Contact Lenses
Description of Contact Lenses:
A contact lens (also known simply as a contact) is a corrective, cosmetic, or
therapeutic lens usually placed on the cornea of the eye. Modern soft contact
lenses were invented by the Czech chemists Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lím, who
also invented the first gel used for their production.
Contact lenses usually serve the same corrective purpose as conventional
glasses, but are lightweight and virtually invisible - many commercial lenses
are tinted a faint blue to make them more visible when immersed in cleaning and
storage solutions. Some cosmetic lenses are deliberately colored to alter the
appearance of the eye.
It has been estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide
(2%), including 28 to 38 million in the United States and 13 million in Japan.
The types of lenses used and prescribed vary markedly between countries, with
rigid lenses accounting for over 20% of currently-prescribed lenses in Japan,
Netherlands and Germany but less than 5% in Scandinavia.
People choose to wear contact lenses for many reasons, often due to their
appearance and practicality. When compared to spectacles, contact lenses are
less affected by wet weather, do not steam up, and provide a wider field of
vision. They are more suitable for a number of sporting activities. Additionally,
ophthalmological conditions such as keratoconus and aniseikonia may not be
accurately corrected with glasses.
Specific Contact Lenses Information
Articles, questions and answers.