Do I need glasses?

Many people don’t realise that they would benefit from the assistance of glasses or contact lenses. If you are straining your eyes, even slightly, to look at a computer screen, a book, a sign on the road, or a mountain in the distance, you may already have a vision problem that needs correcting. There is no need to live your life with poor vision or even occasional difficulty seeing; don’t delay getting a check-up until it’s difficult for you to do basic things. As soon as you notice changes in your ability to see, it’s time to do something about it.

The easiest way to find out if you need glasses or contact lenses is to book an appointment with an optometrist for a simple eye test.

Signs you may need glasses or contact lenses

There are some early warning signs that can indicate that you need glasses or contact lenses. These include:

• blurry vision when looking at objects close up (this can indicate long-sightedness, also called hyperopia)
• difficulty seeing objects in the distance (this can indicate short-sightedness, also called myopia)
• trouble seeing things close up and in the distance (this can be a sign of astigmatism)
• difficulty seeing clearly at night
• finding it harder to adjust from dark to light settings
• difficulty reading a book or looking at a computer screen
• straining your eyes to see clearly, or experiencing eye fatigue
• suffering frequent headaches
• experiencing double vision
• seeing ‘halos’ around light.

Having any of these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a vision condition, but they are signs that you should get an eye test. Whether or not you end up needing glasses or contact lenses to assist your vision, an optometrist can help you to understand what’s happening with your changing eyesight, things you should do about it as well as things to look out for in the future. Some people even prefer to get a yearly eye test to pick up any changes in their eyesight.

Read more about common refractive errors that require glasses or contact lenses such as hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia and cataracts.

Choosing contact lenses

EYESONLINE specialise in selling quality contact lenses at the best prices. Thanks to advances in technology, most people with vision conditions can now choose to wear contact lenses instead of glasses. Often it is simply a matter of personal preference. Speak to your optometrist if you are interested in wearing contact lenses.

Read more about our contact lenses.

Contacts vs Glasses

When considering contacts vs glasses to correct your vision, remember that it’s often simply a matter of preference. In the past contact lenses could only be used to treat certain conditions, but today almost everyone who has an issue with their eyesight can now choose to treat it with contact lenses instead of glasses. This includes people with myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness), astigmatism, and presbyopia (age-related eye weakening).

The increased versatility of contact lenses is due to advances in technology in recent years, which has also made them more affordable. There’s now a wide selection of contact lenses available to meet your needs, including coloured contacts.

Many people still think in terms of ‘contacts vs glasses’ and try to weigh up the pros and cons of each, thinking that they have to choose one method of eyesight correction. Whereas, the fact is that many people who have glasses now also choose to wear contact lenses at least some of the time. And others choose to wear contact lenses all of the time, and have a back-up pair of glasses for emergencies. So the choice of wearing contact lenses or glasses, and when to wear them, will largely depend on your lifestyle and personal preference.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of wearing contact lenses.

Benefits of contact lenses

The benefits of choosing contact lenses instead of glasses to correct your eyesight include:

• comfort
• convenience
• ease of playing sport or doing outdoor activities
• not having to worry about breaking an expensive pair of glasses
• a wider field of vision, including clearer peripheral vision
• being able to change the colour of your eyes with coloured contact lenses
• not fogging up—contacts are more resistant to changes in weather
• better self-esteem and quality of life for children and teenagers
• never having to worry about them clashing with your outfit!

Some contact lenses can now even reshape your cornea while you are asleep, temporarily correcting short-sightedness (myopia) so that you can see clearly the next morning without needing to wear contact lenses or glasses.

EYESONLINE contact lenses

At EYESONLINE we stock leading brands of contact lenses and sunglasses and sell them at the best available prices. In fact, thanks to our Lowest Price Guarantee, we’ll match any other (genuine) online price.

Read more about our contact lenses, including care instructions and wearing time.

If you are currently wearing glasses and would like to start wearing contact lenses, speak to your optometrist.

What are the benefits of reusable contact lenses?

As a modern-day contact lens wearer, you’re spoilt for choice. There are contact lenses that can be worn and disposed of daily, weekly, or monthly. In this fast-paced, throwaway culture, many contact lens wearers are instead choosing reusable and extended wear contact lenses to suit their needs.

In the EYESONLINE store we sell contact lenses, such as Air Optix Aqua by Alcon, which can be reused for up to 4 weeks. They also have a protective moisture layer that helps to defend against deposits and infection throughout use.

So why do people choose reusable contact lenses? Well, depending on your needs and lifestyle, they can offer a number of benefits.

Benefits of reusable contact lenses

Extended use contact lenses

Reusable contact lenses offer quite a few benefits. Some kinds (known as ‘extended wear’ contacts) can even be left in overnight. Extended wear contact lenses are especially suited to people who have:

• highly active and unpredictable lifestyles—if you’re not always able to find the time to clean your lenses due to career or lifestyle
• binocular vision abnormalities—such as amblyopia
• very bad vision—it can be useful to be able to see if you wake in the middle of the night.

Save money

If you’re looking to save money and are good with daily routines, reusable contact lenses are your best bet. They’re generally cheaper than using daily disposable contact lenses, even when factoring in the added cost of buying lens cleaning solution and a case.

Correction of certain vision problems

Certain vision problems can only be corrected by the reusable kind of contact lenses, making them the most versatile lens. Speak to your optometrist about how to best treat your vision issues.

Comfortable and easy to look after

Reusable contact lenses are known to be comfortable for eyes, and they’re also easy to look after. They require a simple daily routine of cleaning and storing that people find easy to incorporate into their existing schedule.

Buy reusable contact lenses online

There are a variety of reusable contact lenses available in our EYESONLINE store. We offer you the cheapest prices online; and our lowest price guarantee means that if you find the same product for a cheaper price on another (legitimate) online store, we won’t just match it, we’ll beat it!

We stock the following brands of contact lenses:

• Alcon Focus
• Bausch and Lomb
• CooperVision
• Gelflex
• Acuvue.

EYESONLINE also sell lens solution and cleaning products.