Are Colored Contacts Safe?

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Colored contact lenses have a reputation for being unsafe, but is it true? The answer is: it depends. Some colored contact lenses are safe and others aren’t. Here’s what you need to know if you want to wear colored contact lenses in the Pittsburgh area.

Properly Prescribed Colored Contacts are Safe

Colored contacts are safe to wear if they’ve been prescribed by an eye doctor who has examined your eyes and determined the right prescription for you. Eye doctors know how to order contacts that are right for their patients. They also order quality lenses from respected brands that are known to be safe.

Costume Contact Lenses (Non-Prescription Lenses) Are NOT Safe

Contact lenses that were not prescribed by an eye doctor are not safe to wear. Wearing these contacts can lead to bacterial infection and may even cause permanent damage to your eyes. Some companies sell colored contact lenses as “costume contacts.” These companies are selling contacts illegally. Don’t buy them.

Do You Want Contact Lenses?

If you’d like to get colored contact lenses, get an eye exam from a licensed eye care professional. The eye doctor will examine and measure your eyes, write a prescription and order contacts that are made for you. Once the lenses arrive, your eye doctor will ensure the contacts are right in a fitting, and give you instructions for proper contact lens care.

Get Started With Your Contact Lens Prescription

You can have colored contact lenses, but the only safe way to obtain them is to see a professional. Call your eye doctor in the Pittsburgh area to make an appointment. The professionals at Lappen Eye Care can help you safely obtain colored contact lenses.

3 Ways Inadequate Contact Lens Care Can Harm Your Visual Health

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Without question, contact lenses in Pittsburgh, PA are valuable to those that need vision correction. Additionally, with the proper care, these lenses rarely pose problems for the wearer. When you initially obtain contact lenses, the eye doctor will discuss proper wear and cleaning methods so that you can avoid problems. However, if you don’t adhere to the guidance, you could inadvertently put your visual health at risk. Consider a few reasons why inadequate contact lens care could harm your vision.

1. You Could Experience an Eye Infection

Contact lens wearers can be more at risk of eye infections because they are consistently putting foreign objects on their eyes. Something as seemingly harmless as not washing your hands during lens changes or wearing lenses while in the shower can allow bacteria to get trapped behind the lens. This can lead to a serious infection that puts your vision at risk if not addressed.

2. You Could Develop Issus with Dry Eyes

Dry eyes may not sound like a big deal, but having dry eyes can cause uncomfortable, burning eyes. Further, it can make it difficult to continue to wear contact lenses. People who do not change or clean their lenses often enough can be at risk of dry eyes because irritants get trapped behind the lenses and cause a reaction.

3. You Could Cause a Corneal Injury

If you have contact lenses that are damaged or overdue for replacement, avoid placing them in your eyes. Damaged lenses can put you at risk of sustaining a corneal abrasion, such as a scratch or puncture. Pay careful attention to the lenses and their condition. And, if you are advised to only wear lenses for so many days, be sure to adhere to those guidelines.

Talk to a Pittsburgh Eye Doctor for Help with Your Contact Lenses

Do you struggle with the contact lenses you currently have? It may be time for a change with the help of a Pittsburgh eye doctor. Reach out to Lappen Eye Care to schedule an appointment.

What’s a Contact Lens Exam?

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Do you want contact lenses? The first step is to see the eye doctor in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area for a contact lens exam. If you’ve got corrective lenses, you know what to expect from a standard eye exam. Contact lens exams are different. Contact lens exams are a prerequisite to getting contacts. Here’s what you can expect when you come to the eye doctor.

What’s a contact lens exam?

A contact lens exam is a type of exam that an eye doctor performs to determine whether a patient is a good candidate for contact lenses. During a contact lens exam, the eye doctor will check the curve and diameter of your eyes, and will determine if your eyes produce enough tears to wear standard contacts. People who have dry eyes need a special type of lens.

How are contact lens exams different from standard eye exams?

During a standard eye exam, the focus of the exam is on determining how healthy your eyes are, and whether you need corrective lenses. During a contact lens exam, it’s been determined that you need corrective lenses, and the eye doctor is now trying to decide which type of contact lenses would be best for your eyes.

After the contact lens exam, what happens next?

Once you’ve had a contact lens exam, your eye doctor will order the type of lenses that will fit your eyes. If you would like specialty lenses (like colored contacts), talk to your eye doctor before the order is placed. Once the lenses are ready, you’ll come back to the eye doctor for a contact lens fitting. Your eye doctor will show you how to use your contacts and talk about maintaining your contacts.

Are you interested in wearing contact lenses? Call today to schedule your contact lens exam in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.

Caring For Contact Lenses in Summer

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Summer brings on unique challenges for contact wearers. Keep the following tips in mind to care for your Pittsburgh, PA contact lenses this summer season.

Swimming With Contact Lenses

Swimming with contact lenses is never a good idea. If you’re swimming in a pool, the chlorine will damage the lenses. If you’re swimming in a lake, you risk bacterial infections. Remember, contact lenses are porous; they absorb chemicals and whatever else they’re exposed to.

Your options include wearing once-daily disposable lenses. If you throw away your c

ontact lenses after wearing them to swim, you can avoid infection. The best option is to invest in prescription swim goggles. This way, you can enjoy vision clarity while swimming without the hassles of worrying about eye infection and damage to contact lenses.

