposable, traditional or reusable and frequent lenses, and exactly how often they are discarded and replaced. Whereas the wearing schedule refers to how often you�re contact lenses are removed but not necessarily discarded. Usually the name of the contacts such as daily wear or extended wear will refer to how often the lenses should be removed.

Color Contact Lenses:
Color contact lenses are a great way to either give yourself a subtle or dramatic change to your look. The color contact lenses are available in both prescription and plano (non prescription) form. There are four types of colored contact lenses; visibility tints, enhancement tints, opaque color tints and light-filtering tints. The visibility tints usually come with a green or light blue tint added to the lens, and this is primarily so you can see well during insertion and removal or if the contact lenses are dropped. The visibility tints do not affect eye color. Enhancement tints are a solid (yet translucent) tint that also does not affect eye color. What they do as the name implies is enhance the existing eye color of the wearer.

Color tints are the deeper, opaque tints that dramatically change the wearers eye color. These lenses are great for anyone wanting a dramatic change in their eye color and appearance. The color contacts are available in a wide variety of colors, including green, hazel, violet, blue, amethyst and gray. Lastly the light-filtering tints are a great option for sports enthusiasts. These special contact lenses are designed for specific sports use as they enhance certain colors. One color of the light-filtering tints is the optic yellow, because this is the color of tennis balls and some golf and softballs the lenses enhance the yellow while muting other colors, making the ball stand out against the background.

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses:
Rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP) are probably the highest quality lenses available today. They offer excellent quality of vision (some will say crisper vision), durability, and retain their shape better when blinking. The lenses allow for oxygen to reach your eye therefore creating more comfort and better eye health. The lenses have a more lengthy adjustment period than the soft lenses and must be worn everyday to maintain the comfort level, otherwise if not worn everyday it will take time to adjust to again.

Bifocal and Toric Lenses:
A comfortable and convenient way to correct presbyopia (aging eyes) is with bifocal contact lenses. These contact lenses can replace the bifocal eyeglasses that we are used to seeing on people. The bifocal contacts are available in both soft and rigid gas permeable lenses, and in disposable or frequent replacement wear. Toric contact lenses treat the eye condition known as astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea). The toric contact lenses have only become available recently in soft contact options. The lenses are available in disposable, frequent replacement, multifocal and color varieties of lenses.

Extended Wear Lenses:
Extended wear contact lenses are the most convenient of all the contact lenses. Extended wear allows for overnight wear up to thirty days. Most of the extended wear contact lenses available can be worn without removal for up to seven days, there are only a couple of brands that can be worn for up to thirty days of continuous wear. There is a higher health risk compared with the nightly removal lenses. The nice thing about the extended wear lenses is you don�t have to worry about lens care, you must be sure however to discard and replace your lenses according to their wear schedule to avoid any risk of infection. A nice option in the extended wear lenses is the flexible wear lenses. This allows you to nap or occasionally sleep in your lenses, perhaps on a weekend trip, while only wearing the lenses on a daily wear basis.

Conclusion
Everyone�s individual needs and preferences will come into play when selecting their contact lenses. With the wonderful assortment of contact lenses available there is a lens that will offer both comfort and convenience to the most particular of consumers. Valerie Giles owns and operates Eyewear-4U http://www.eyewear-4u.com, an eyewear site featuring fashion eyewear, sports eyewear, prescription eyewear, discount sunglasses and contact lenses as well as accessories. The accompanying article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

LASIK Surgery- Complications and Risks

The popularity of LASIK surgery is soaring. It is considered to
be a surgery with little or no risks associated with it.
Therefore, people seem to make rash decisions when considering
having the procedure done. To think that a surgery of any type,
no matter how minor, does not have possible complications is at
best naive, at worst it is complete stupidity. This is
especially true of a surgery that is conducted on your eyes.


Another common complication that can arise from the LASIK
surgery is the condition known as dry eye. This is when the eye
does not produce enough tears to keep the eye moist. There are
people that have this issue without ever having LASIK surgery;
however, there is a very high incident rate among recent
patients after the surgery. Most people do experience some
relief from dry eye after about a month or so into the healing
process. However, for most patients, the symptoms do not
disappear entirely.


