Contact Lenses in Northolt

Contact lenses in Northolt. At Oldfields Opticians we give you independent advice on the right contact lenses for you from all available lenses on the market. From daily disposables to monthlies, for those with drier eyes to those want to where contact lenses for that special day or on holiday.

If you are not familiar with this vision correction option, contact lenses are small prescription lenses, worn in “contact” with the eye. They are designed to correct refractive errors and maintain ocular health. They float on the tear film layer on the surface of the cornea. There are also zero power contact lenses used for changing the eye colour. .

Types of contact lenses

There are various types of contact lenses: monthly, daily, two-weekly. Contact lenses soft and hard. Contact lenses for eyes with a mild astigmatism called toric lenses.

People use contact lenses instead of glasses in terms of their lifestyle or if their eyes cannot adapt to wearing glasses.

  1. Daily contact lenses are for busy professionals or people that don’t want to be tied into additional cleaning and maintenance routines or people that only want to wear lenses occasionally. Especially useful for sport enthusiasts.
  2. Two-weekly contact lenses are best for first time wearers: They are often recommended for teenagers who want to wear their lenses frequently as they don’t require as much care as monthly lenses or for dry eye sufferers who are struggling with monthly lenses and want a lower cost alternatively to daily disposables.
  3. Monthly contact lenses are worn daily, cleaned and stored overnight. This type of contact lenses are great for people who want to wear their lenses 5 or more days a week or for the cost conscious buying monthly lenses is much more cost effective than dailies.

I wear coloured monthly contact lenses from time to time with no power. My favourite brand and the most comfortable contact lenses I have worn are Air Optix color contact lenses from Alcon. They fit very well, they don’t bend when I put them in and the maximum I wear them is up to 10 hours a day. This is the best brand, suitable for my eyes so far.

You may feels other brands are better for you, and that’s ok. What is important is that you have the lenses fitted by the Optometrist instead of just buying them from anywhere. My natural eyes colour is brown, so I usually go for green or blue contact lenses. I feel they make my face look a bit softer.

There is a broad selection of colours for people with personal preferences. Grey, brown, yellow, red, purple and also Halloween set that makes you look scary adequately to the purpose of use.

I also tried contact lenses from Clear Lab, however they weren’t suitable for my eyes. My eyes were red and tired much quicker and they did not feel as comfortable as Air Optix from Alcon.

The general cost of coloured contact lenses is approximately £20 plus assessment that needs to be done before purchasing any contact lenses to make sure they fit properly and they don’t dry out your eyes. It is important to discuss it with your optometrist

How to put contact lenses on your eyes

Unless your contact lenses are daily disposable, there are tips how to put contact lenses in and out and store them in a special box with solution during the night.

You must wash and dry your hands before putting and removing your contact lenses.

 

  1. Make sure that your contact lenses are not inside out, before putting them in.
  2. Place a contact lens on your index finger palm.
  3. Use other hand fingers to hold upper eye lashes and hold lower lashes with a forth finger of the same hand as you hold your lens to prevent from blinking.
  4. Look straight ahead and slowly put your lens inside the eye.
  5. If your contact lenses start to hurt or feel dry and uncomfortable, or if people keep commenting on the redness of your eyes, remove your lenses! Pain and discomfort are often your eyes’ way of telling you something’s causing problems. If this happens repeatedly, talk to your eye doctor to see if your contact lenses are right for you.

How to take contact lenses out?

To remove your contact lenses, with your dominant hand, use your middle finger pull down your lower eyelid. With the pads of your index finger and thumb, gently squeeze the lens to pull it down and away from your eye. Don’t fold or pinch with more force than necessary.

When I was a first wearer of contact lenses I was struggling a lot with their insertion.

After a while I found it very easy to put them in and out contact lenses as my sister wears every daily hard contact lenses, so I watched her a lot and it helped me very much to learn how to use them.

I also noticed that my eyes feel tired, a bit dried out and sometimes even red when I exceed the maximum time of wearing coloured contact lenses.

When coloured contact lenses are useful?

If you feel your eye colour isn’t bold enough, opting for enhancement tinted lenses in your natural colour is a subtle way of deepening the colour around the edges of the iris, helping your eyes stand out. However, you can still experiment while playing safe, with different coloured lenses that match your skin tone. If your eye colour is naturally a light blue, try green or grey opaque lenses to give your eyes a subtle new effect.

If you have dark eyes, using enhancement lenses will only make them stronger, so to soften their effect try lighter shades of brown or a greenish-brown shade such as hazel in opaque tinted lenses. However, you can also experiment with vibrant colours, such as violet or amethyst, blue and green. For those with an olive or dark skin tone, a lighter eye colour can have a striking effect for a cool and sparkling look that will help you stand out.

Coloured contacts are a great way to enhance your features or create a totally new look. Or they can be used for single purpose like Halloween, fancy dress birthday party, for actors in the theatre etc

Contact lenses in Northolt for Dry eyes

As a dry eye centre , we now offer a new type of contact lens for those who had dry eyes. If your lenses have been bothering you or you have been told you are not suitable due to dryness, come and see us and we can fit you with this new generation material.

Precautions with contact lenses

It is always better if you buy your contact lenses from a trusted company, rather than getting them cheaper from unknown online provider. You should also see your optician before for a professional contact lens assessment and advise which contact lenses are the best for you.

Also even if you do not wear corrective contact lenses you still need a valid prescription for coloured ones! They cannot be sold without a prescription for health and safety reasons. Even though they are for cosmetic use only , they are still considered a medical device. Improper use can result in eyes problems, the worst of which could be blindness.

The contact lens fitting includes

  • Assessment of your eye with a topgraphical map
  • A teaching session on inserting & removing your lenses safely
  • A free trial set of lenses for up to 1 month
  • A follow-up appointment to make sure your lenses were safe following your trial
  • A complementary supply of coloured contact lenses to get you going*

*Coloured contact lenses must be included as part of trial.

Zyta has been working at Oldfields Opticians for a few years now and wears coloured contact lenses regularly. She can advise you on contact lens types and share her experiences.