For those who are nearsighted, contact lenses have so many benefits, whether it’s for sports, work, or love, they can help you fight a good fight and improve your image instantly. Contact lenses have become a necessity for many people to ensure they look good. There are many types to choose from, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual, so what are the differences? Today’s article will introduce you to the differences between them, so you can take a look if you need to.
Types of contact lenses
Contact lenses are divided into daily, biweekly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual. But, strictly according to international standards, there are no “seasonal” and “semi-annual”, they are distinguished according to the replacement cycle, generally divided into two categories.
The first category, called “traditional” (traditional), is the replacement cycle of more than three months, including seasonal and semi-annual.
The second category, called “disposable” & “frequent replacement”, is those with a replacement cycle of fewer than three months, including monthly, biweekly, and daily. In other words, only contact lenses with a replacement cycle of fewer than three months can be called “disposable”.
Daily disposable contact lenses
They have a high water content, good oxygen permeability, poor molding, and soft lenses, so they are generally not recommended for first-time wearers.
Daily disposable lenses are generally very soft, making it difficult for beginners to put them in their eyes. The high water content makes it easy to dry your eyes after wearing them for a long time. The only advantage of daily disposable is that you don’t have to buy care solutions and you don’t have to take care of them every day. Daily disposable lenses are relatively clean and hygienic. If you only wear them when you travel, or wear them 2-3 times a week, you can consider daily disposable. But it is a little more expensive so that you can make a reasonable choice based on your financial situation and frequency of wear.
Bi-weekly contact lenses
Bi-weekly contact lenses have a shelf life of 2 weeks, which is relatively rare on the market. We will use the lenses within two weeks after the box is opened, not when we wear them for two weeks cumulatively, this must be clear. Their shelf life is calculated from the time they are opened and has nothing to do with how many hours we wear them every day or how often we wear them.
Monthly contact lenses
It has low water content, good molding, high-cost performance, is easier to operate than daily disposable easy to wear, generally recommended for first-time wearers of monthly disposable products. The use period of monthly disposable lenses is one month, soak in the care solution when not in use, and you can take them out and use them again when you want. Compared to daily disposable lenses, monthly disposable lenses require more contact lens care solutions and should be cared for before and after each wear. If you wear your lenses more than 3 times a week, we recommend you choose monthly disposable lenses.
Semi-annual contact lenses
This product is one of the long-period ones. Those who wear them frequently can choose them for multiple wears, making them more economical.
The semi-annual disposable period is in line with the physiological health of the human eye, and replacing your contact lenses once every six months is the best way to take care of your eyes. It is cheaper than monthly or daily wear and healthier than annual wear. Theoretically, they need to be replaced every six months, but from a health perspective, it is best to replace semi-annual lenses after 5 months of wear for better health.
Yearly Disposable Contact Lenses
They are replaced once a year. However, depending on the wearing condition, the actual life expectancy may be shorter than this, generally, the annual lenses need to be replaced in about 8 to 9 months. They are more economical than daily, monthly, and semi-annual lenses and are suitable for first-time wearers.
Yearly lens care steps
1) Wash your hands with running water and neutral detergents.
2) Rinse the front and back of the lenses for 5 seconds each with the contact lens solution.
3) immerse the lenses in a case with 2/3 of the volume of care solution and tighten the lid.
4) Soak the lenses for at least 4 hours.
Summary
The shorter the contact lens wear cycle, the healthier they are, and the more frequently they are replaced, the less chance of eye infection. Daily disposable lenses are the healthiest in existence, but the higher the water content of daily disposable lenses, they are not suitable for some first-time wearers and dry eyes, and daily disposable lenses are slightly more expensive, so the use of non-daily disposable lenses is still very popular with consumers. However, the longer you use long-cycle contact lenses, the more likely they are to produce protein residue, and the harder the lenses will slowly become.