Talk to your surgeon about all of the risks that are associated
with the LASIK surgery. You will need to weigh them against the
potential gains in your self-esteem and even perhaps the future
savings of not having to purchase glasses or contact lenses.
Your doctor will be happy to talk to you about these potential
problems and let you know how you can help to avoid having them
happen to you.


There are a fair amount of people that complain of distorted
vision as a result of the LASIK procedure being performed. These
complications include seeing halos around objects, blurred
vision, and an increased difficulty seeing in adverse conditions
such as nighttime or foggy weather. This is because of the
diminishing contrasts in colors in these types of situations.


The most obvious danger with any surgery that is being performed
on your eyes is the loss of sight. This is also true with LASIK
eye surgery, although it is not a very common consequence. A
more common issue with this procedure is actually the partial
loss of vision. This includes losing bands of sight on the
reading chart, if this happens the use of glasses or contacts
will not be able to correct the situation.


About the author:


John Mancini has been writing about Eye Surgery online and
offline for a long time. Visit http://ez-lasik-surgery.com or
http://lasik-eye-surgery-expert.com to read more about matters
like lasik procedure and lasik surgery.
-


The pharmaceutical company's profit rose but missed expectations when its consumer health division's operating profit fell 17 percent.
Source: money.cnn.com

Eyes Have It In New Sports Lenses (NBC 24 Toledo)
(Undated) --- Some athletes say when it comes to the latest thing in sports technology, the "eyes have it." Nike is marketing new contact lenses that they say will improve your game, but do they live up to the hype?
Source: www.nbc24.com

LightPath New Product Announcement: Athermalized f/1.3, 14.9 mm IR Lens Assembly (SYS-CON Media)
LightPath Technologies, Inc. is pleased to introduce an f/1.3, 14.9 mm focal length Infrared (IR) lens assembly designed for uncooled infrared sensors. These lenses are designed as the primary optics for thermal imagers in a wide variety of applications including homeland security, firefighting, predictive maintenance and driver's vision enhancement systems in automobiles.
Source: www.sys-con.com

County maps key info (News Leader)
On any given day, a new batch of 12-inch by 15-inch black-and-white photographs lie scattered on Brad Staton's desk. Correction: they're not exactly new, nor are they exactly black and white.
Source: www.newsleader.com

Monday, January 15, 2007

Bifocal and Toric Contact Lenses Offer More Options for All Eyes

Two of the most common contact lens prescriptions prescribed for people today are for the eye conditions of presbyopia and astigmatism. Modern technology has made bifocal and toric contact lens designs available in both the rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses and the soft lenses, offering more options and wear schedules then ever before.



Only a small percentage of people prefer the rigid gas permeable lenses to the soft contacts. The reason being that the RGP lenses retain their shape over the cornea more successfully than do the soft lenses, and are said to provide crisper vision to people with the eye condition astigmatism. However the majority of people prefer the soft lenses as they come in more choices and take less time to adjust.



Presbyopia is a condition that occurs as the eye�s lens grows older and starts to lose some of its elasticity, which is needed to switch focus between viewing near and far objects. About one hundred million Americans experience this common eye condition. Presbyopia affects most people between the ages of forty and fifty, and is a natural part of the aging process. Once presbyopia begins, your vision will continue to change, so that regular eye exams by your eyecare practitioner will be a part of life. As your eye�s lens looses more elasticity, the eye will take longer to adjust between objects, an example being between the road and the speedometer. Bifocal eyeglasses used to be the only option for people with the condition, but today there are many bifocal contact lenses in a variety of convenient and comfortable designs.



The most obvious sign that you�re developing presbyopia is the need to hold any reading material, like the newspaper or a book, further away from you eyes in order focus and see clearly.



The way bifocal contact lenses work is very similar to bifocal eyeglasses. The contacts have two separate powers on one lens; one to correct distance vision and the other to correct near vision if this is the prescription that is needed. There are a couple of different design options for the bifocal lenses. One of the designs works similar to how the bifocal eyeglasses work with two obvious prescriptions separated with a line (the distance vision on the top and the near vision at the bottom).



