I use 30-day contact lenses, but I wear glasses roughly 2/3rds of the time. How often should I change to new lenses?
One of the fun things about Quora is that there is never a shortage of people asking great questions that, often, you’ve also wondered about. Cases in point: “How does Apple keep secrets so well?” and “What is it like to be a hitman?”. OK…so I’ve never really wondered about being a hitman, but I think it’s great that aspiring hitmen have a place to get guidance these days other than watching The Whole Nine Yards.
“It doesn’t matter how many people I’ve killed. what matters is how I get along with the people who are still alive.” – Jimmy Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards
Anyway, the question was posed the other day about how a 30-day contact lens wearer was supposed to know when it was time to change his/her lenses when he/she was a very infrequent wearer. As background for those who don’t wear contacts, a 30-day lens is generally worn daily, removed/cleaned/disinfected at night, and then discarded and replaced after one month.
Athough we have no way of knowing the specifics of this person’s prescription, wearing schedule alone suggests this person to be a great candidate for daily disposable contact lenses. Why worry about a lens sitting around in solution for various amounts of time risking contamination before it gets placed on the eye again? Why worry about trying to figure out when it’s time to replace them?
Daily disposable contact lenses are generally supplied in boxes of 30 or 90 and offer the wearer fresh, clean lenses each day as well as freedom from solutions and the usual cleaning/disinfection procedures. As an added bonus, it’s possible the daily disposable route could also be less expensive for this person than purchasing a six-month or one year supply of 30-day lenses.
Hmmm…more convenient, healthier, and less expensive. What could be better than that?
What about people who need contact lenses that only come in a monthly? I need a toric lens with a base curve of at least 8.9; 9.0 or higher would be better. I’ve tried steeper curves, and I can’t wear them for a variety of reasons.
There is only one toric lens that comes in that flat a base curve, and it’s a monthly.
But I only wear contact lenses occasionally. I mostly wear glasses, but there are a few situations in which I need to wear contacts.
How long can I keep the monthly contacts, assuming I don’t wear them more than 30 times? Thanks!
I can appreciate that availability dilemma with mass-produced lenses, but I’d encourage you to discuss this with your provider. Custom contact lenses can offer options for you in a more conventional material that could last an entire year with proper care. It’s difficult to answer the question of how long will a “monthly” lens last when worn sporadically because there are too many variables involved. In our practice, it’s something we don’t recommend based on those variables and the fact that risk of infection increases with extended lens life.
Remember, too, that “monthly”, “quarterly”, etc. are manufacturer recommendations and only your eye care provider knows if those recommendations are appropriate for you.