Dehydration

In summer, you’re more likely to become dehydrated due to activity and sweating. Make sure you keep contact lenses moist during wear by drinking sufficient water. Allowing contact lenses to dry out causes damage to them and to your eyes. Keep a bottle of contact lens rewetting solution—not eye drops—on your person so you can apply as needed to ensure personal comfort and adequate moisture for the lenses.

Hygiene

Another concern with caring for contact lenses in summer is hygiene. In summer, your hands are more likely to be sweaty or dirty from engaging in common summertime activities like sports, gardening, etc. It’s important to be extra cautious about making sure your hands are washed and sanitized before handling contact lenses. You should also never reuse contact lens solution, but this is especially important in summer, when contact cleaning solution sitting out in the open can more easily pick up microorganisms from the surrounding air.

When you’re ready for a new pair of contact lenses or you need to have your contact lens prescription updated, contact your friendly Pittsburgh, PA optometrist for an appointment.

Which Is Best for Me: Glasses Or Contacts?

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Do you need new eye wear? Start by making an eye appointment in Pittsburgh,PA. Seeing the eye doctor in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area is the first step to getting your new glasses or contacts. If you’re having a hard time deciding which is best between the two options, here’s what you need to know.

Glasses Benefits

Glasses are usually the default eye wear option for anyone who has just realized they need corrective lenses. Glasses have the benefit of being easy to put on and take off: there’s no challenge in wearing glasses, and no tutorial required.

Although they do change the appearance of your face, contacts provide an opportunity to add style to your personal look. You can choose glasses in whatever color or shape you like. Some other benefits of glasses include:

  • Don’t need to be replaced as often. Glasses do not need to be replaced as often as contacts, which saves time and money for the wearer.
  • Easy to clean. Glasses are easy to clean with a wipe from a microfiber cloth.
  • Reduced risk of infection. Glasses do not require you to touch your eye in order to wear them, which reduces risk of infection.

Contacts Benefits

Contacts can be invisible on your face, so they’re much subtler than glasses. People who don’t like the look of glasses often prefer contacts for themselves. Other benefits of contacts include:

  • Won’t affect your field of vision. You’ll never see the edges of your contacts the way you can see the edges of glasses.
  • Can change the color of your eyes. Contacts can change your eye color to whatever color you prefer.
  • Unaffected by weather. You’ll never have to worry about your contacts fogging up, like glasses do.

Making Your Decision

Want contacts or eye glasses in Pittsburgh? Contact Lappen Eye Care to make an appointment and get started ordering your corrective lenses of choice.

Difference Between Cleaning Solution and Saline Solution

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When you get contact lenses in Pittsburgh, PA, your eye doctor will send you home with instructions on how to care for the lenses. You may even get a small sample starter kit until you can get to the store to buy your own. At the store, you’ll find that there are two different solutions for contact lenses; cleaning solution and saline solution. Can they be used interchangeably? What are the differences between them?

What is Contact Lens Cleaning Solution?

Contact lens cleaning solution is meant to be used to clean and disinfect contact lenses. Contact lens cleaning solutions contain disinfecting agents, such as hydrogen peroxide or a disinfecting enzyme, that can kill harmful microorganisms that may be present on the lenses. As such, it has the ability to remove dirt, debris, and protein deposits that can build up on the surface of the lens over time.

What is Contact Lens Saline Solution?

Contact lens saline solution is a sterile, buffered salt solution that is used to rinse and store contact lenses. Saline solution is not designed to clean or disinfect the lenses, but rather to provide a sterile environment for the lenses to be stored in between wear. Saline solution does not contain any disinfecting agents, and is not effective at killing microorganisms on the lenses.

Because contact lenses are in direct contact with your eyes, hygiene is of the utmost importance. The best way to clean contact lenses is to first use cleaning solution to clean, and then use saline solution to rinse and store the lenses. Now that you know the difference between contact lens cleaning solution and saline solution, you’ll be able to care for your lenses in the best way possible. For new contact lenses, or to get a contact lens prescription, book an appointment with yourPittsburgh eye doctor today.

Why Choose Specialty Contact Lenses?

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Lappen Eye Care specialty contact lenses are one of the best methods to improve your daily eye care routine. If you are looking for customizable lenses that fit right, just for you, our lens specialists are some of the best consultants and service providers for contact lenses in Pittsburgh, PA.

Alternatives to Eyeglasses

Contact lenses were first created in the 1800s, much to many people’s surprise – and have come a long way. Glasses have been around for much longer, but present certain difficulties in your life. Furthermore, contact lenses are necessarily created to fully replace your eyeglasses, but as a compliment to them. Our lens specialists can speak with you about your needs, and prescribe a solution that fits your lifestyle.

Do your glasses shake when driving or walking? Do they blur up at inopportune moments? Are they restricting certain physical activities? These are just some of the questions that we have the answers to here at Lappen Eye Care.

Better Fit and Comfort

Contact lenses may be a solution, but specialty contact lenses aim to fix the issue altogether. These lenses help to ameliorate or reduce discomfort in the following conditions:

  • Irregular corneas
  • Dry eyes
  • Myopia
  • Astigmatism
  • Keratoconus
  • Redness

Contact lenses are largely standardized, and some healthcare professionals may advise you to avoid contact lenses altogether. This is simply not true in the case of specialty contacts, where they are not only able to align with your condition but help to correct it where possible.

Choose Speciality Contact Lenses in Pittsburgh, PA

Lappen Eye Care is the leading specialty contact lens specialty and eye care provider in the area. During your free consultative appointment, your eye care professional will be able to quickly ascertain your needs and make powerful recommendations.