The other design works somewhat like a progressive eyeglass lens, having the two different prescriptive powers blended on different parts of the lens, forcing your eyes to learn to differentiate the correct power for the correct distance.



The wonderful thing about bifocal contact lenses is the convenience they offer. Contact lenses are so thinly designed that the wearer doesn�t even know they are there. Contact lenses eliminate the barriers that eyeglasses provide with the line of vision from below, above and the sides of the eyes, allowing for great peripheral vision with the hassle and image distortion sometimes cause by bifocal eyeglasses.



There are three different designs for the bifocal contact lenses, concentric, simultaneous and alternating vision. The concentric designed lenses have one power centered in the lens and the other surrounding it, for example the distance power may be in the center of the lens with the near power surrounding it, or the other way around. The simultaneous vision lenses contain both the near and distance prescriptions centered on the pupil, your eyes learn to adjust to the proper power depending on what your looking and focusing on. Lastly the alternating vision works similar to the bifocal lenses separated by a line with one power at the top of the lens and the other power at the bottom.



There are people who have difficulty adjusting to the bifocal contact lenses and for this reason they may not be the lenses for some people. It does take time for the eye to adjust to the two different powers within the lenses, with exactly how much time to adjust varying from person to person. It�s important not to give up right away and give the lenses a chance, as some people take longer than others to get used to the lenses.



If however you are unable to see clearly with the lenses, your eyecare practitioner may recommend the monovision lenses. With these particular lenses, one contact is worn with one power to correct the distance vision with the other lens correcting the near vision. Some people adapt to these lenses immediately. If having to wear bifocal lenses for the first time and your concerned about what will work best, your eyecare practitioner may have some free-trial programs in place allowing you to try out different lenses before deciding on a particular pair.



Astigmatism is the most common of vision problems, and may be accompanied by nearsightedness (hyperopia) or farsightedness (myopia). The cause of astigmatism is an irregularly shaped cornea, which can be corrected with toric contact lenses. Until recently soft contact lenses were not available for astigmatism correction, but fortunately toric contact lenses are now made in disposable, frequent replacement, multifocal and colored lenses (there may be some complex prescriptions that are not available in the soft lenses). Toric contact lenses come in both soft and rigid gas permeable (RGP) designs.



Toric lenses are created with two powers in them, one for astigmatism and the other for myopia or hyperopia. Toric lenses contain a ballast system (bottom of lens is thicker), which keeps the contact in one position. The cost of toric contact lenses is more expensive than regular contact lenses, as the fitting procedure for torics is more extensive; the lenses are also more expensive than regular lenses.



Toric contact lenses come in many options, your eyecare practitioner will help you select the lenses with the best compatibility for your specific eyes. Multifocal toric contacts offer correction for presbyopia and astigmatism; these lenses are available in soft and RGP varieties, the rigid gas permeable lenses being the recommended of the two.



Contact lenses are a convenient and healthy way to treat your eye vision problems. Both presbyopia and astigmatism correction can be easily achieved with a small adjustment period, without the inconvenience of eyeglasses. A visit to your eyecare practitioner can assist you with the lens choice and replacement schedule best suited for you.
Valerie Giles owns and operates Eyewear-4U http://www.eyewear-4u.com, an eyewear site featuring fashion eyewear, sports eyewear, prescription eyewear, discount sunglasses and contact lenses as well as accessories. The accompanying article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.
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Reporter Think Summer. Now is your chance to be part of a Tulsa tradition in performing arts: SummerStage.
Source: www.color-contacts.thecatcollar.com

Transformation Is Sony's CES Theme - PR Newswire (press release)

Transformation Is Sony's CES Theme
PR Newswire (press release), NY - Jan 7, 2007
Behind the Lens Moving from the enjoyment to the creation of high-quality content, Steve Haber, senior vice president for Sony Electronics' Personal Mobile ...

