Color Contact Lenses – How Do They Work

Color contacts have revolutionized the world of contact lenses. You can change the color of your eyes to whatever color you like. There are lots of options available for people who are increasingly showing interest in correcting their vision with the help of color contacts, but now color contacts can be worn by those who need corrective lenses and those who have perfect eyesight but just want to change the color of their eyes.

Contact lenses have come a long way since they were invented. From the original hard lenses to soft lenses and then to disposable lenses- the quality and choice available have increased through the years. Color contacts are one of the more fun advancements in the evolution of contact lenses; they will add a tint of new color to the existing color of your eyes. With the new One Day Disposable lenses, you can actually have different eye colors on different days. It’s important to remember, though, that these color contacts require the same kind of maintenance that the regular contact lenses do.

Color contacts are available in hard, soft, and disposable lenses . Disposable color contacts let the user change the color of his eyes as often as he wants to. The lenses are disposed after use and are replaced with a new fresh pair of lenses. Some colored lenses that give people a scary appearance are also available on the market including black out contacts, glow in the dark contacts and black sclera contact lenses. Black out contacts can turn your green eyes to black. Glow in the dark lenses are usually used for Halloween. Black sclera lenses give your eyes a creepy effect that don’t look human.

The most commonly used contact lenses today are of the soft variety, invented in 1961 by the Czech chemist Otto Wichterle (1913-1998). Contact lenses (both soft and hard) are made of various types of polymers, usually containing some variant of silicone hydrogel. Many contact lenses are made of water-absorbing materials, which allow oxygen to reach the cornea and make the lens more comfortable to wear.

Some people wonder why their prescription for glasses cannot be used for contact lenses. Contact lenses are classified by the FDA as a medical device and are therefore regulated differently than glasses. Because you are actually putting a contact lens on the surface of the eye, there are risks for infections, ulcers, and other complications that are not present with glasses.

When color contacts are fitted to the eye, much more is taken into account than many people are aware of. The curvature of the cornea (the clear tissue at the front of the eye that the contact lens sits on) is one important measurement that is taken. The diameter of the contact lens with respect to the diameter of the cornea is looked at as well. Position of the eyelids can affect contact lens choice. Additionally, health of the surface of the eye and the surrounding lids is taken into account.