ADDED TO CARTContacts vs. Glasses
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When your next eye exam comes around, your eye doctor may ask whether you’d like to update your eyeglasses or contact lenses. If you’re undecided in the contacts vs. glasses debate, there are a few factors to consider.
During your visit, your eye doctor can determine if you’re a candidate for contacts and, if so, provide a contact lens prescription. If you already wear contacts, you may also need a routine contact lens exam to ensure your vision prescription is up to date.
Read on to learn more about contact lens exams, how they differ from regular eye exams, and how often you might need to schedule one.Advantages and Disadvantages of Contacts
Contact lenses can be a great option for many people in need of vision correction. If you don’t like the feeling of glasses on your face or if you participate in activities that glasses may not be suitable for, contacts can be a good choice.
On the other hand, contact lenses can sometimes lead to eye irritation and dryness. They may also carry a higher overall cost compared to glasses due to their regular replacement and maintenance needs.
To help you weigh your vision correction options, here’s a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of contact lenses.
Advantages of Contacts
Contacts offer a wide range of benefits. They are lightweight and convenient, making them an appealing option for everyday use. Other advantages of contact lenses include:
Contacts Don’t Take Up Room on Your Face
Some people don’t like the weight of eyeglass frames on their faces. Others prefer a glasses-free look because they want to highlight their facial features. Whatever your reason is, contact lenses won’t get in the way.
Contacts Provide Unobstructed Peripheral Vision
Those who play sports or participate in strenuous activities may find more benefits in contact lenses. Contacts sit directly on the eye’s surface, allowing for unobstructed peripheral (side vision). This makes it easier to see things out of the corners of your eyes as you move.
While glasses still provide peripheral vision, it may take some time to adjust to wearing them since the frames may impede the full range of your side vision.
Contacts Don’t Fog Up
Anyone who’s worn eyeglasses has likely dealt with foggy lenses at one time or another. Whether due to humid weather or opening a hot dishwasher, foggy glasses can put a damper on your daily activities. Glasses can also get dirty from outdoor elements or collect smudges from your fingertips. You don’t have to worry about these disturbances with contact lenses.
Contacts Don’t Break Like Glasses
One concern with eyeglasses is that they can break or bend if they are bumped or dropped. Many of these incidents happen by accident, but they can still damage your eyewear. In some cases, glasses may no longer be usable after damage has occurred.
Contacts, on the other hand, don’t break the way glasses do, which could make them a safer option for those who are more accident-prone. However, contacts can still become damaged or tear so it’s important to treat them with care.
Contacts Meet Certain Vision Needs
Eyeglass lenses correct common vision problems so that you can see clearly. Contact lenses do the same, and can be a better option for individuals with conditions like keratoconus. An uncommon type of contact lens called a scleral lens is sometimes used to treat dry eye or other conditions of the eye’s front surface. Your doctor will prescribe the type of lens that best meets your specific needs.
Disadvantages of Contacts
While contact lenses offer many benefits, they also come with some drawbacks. It’s important to consider these potential disadvantages to help determine if contacts are right for your needs and lifestyle.
Contacts Take Time to Adjust To
For first-time wearers, contacts can take a little more time to get used to. Putting in and taking out your contacts involves more steps and attention to hygiene than eyeglasses. You also have to touch your eyes to insert and remove them, which can feel a little odd at first. However, the process usually gets easier as you become more comfortable with it.
Contacts Require Daily Maintenance
Proper care is essential for contact lenses. Daily disposable lenses are discarded after each wear, eliminating the need for cleaning. However, options like monthly disposable contacts must be cleaned daily to prevent the buildup of bacteria or debris on the lenses. Neglecting this care increases the risk of developing an eye infection or irritation, making it important to follow a consistent cleaning routine.
Contacts Can Be Expensive
When glasses are well-maintained and continue to meet your vision needs, they can be worn for years without being replaced. Contact lenses, however, do come with ongoing costs as they require periodic refills.
A separate contact lens exam is usually needed to get a new or updated contact prescription. (A current contact lens prescription is also required to order contacts.) While the cost of a contact lens exam is usually modest, it does add to the overall expense of wearing contacts.
Contacts Can Cause Irritation
Some people are more sensitive to contact lenses than others and may experience eye dryness or irritation. If this is the case for you, talk to your eye doctor about your concerns. They may prescribe a different type of lens or brand that better accommodates your needs.
Contact Lens Wear Can Raise the Risk of Infection
Even if you practice great hygiene and handling techniques for your contacts, there’s still a risk of introducing harmful bacteria into your eyes. If this occurs, it can increase the chances of developing an eye infection. However, you can reduce this risk by following proper contact lens handling, hygiene, and care practices.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Glasses
Eyeglasses may be a better choice if you are prone to dry eyes or feel uncomfortable touching your eyes, among other things. But they also have downsides. Glasses can be a distraction in high-impact situations, and some people find them uncomfortable compared to contacts. Read on to learn some of the other advantages and disadvantages of eyeglasses.