Source: news.google.com

Thank you PR WEB.
Thank you PR WEB.PRWeb - CRMXchange Introduces the Virtual Symposium for Contact Center Professionals The Virtual Symposium, the latest innovation in online marketing technology from CRMXchange.com, is the most cost- and time-effective way yet for suppliers of contact center Thank you, Thank you, Thank YouPRWeb - A Guide to Who Wants Which Brands [...]
Source: www.color-contacts.thecatcollar.com

Camera Filters - Why Use Them? - 50 Connect


50 Connect
Camera Filters - Why Use Them?
50 Connect, UK - Dec 30, 2006
More importantly, this filters’ purpose is to protect the lens from scratches and anything that may come in contact with the lens and do it harm. ...

Source: news.google.com

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Contact Lens Types - Do You Wear the Lenses that are Best for You?

Did you know that all contact lenses aren't the same? Take some time to find out about the different types of contact lens and what they can do for your eyes. Of course your doctor will help you to select the right lenses, but it is best to be prepared and know, in advance, what is best for you.

All lenses can be divided into groups depending on the material they're made from, their wearing schedule, the design of lenses, their purpose, and their degree of a transparency.

Contact lens materials

Contact lenses can be distinguished by the material they are made of. To start, they are divided into two major groups - rigid and soft.

Rigid lenses are, in turn, divided into rigid gas-tight and the more modern rigid gas-permeable.

All soft lenses are gas-permeable to a certain degree, and can be categorized further by the amount of water in the material. They can have a low moisture content (less than 50 percent) or a high moisture content (more than 50 percent).

Contact lenses wearing schedule

Contact lenses can also be divided by how often they should be replaced.

  • One group is replaced according to traditional guidelines. For soft lenses, this is about one year; but for rigid lenses it can be several years.


  • Another group is defined by scheduled replacement. This might be monthly or once every quarter.


  • There are also frequent replacement lenses, which could be changed daily, weekly, or fortnightly.


  • Finally, there are extended wear lenses, like Focus Night and Day lenses.


  • The more often you replace these lenses, the better it is for your eye health. Disposable contacts provide best vision and are best for your eyes.

    Design of contact lenses

    The design of contact lenses can be divided into spherical, toric and multifocal.

  • Spherical lenses are for correction of shortsightedness and a long-sightedness.


  • Toric lenses are for astigmatism


  • Multifocal lenses are used to correct presbyopia


  • Different purposes of lenses

    Contact lenses can be optical, cosmetic, decorative or therapeutic.

    Optical contact lenses are intended for the correction of visual anomalies.

    Cosmetic contact lenses are used to change the appearance of the eye. Color lenses like Freshlook or Acuvue 2 Colors are made to enhance or change your eye color.

    Decorative lenses are color contacts intended to produce unusual effects - cat's eyes, zombie eyes, vampire eyes, and so on.

    Therapeutic contact lenses are basically soft contact lenses that can be used like a bandage, to protect the cornea. They might also be used as a reservoir for medications used in the treatment of various diseases of the cornea.

    Clear and color contacts

    Contact lenses can be divided into transparent and colored groups.
    Transparent contact lenses can be completely clear or have faint tint, which makes them easier to find in their storage container but won't affect the appearance of your eyes.

    Colored lenses change the appearance of your eyes. Cosmetic and decorative contact lenses definitely fall within this category. See color contacts reviews with pictures and suggestions how to select best color contact lenses for you.

    About the Author

    Tanya Turner is a contact lens expert and a founder of www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/, where you can find unbiased information about eye health and all types of contact lenses with reviews and pictures
    -


    LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- CES Booth 14
    Source: www.redorbit.com

    Discount Color Contacts How to Get the Unbeatable Deal
    Is it safe to buy color contacts online? If you compare color contact lens prices at the doctor's office and at online contact lens shops, you will see that online you can get your lenses 50 to 70 percent cheaper. But you may ask, why such...
    Source: www.color-contacts.thecatcollar.com

    Eye Health 9 Simple Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
    Do you eyes feel tired and sore by the end of the day? Modern life puts a lot of stress on our bodies and eyes are among the first things to suffer. But it doesn't have to be this way. Learn simple things you can do for your eye health and your eyes...
    Source: www.color-contacts.thecatcollar.com

    Wednesday, January 10, 2007

    Blue Contact Lenses - What Works Best

    Thinking of getting blue color contacts? From the hundreds of blue lenses currently on the market, some can make your eyes really stunning while others are a profound disappointment. Discover how to find the blues that would work best for your eyes.


