7 Steps for Choosing Contact Lenses

INTRODUCTION - If you have begun to explore information about contact lenses; either because you are considering contacts for the first time, or because you have been wearing contacts for awhile and want to keep up with the latest options and features, you have probably found yourself overwhelmed by an overload of advertisements, options, brands, features and choices. Many people searching for information about contact lenses just give up in frustration. However, if you follow 7 simple steps for choosing contacts, you will find that you can easily navigate the sea of contact lens information, and zero-in on the lenses that are best for you. You will then be able to buy your contacts, at a discount, with the confidence and peace of mind that comes with knowing you have made a wise decision.

Step 1 - Understand Your Medical Needs Before you make an appointment with a doctor to talk about contact lenses, you need to prepare yourself with a clear understanding of some important information about contacts, so you can understand your doctor's advice and make an intelligent, informed decision when choosing between the options offered by your doctor. The first step in this learning process is to understand any medical needs you may have that affect your contact lens decisions.

Astigmatism - You will want to understand what "astigmatism" means, and what your choices are, in case your doctor tells you that you have this condition. For astigmatism information, you can start by going to our pages on Toric Contact Lenses and Soft Contact Lenses.

Presbyopia - Also, make sure you become familiar with "Presbyopia" which is very common for most middle-aged people and will affect the lenses your doctor prescribes. To begin, check out our pages about Bifocal Contact Lenses and Soft Contact Lenses.

Laser Surgery - If you're a laser surgery candidate; but you just aren't comfortable with the risks and cost, and you don't want to hassle with removing and cleaning contact lenses every day; there are some good options for you. Begin your search with our page on Extended Wear Contacts and Disposable Contact Lenses.

Keratoconus - If you're one of those people who have some irregularity in the shape of your corneas, be sure to learn about "Keratoconus". Go to our pages about Gas Permeable Contact Lenses and Soft Contact Lenses as a start.

Cataract Surgery - If you have had cataract surgery, or may need it in the future, you will want to update yourself on information about the appropriate lenses you need. Begin your search for this information at our pages on Gas Permeable Contact Lenses and Soft Contact Lenses.

Step 2 - Understand Your Preferences and Style Once you understand your medical needs, the next step in educating yourself prior to visiting your doctor for advice, is to learn about your personal preference and style that will affect your contact lens decisions.

Length of Wear Time - Are you one of those people who don't want to have to clean lenses everyday? Get some lenses that never need cleaning - you just throw them away. Or maybe you want to wear them 24-hours-a-day and not have to take them out at all? That's okay, too. To find out which lenses you need, start your research with our pages about Disposable Contact Lenses, Extended Wear Contacts and Gas Permeable Contact Lenses.

Colors - Did you know that you can get lenses that only add some slight color to your natural eye color? Did you know that you can also get another kind of lens that can totally change your color? To understand the choices, begin with our pages about Soft Contact Lenses, Disposable Contact Lenses and Theatrical Contact Lenses.

Job Requirements for Excellent Vision - If you're someone who has a job where excellent vision is mandatory, you will want to consider a type of lens that offers a much greater stability and visual acuity than other lenses. Begin learning about this lens at out page about Gas Permeable Contact Lenses.

Special Effects - If you want some lenses to add crazy effects to your eyes for Halloween, Mardi Gras or other events, check out your choices on our page about Theatrical Contact Lenses.

Step 3 - Understand the Contact Lenses Available After getting a good handle on your medical needs, personal preferences, and style, the last step in educating yourself prior to going to the doctor is to understand the variety of contact lenses that are available on the market.

Types of Lenses - To review the general types of lenses available, a good plan is to start with an overall outline on our pages about Soft Contact Lenses and Disposable Contact Lenses. Then, explore the more specific features on our pages about Toric Contact Lenses, Bifocal Contact Lenses and Gas Permeable Contact Lenses.

Brand Names and Discounts - The last step before visiting your doctor is to get some familiarity with the different brand names and their prices and discounts, so you can talk intelligently about this when your doctor suggests one or more specific brand names. Start your review of brand names and discounts on our page about Soft Contact Lenses.

Step 4 - Choose the Best Doctor - In choosing the doctor that's best for you, start with your health care plan at work. Most large plans will have a website you can go to where you can search online for doctors near you who are covered by your plan. Search for an ophthalmologist in the area convenient to you. Then, look to see how long they've been in practice, and whether they graduated from a reputable medical school. You can also check the website for the state board governing such doctors in your state to make sure they have no complaints against them. Finally, call their office to find out if they take new patients, what their fees are, and whether they have office hours and other policies you are comfortable with. If you don't have insurance, try using one of the doctors who work inside one of the big discount chain locations that offer contact lenses, like Wal-Mart; a big store is usually not going to associate with a doctor unless they have a fairly good reputation.

Step 5 - Buy at a Discount Once you have seen the doctor, and picked your lenses with the doctor's advice, don't order lenses through the optometrist whose location may be affiliated with the doctor until you have compared with prices through the hundreds of discount providers available. With the large number of companies providing quality lenses you can buy at discount prices, there is no reason for you to pay full retail. Start your search on our page about Soft Contact Lenses.

Step 6 - Understand How to Care for Your Contact Lenses Once you've purchased your lenses, you can save money and reduce your risk of health problems by making sure you care for them properly. Above all, follow your doctor's instructions as well as the specific instructions that may come with your new lenses. In general, you will want to educate yourself about proper care and health risks for the different types of lenses. To learn this, get started on our pages about Disposable Contact Lenses, Extended Wear Contacts and Gas Permeable Contact Lenses.

Step 7 - Stay Current on Contact Lens Information Getting setup with your new contact lenses is just the start. As a contact lens wearer, you will want to make sure that you stay current on your knowledge about new innovations involving contacts, so you can be certain the current lenses you have and care guidelines you follow are the most convenient and healthiest available. To keep up with this, just bookmark this article and come back to it every so often. That way, you don't have to worry about searching for new developments, since we do the research for you and we update the pages within our site with important developments you need to know about.

WRAPPING IT UP - If you follow the 7 Steps for Choosing Contact Lenses in order, you will find that you can easily choose the right lenses for yourself at the best price, and you will enjoy a worry-free and healthy wearing experience. Your new lenses will not only meet your individual medical needs, preferences and style, but you will also guarantee a safe and healthy experience with your new contacts by having the right doctor, choosing the right lens options and following the right habits of caring for your lenses. The sea of confusion created by the overwhelming volume of advertisements, options, brands, features and choices will no longer be a threat to you.

GET STARTED NOW - If this sounds good, and you would like to get started, begin by bookmarking this article as a guide for your contact lens search. Then you can start with the links under "Step 1" above. After you are comfortable with your progress on Step 1, go on to the links under "Step 2" above, and so forth, until you have completed all 7 steps. As you go through all 7 steps, you will encounter additional links within our website to additional articles and resources that will help you understand all aspects of contact lenses. Good luck on your contact lens search. Please feel free to return to this page and explore the links here at any time, as you need to learn about contact lenses, or update yourself on any new contact lens developments.

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