Advantages of Glasses
Wearing eyeglasses carries its own set of advantages, from convenience to fashion and beyond.
Glasses Are Convenient to Wear
Eyeglasses are easy to put on and take off and generally easy to adjust to. It may take you a few days to get used to a new prescription, new types of lenses, or a new style of frame.
Glasses Only Require One Pair
You can wear one pair of glasses day after day, month after month. The only time you need to replace them is if they’re damaged beyond repair, your prescription changes, or you just want a new pair.
Glasses Carry a Lower Risk of Eye Infections
With glasses, there’s a lower risk of spreading bacteria from your fingers to your eyes since they don’t require any hand-to-eye contact. This in itself can help prevent eye infections. But you should still keep your frames and lenses clean!
Glasses Are Low-maintenance
Eyeglasses can be washed with lotion-free soap and water or wiped with a lens cloth for easy cleaning, requiring less maintenance than contact lenses.
Glasses Can Make a Fashion Statement
There are styles upon styles to choose from when it comes to eyeglasses. You can embrace the latest eyewear trends in your corrective lenses or choose a pair that matches your unique taste. There are lots of retail shops that you can browse, too.
Disadvantages of Glasses
Some of the disadvantages of wearing eyeglasses include discomfort, a higher risk of damage, and other factors. Read more about these below:
Glasses Lenses Get Foggy
When you step out on a humid day, your eyeglasses might get foggy and make it difficult to see. Exercise can also cause the lenses to get steamy. Glasses can become smudged with fingerprints, dirt, and other debris. If you encounter any of these factors regularly, contacts may be a better option for you.
Glasses Can Be Distracting
Those who play sports, participate in outdoor activities, or move around a lot during the day may struggle with eyeglasses. The frames can slip and even fall off when you’re active. This may not only disrupt your vision — it can put your glasses at risk of breaking or becoming damaged.
Glasses Are More Prone to Damage
One wrong move and your glasses can hit the ground and break on impact. If the damage is severe enough, you may need to replace your glasses.
If a contact lens is damaged or torn, you can simply move on to the next pair in your box.
Glasses Are Difficult to Wear with Sunglasses
Sunglasses are important to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Some eyeglass lens coatings have UV protection built in, but not all do. If you wear contact lenses, sunglasses are easy to slip on over your eyes.
Eyeglass wearers may need a separate pair of prescription sunglasses, clip-on sunglasses, or a pair that fits over their entire glasses frame.
Note: Some contacts also have UV-blocking capabilities, but experts still recommend wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection over them for full coverage and to maximize eye safety.
Glasses Can Be Uncomfortable
Wearing your glasses all day can be uncomfortable, especially if your frames are on the heavier side. Frames that are too tight may pinch the sides of your face or ears, which can also be uncomfortable. If your frames are too loose, you may constantly have to push them back in place. Ill-fitting glasses can also cause headaches.
Eyeglass lenses can present challenges for some people. For instance, those with higher prescription glasses may experience distorted vision due to the thickness of the lenses.
Cost of Contacts vs. Glasses
One of the biggest considerations concerning these two options is cost. A glasses prescription vs. contact lens prescription varies in price based on lens features, brand, and additional factors, like vision insurance.
The cost of glasses can be as low as $10 for bare-minimum frames and lenses at some retailers and up to $600 or more for designer glasses at other stores. The price may be different if you use vision insurance to help cover costs. It can also be lower or higher depending on the lens features you choose.
The cost of contact lenses can be as low as $25 depending on the type and quantity you buy. If you’re buying a year’s worth of lenses, you can expect to spend a few hundred dollars. But the price can also vary if you use vision insurance.
Which Is Better for Me?
The best fit for you depends on your lifestyle, budget, vision prescription (Rx), and how much effort you’re willing to put into caring for your eyewear. Your eye doctor can help you determine if you’re a candidate for a contact Rx vs. glasses Rx or both.
Contact lenses require more maintenance than eyeglasses, but they’re more convenient to wear in fast-paced environments. Eyeglasses are easier to deal with on the maintenance side, but they can be distracting and uncomfortable for some people.
Eyeglasses can be less expensive than contacts, but they can also be expensive to replace if they become damaged. And while contacts are more convenient to wear, they don’t offer the fashionable choices that eyeglass frames do.
There’s a lot to consider, but your eye doctor can help you navigate what’s right for you during your next routine eye exam. Speaking with your doctor can also give you more insight and information about wearing contacts and glasses in the long run.
Keep in mind that many people alternate between glasses and contacts. On some days, glasses may be a better option than contacts, and vice versa. Contact your eye care professional to learn more about the pros and cons of glasses vs. contacts and to determine which may be right for you.