    Bright blue color lenses


    Most people who try blue contacts want to have bright, vivid color. However, you should bear in mind that real human eyes are never too bright. So lenses that offer a stunning, vivid blue might be a bit too bright to be mistaken for your true color. Overbrightness is particularly noticeable outdoors, on a sunny day. On the other hand, bright lenses can be excellent for an evening party.


    Freshlook Colorblends in True Sapphire is the way to go if you want a really bright blue. Colorblends also has just "blue", which is nice, but doesn't look anywhere near as bright. True Sapphire is best suited for people with medium to dark hair and complexions. If you are a fair blond or redhead, you would be better of with a lighter blue.


    Compare pictures of blue color contacts by different brands


    Best blue color contacts for light eyes


    When it comes to color contact lenses people with light eyes are lucky - they can wear opaque lenses as well as partially transparent enhancers.


    If your eyes are already blue or blue-gray and you want to make the color brighter - blue enhancement color lenses are your best option. You can get a very good result from Acuvue 2 Color Enhancers in Ocean blue (bright blue) or Aqua (blue-green, natural looking effect). Durasoft 2 Colors for light eyes in Sky Blue is also a good option - it is not as bright as Acuvue, but it creates a very natural soft effect.


    If your eyes and skin are very light, enhancement color lenses might not only make your color brighter, but also make your eyes appear darker. If this is not what you want, choose opaque light blue lenses. Illusions by Ciba Vision in Soft Blue work very well as light blue contacts.


    Favorite blue lenses for dark eyes


    If you have dark eyes, you have to use opaque color contacts. Enhancement lenses will not make any difference the appearance of your eyes. Freshlook Colorblends in True Sapphire mentioned above are great if you want really bright blue eyes.


    For a more subtle look, try Durasoft 2 Opaque Colors - it creates a light blue color with a slight tint of violet. Durasoft 2 Colorblends is another option - on blue eyes they produce a very deep color. Durasoft 2 Colorblends is most suitable for people whose eyes are naturally very dark. Illusion in Deep Blue also works well on dark eyes.


    Which blue contact lenses are healthy and most comfortable?


    All lenses mentioned above are comfortable, natural looking blue contacts. One thing you should know, though, is that these contacts have different replacement schedules. Acuvue 2 Colors are 2-week disposable color lenses, Freshlook Colorblends are monthly disposables, and all Durasoft and Illusions color contacts are for a year.


    From the health point of view, disposable lenses are better - especially if you plan to wear your color contacts every day. If you want to wear color lenses only as an occasional treat, however, then a pair of Durasoft 2 Colors or Illusions would serve your purposes best.



    About the Author

    www.1-Contact-Lenses-Consumer-Guide.com published by Tanya Turner helps you find cheap color contacts . It provides reviews, pictures and comparisons of all types of color contact lenses.
    -
    Contact lenses are a great alternative to glasses. Many people who live an active lifestyle have enjoyed the ease and convenience of contacts now for many years. Today, there is an extensive choice to best fit your need.

    Contacts now have so many options; it may seem a bit overwhelming to find the right pair for you. In truth, there are a few things you should know when shopping for contacts. But when done right, you will find much better prices and varieties than your optometrist could provide.

    After a visit to your eye doctor, you can ask for a prescription of your eyes. This little sheet of paper will tell you everything you want to know about the shape, size, and power of your eyes. First, you will need to decipher the abbreviations on your prescription

    PWR: this is the strength in diopters your new lenses must have in order to sharpen your sight to an acceptable level.

    BC: Known as back curvature, this number indicates the shape of your cornea and helps with overall fit and comfort.

    DIA: The distance in milliliters across your contact lenses

    CYL: For those of you with astigmatism, this measures how advanced it is.

    AXIS: Also for astigmatism patients, this helps the contacts correct the oval shape of your cornea.

    ADD: For bifocal users, this will show the additional strength in the section of your contacts used for reading or close viewing.

    COLOR: If you have chosen contacts that will enhance or change your eye color, your desired color will be shown here.

