Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are one of the fastest growing areas in the optical world so, if you haven't considered them already, you may want to soon. They offer you an unrestricted field of vision, they don’t steam up or slip down your nose. They often give their wearers greater freedom and confidence.

The wide variety of lenses available has contributed to the growth in contact lens use and now there are very few prescriptions that cannot be corrected. So even if you have astigmatism, need bifocals, or have previously been unable to wear them - now may be the time to rethink.

You may already wear contact lenses, but want to try and improve the comfort or vision. Alternatively you may be interested in a different type. Technological advances may mean that there are newer lenses available more suited to your optical needs.

Gas Permeable lenses are made from a rigid plastic which, as the name suggests, is permeable to gases such as oxygen. Although, they usually last slightly longer that soft lenses, it is now considered advisable to change these lenses more frequently and now we offer them on a six monthly replacement. The fore runner to gas permeable lenses were hard lenses which some people still wear with great success.

However, the number of fit for this lens type has tapered off. Rigid lenses (both hard and gas permeable) take slightly longer to get used to than soft lenses, but after a couple of weeks of regular wearing, people find them very comfortable.

Soft lenses are made from special plastics which attract water. The amount of water contained in a particular lens will depend on the material it is made from, typically this is between 30% and 80%. Disposable soft lenses are becoming more popular. Most of them still need cleaning, but the health advantages of using a new clean lens regularly appeals to most people.

It is now possible to get daily, monthly, toric, multifocal, continuous wear, coloured and even novelty disposable lenses. This is all in addition to the vast range of other soft lenses on the market. Additionally, because soft contact lenses are comfortable almost immediately, whether they are to be worn all day or very occasionally, for sport or socialising, there is a different lens type to suit most people.

Whatever your needs, our contact lens practitioners have experience in fitting all types of lenses and we pride ourselves on keeping up to date with the latest improvements. This is one of the reasons that we were finalists in the 1999 Eyecare Awards for Contact Lens Practice of the Year.

Usually, the only barrier to being a successful contact lens wearer is the fear of trying them in the first place. To offer the best value for money and piece of mind we package a lot of our lenses, solutions and aftercare together into one convenient monthly payment by direct debit.