The Different Types of Vision Correction Options

WHAT ARE MY VISION CORRECTION OPTIONS?

If your vision needs correcting, choosing the right type of vision correction will help enable you to enjoy clear vision and help improve your quality of life. Your optician may recommend one or more of the following

PRESCRIPTION GLASSES

In terms of vision correction, prescription glasses have the same principle as contact lenses; they bend light and redirect it to focus on your retina to improve your eyesight. They can correct short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and age-related difficulty focusing up close (presbyopia).

Glasses are fashionable and popular, with a variety of styles, materials and price ranges to choose from. Your optician will test your eyes to find the right prescription to correct your vision with glasses, and they may also recommend a specific coating for your lenses.

Types of lenses for glasses
  • Single-vision lenses for long-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism or difficulty focusing up close
  • Progressive (also called varifocal or multifocal lenses for presbyopia. These lenses allow you to see clearly both near and fear.
Considering getting glasses?

If you are planning on getting glasses as your vision correction option, it is important to visit an optician for an eye examination to check your eye health and to ensure you have the right prescription and vision correction option for your vision needs and lifestyle; sometimes this may include alternating glasses with contact lenses depending on what you are doing.

CONTACT LENSES

As with glasses, contact lenses bend light and redirect it to focus on your retina to correct your prescription. Contact lenses are placed directly on the surface of your eye to correct your vision, and they can be used to correct short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and age-related difficulty focussing up close (presbyopia).

Contact lenses not only help with vision correction, but they allow you to maintain a natural appearance. Less cumbersome, obtrusive and visible than glasses, contact lenses can be a particularly good choice of vision correction for people who lead active lifestyles. You should also maintain some glasses for when you don’t wear contact lenses – this can also provide you with an alternative look.

WHICH TYPE OF CONTACT LENSES SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Your optician will advise you on the best contact lens for your vision correction needs and lifestyle, but there are two main types of soft contact lenses.

Daily disposable contact lenses require minimal maintenance. Simply discard them at the end of the day and use a fresh pair in the morning. No need to clean.

Wearing new lenses every day is the most convenient and hygienic way of wearing contact lenses. Ask your optician for ACUVUE® MOIST or ACUVUE OASYS® daily disposable contact lenses.

Lenses that you clean and store overnight to be used again are called reusable contact lenses for daily wear. After taking the lenses off, you clean them and leave them in disinfecting solution overnight, and they are then ready to be put back on in the morning. The lenses are then replaced for a new pair usually every two weeks or at monthly intervals depending on the brand and your optician’s recommendation.

Ask your optician for ACUVUE® VITA™ or ACUVUE OASYS® reusable daily wear contact lenses.

LASER EYE SURGERY

Laser (refractive) eye surgery reshapes the clear surface at the front of your eye (cornea) to correct short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism. For many people, laser surgery corrects their vision so they probably should no longer need glasses or contact lenses.

CONSIDERING LASER EYE SURGERY?

If you are considering having laser eye surgery, you should discuss all the risks and potential side effects with your optician to ensure it is the best vision correction choice for you. If you do have laser surgery, you should tell this to your optician every time you have a check-up, vision test or eye treatment.

GET STARTED WITH CONTACT LENSES

Start your Free† Trial of ACUVUE® Contact Lenses today.

Still have questions about contact lenses?

Please note professional eye examination and fitting fees may apply. UK residents 18 or over only. One trial per person. Eligibility subject to optician approval. Participating opticians only. See link for full terms and conditions.