    BRAND: If your doctor has prescribed a certain brand for you, in most cases, retailers are required to sell you only that brand.

    Now that you know what your prescription means, you can now shop for the best contacts for you, there are some things to note though. After talking to your doctor, you should be aware if you need soft or gas permeable contacts.

    Soft contacts are quite common and take less time for your eyes to adjust to. Because they contain anywhere from 25% to 79% water, they are more comfortable but less durable. Some also allow you to sleep in them. Soft contacts are generally replaced more often than gas permeable lenses. The life expectancy of soft contacts vary from once a day to once every few months. This factor depends on upkeep and how sensitive your eyes are.

    Gas permeable lenses are made from a rigid silicone which is considerably more durable and longer lasting. In the long run, gas permeables are slightly more expensive up front but less expensive over time since one pair will last a couple of years compared to soft contacts lasting an average of around a month.

    A new craze today is color changing or enhancing contacts. Some people add this feature to their already existing prescription and some even buy them simply for decoration. Color can come in a variety of intensities.

    Tinted contacts have a visible tint meant to enhance the natural color of your eyes. this type looks best on light colored eyes.

    Color tints have an opaque solid color pattern around the center of the lens which can dramatically change eye color. The color pattern is based off of natural color occurrences in the iris. The center is clear so you can see. These lenses come in colors such as blue, hazel, green, and even violet.

    Costume tints have been used in movies for special eye effects and are now available to the general public. Options include white-out, spiral, cheetah, and alien. These are obviously not for everyone.

    With this information, shopping for the best contacts can be a fun and rewarding experience. You are almost guaranteed a better price and more ease than conventional ordering from your optometrist. The best way to find the best prices is to browse around and compare prices. Be careful of scammers and stay with reliable companies.

    About the author:

    Briana is an original writer for www.youseekit.com. You can see the original article by going to http://www.youseekit.com/contact-lenses.htm.

    Friday, January 05, 2007

    Halloween Contact Lenses - It is Party Time!

    Want to make your costume really amazing? Then you will need to change your eyes as well and Halloween costume lenses can help with that. Find out how to get the best looking costume lenses without paying a fortune.


    Who offers best selection of Halloween contacts


    Have you already planned your costume and are now looking for the right Halloween contacts to go with it? Or do you just want to browse for costume lenses until you see a pair that you really like, and make the costume to match? In either case, you should first check out the two most popular collections of Halloween contact lenses - Crazy Lenses by Cooper Vision and Wild Eyes by Ciba vision. Both brands offer high quality, affordable Halloween contact lenses that create great effects.


    The most popular Wild Eyes lenses are:


    • Alien

    • Blackout and whiteout

    • Hypnotica

    • Cat eye

    • Ice fire

    • Red hot


    While favorites among the Crazy Lenses are:


    • Black, red and white spiral

    • Whiteout

    • Wolf

    • Fire

    • Bloodshot


    See more Wild Eyes and Crazy Lenses Halloween costume contacts with pictures.


    If you didn't find a suitable design from Wild Eyes or Crazy Lenses, there are many other collections from individual artists on the Internet. See other costume contact lens collections.


    How much do costume lenses cost?


    If you think that theatrical costume lenses are very expensive, you might be pleasantly surprised - you can pick up an exciting looking pare of Halloween costume lenses for about 40 dollars. Mass produced lenses like Crazy Lenses and Wild Eyes are very affordable. You can save even more if you order them online.


    On the other hand, hand-painted, custom-made costume lenses could cost a few hundreds of dollars. Particulary expensive are scleral costume lenses, which cover not only your pupil and iris, but the entire visible area of your eye. Also, custom-made lenses are usually painted to order, so you would need to order them several weeks in advance.


    How to care for your Halloween costume lenses


    Caring for your Halloween costume contacts is quite simple - all you need is a no-rub multipurpose solution, a pair of plastic tweezers and a contact lens case. You can get it all from any chemist shop. There is no special solution for costume contact lenses so you can use any multipurpose solution - only make sure it's marked "for soft contact lenses". If you have several pairs of scary contacts, each should live in its own case.


    Step by step care for costume lenses:



    1. always wash your hands with soap before handling contact lenses

    2. pick up the lens gently with tweezers (be careful not to tear it), place it on your fingertip and rinse it with a no-rub contact lens solution

    3. now it is ready to put in your eye

    4. after taking your costume lenses out, give them another rinse and place them in their case with fresh solution, until the next time you use them.


    If you are not planning to wear your lenses for several weeks, it is recommended that you change the solution and rinse them once a week. If you forgot to do so and your lenses spent a few weeks in their case unattended, give them a double rinse and place them in fresh solution for at least a couple hours before wearing them.


    For people who wear corrective or color contact lenses every day, costume lenses will feel pretty much the same as usual. If you never wore contact lenses before, at first you might feel a slight discomfort and an urge to rub your eye. One suggestion is to use lubricant drops, which you can buy from any chemist shop. Also, start wearing your lenses a few days before the party - a couple of hours the first day, 3-4 hours the second day, and so on.


    Get yourself a pair of exciting and scary Halloween contacts and be the center of attention at any party!

    About the Author

    Tanya Turner is a color contact lens expert and a founder of Contact Lenses Consumer Guide which provides you with information about all types of contact lenses including Halloween special effect contacts, and costume contact lenses reviews
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    Reporter Think Summer. Now is your chance to be part of a Tulsa tradition in performing arts: SummerStage. How to shoot people with aplomb Lucy Davies and Charlie Hopkinson introduce you to the basics of portraiture. Ask Laura Mercier Q: MY daughter, 17, has pimples on her nose. I have no idea what to use to prevent those tiny pimples. [...]
    Source: www.color-contacts.thecatcollar.com

    Wednesday, January 03, 2007

    Contact Lenses and Healthy Eyes - 12 Rules Every Contact Lens Wearer Should Follow

    Do you want to switch to contact lenses from glasses, but you're not sure if contact lenses are safe or if caring for them is too much of a hassle? Or do you wear contacts already and want to make sure that you do the best for your eye health?

    Taking proper care of your eyes and contact lenses isn't rocket science. Here are 12 simple rules you can follow, to keep your contact lenses and your eyes happy and healthy.


    1. Modern contact lenses vary in quality; make sure that your doctor prescribes the contact lenses that are healthiest for your eyes. See suggestions on advanced contact lenses


    2. Clean your lenses every time you handle them (before putting contacts in your eyes and after removing them). Give each lens a gentle 10-15 second rub in solution. The only exception to this rule is color lenses - rinse, but don't rub them; it might damage the color.


    3. Handle only one lens at a time, so you don't confuse them. Train yourself to start with ether the right or the left lens.


    4. When cleaning your lenses don't forget to take care of the lens case as well. Wash it with unperfumed soap and let it dry. Doctors also recommend that you replace your contact lens case every 2 or 3 months.


    5. Never put your lenses in the same solution twice; replace the solution every time you handle your lenses. Usually you shouldn't use any solution 6 months after the bottle has been opened, and definitely not after the expiry date. Store your contact lenses and solution in a dry, cool place. The refrigerator door is ideal.


    6. Soft contact lenses shouldn't be allowed to dry up. The lens should be either in the eye, or in a special solution. If you accidentally let the lens dry up, throw it out, it is no longer good.


    7. Don't wear contacts if you have got a cold, cold sores or another infection. You don't want any germs to get into your eyes. It is handy to have a pair of glasses for such occasions.


    8. If you wear make-up, apply your eye make-up after putting your lenses in, and try to use water-based mascara. Lenses are very sensitive to deodorants and hair sprays, so either spray before you put the lenses in, or close your eyes very tightly while spraying.


    9. Don't forget to replace your contact lenses on schedule. Daily disposables - every morning, 2-week replacements - every fortnight and so on. A couple of days delay wouldn't make any difference, but wearing 2-week replacements for a month is definitely not healthy for your eyes. See more information about disposable contacts.


    10. Avoid smoky or dusty rooms; soft contact lenses collect every tiny particle and your eyes will feel uncomfortable.


    11. If your eyes feel uncomfortable or irritated, take the lens out. It is possible that something is stuck under it or the lens is torn. If your lens isn't damaged, wash your eye and the lens, and put it back. If the unpleasant sensation doesn't go away, take the lenses out and don't wear them until you can see your optometrist. Damaged lenses should be thrown away, no matter how expensive they are. A torn lens can do serious harm to your eye.


    12. Don't sleep in your contacts. Lenses designed as day wear block oxygen flow to your eyes and the eyelid puts extra pressure on the lens, so your eyes would feel terrible after you wake up. The only exception is extended wear lenses, like Focus Night and Day or Acuvue; they are designed for continuous wear and sleep.


    If you routinely follow these rules, your contact lenses should never give you any problems and, most of the time, you should feel like you don't wear any corrective lenses at all.

    About the Author

    Tanya Turner is a contact lens expert and a founder of www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/, where you can find unbiased information about eye health and all types of contact lenses with reviews and pictures
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    We wear contact lenses mainly because we are vain.

    But, they come in handy for any kind of sports, people even wear them while swimming although you have to watch they don't float out.

    The Inventor of the contact lens concept was Leonardo da Vinci in 1508,who sketched and described several forms of contact lenses.

    Hard contact lenses

    Hard contact lenses are manufactured from a rigid material, PolyMethylMethacrylate (PMMA). This substance is also combined with other plastics to increase the oxygen permeability. Visual acuity is perfect.

    In 1632 Rene Descartes of France suggests the first hard contact lens, which idea was actually developed in 1801 by Thomas Young; resulting in a quarter-inch-long, water-filled glass tube, the outer end having a microscopic lens,and he is the first user.

    In 1887 a German Glassblower, F.E. Muller of Wiesbaden,fabricates the first piece of glass acting as a contact lens which could be seen through seen through and tolerated.

    Soft daily wear lenses have the main advantage that they allow the eyes to be oxygenated through the lens.

    They're also easy to adapt to and difficult to lose. You can get them in all kinds of colours. Fantastic for wearing in sport activities.

    Not a panacea for all vision problems and they have to be thoroughly cleaned. Maximum lifespan 1 year.

    In 1936 William Feinbloom, a New York optometrist, manufactures the first American- made plastic contact lenses. These were still hard lenses.

    The first soft, water-absorbing plastic lenses were developed in 1960 by Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lim .

    Disposable lenses

    1.Extended-wear disposable

    Soft lenses that you are able to wear for an extended period of time, up to six nights, and then you can throw them away. They hardly require any cleaning and have virtually no chance of causing eye infection if user instructions are followed...

    You can get them tinted and as bifocals. Your Vision may not be as sharp as with other lenses and they do not correct all vision problems. More difficult to handle.

    2. Planned soft daily replacement lenses

    Soft daily wear lenses that you replace on a planned schedule, either every two weeks, monthly or quarterly. Require thorough cleaning and disinfection. all vision problems. Not easy to handle.

    Colored lenses

    There are 4 types of colored contact lenses:

    visible tints, tints to enhance, color opaque tints and tints that filter light Most of these colored contact lenses are available in plano form (without visual correction), as well as for astigmatism, who need bifocal correction, or who want a disposable or frequent replacement lens.

    Astigmatic lenses (toric) were first introduced in 1978 and approved for distribution in the United States.

    These lenses contain both a spherical and cylinder component to correct prescriptions which have astigmatism. Lenses may be thicker in one meridian or have modified thickness profiles to enable the lens to maintain the correct orientation on the eye.

    Bifocal contacts became available in 1982 for commercial distribution.

    There are a variety of designs in bifocals, essentially all trying to provide a transition or reading zone for use at near distances. The different designs include; + aspheric multifocal - + simultaneous vision concentric - has either a central near or distance zone with surrounding zone of opposite type to centre (eg, centre near,distance surround) + diffraction/holographic - based on diffraction grating principles.

    Eye exercises There seems to be a natural alternative to eyeglasses, contacts, intacs, and even Lasik surgery, which is a series of eye muscle exercises over a period of 30 days that supposedly corrects your vision to quite an extent.

    The validity of this method of vision correction has not been fully proven.

    About the author:

    About Cataracts by J Schipper Contact Lenses by J Schipper