What are daily disposable contacts, their health benefits, and can you reuse them?

When we think of contact lenses, we often think of them as a new-age invention. The truth is, the concept of contact lenses has been around since Da Vinci's "Codex of the Eye," later evolving into French Scientist Rene Descartes' glass tube filled with liquid in direct contact with the eye— coining the term "contact" lenses. 

Contacts evolved through the millenniums to the 1958 development of a new type of plastic, hydrogel—soft and pliable when wet, yet able to be shaped and molded. 

Hydrogel continued its evolution in hard and soft lenses for decades, especially in terms of oxygen permeability–allowing the eyes to breathe. 

Leading to the 1995 invention of hydrogel daily disposable lenses millions have come to love and trust. 

What are daily disposable contact lenses? 

 Daily disposable contact lenses are single-use lenses that you remove and discard before sleep at the end of each day. The following morning, you grab a fresh pair place them into your eyes and go about your day with clean, clear, breathable vision. 

 Daily disposable lenses usually come in pre-packaged blister packs for one-day use, are thin, and have high water content to reduce dryness and irritation to your eyes. 

What are the health benefits of daily disposable lenses?

We've all been there crawling on the floor with half of our vision searching for our missing lens. All of our friends assembled to help in the search for our tiny clear contact lens. And when it’s eventually found the likelihood is the lens may be dirty and damaged. 

Now, imagine the same scenario if you wear daily disposable contact lenses. You would just naturally open a fresh, clean, and safe new pack and replace your missing contact. 

It may not make for a great adventure, but it certainly helps ensure healthier eyes!

Daily disposable lenses help you avoid unnecessary risks to your eyes — leaving them squeaky clean and free from possible infection. 

Ophthalmologists and Optometrists believe disposable daily contacts are the safest, most convenient, and comfortable mode of lens wear. 

Optometrists have even found daily disposable lenses beneficial for patients with frequent dry eyes, often caused by multi-purpose eye solutions. Not all multi-purpose cleaning solutions are designed to clean hydrogel lenses—using the accurate solution is crucial. 

Daily disposable contacts also aid in minimizing your risk for eye damage. Because your eyes and tears contain proteins, lipids, and calcium—these can easily build up under reusable lenses, possibly leading to infection. 

Daily disposable lenses are often prescribed to patients that swim or dive and as a bandage for patients with corneal abrasion. If you enjoy being outdoors and partaking in hiking, camping, climbing, and swimming, your Optometrist will most likely prescribe daily disposable lenses to you. Using these lenses while participating in outdoor activities reduces the risk of debris lodging underneath your lenses. 

Airborne allergens are also a concern for longer use lenses— clinging to the surface of lenses even when cleaned with a solution.

The convenience of using daily disposable lenses: 

There are astounding benefits to using daily disposable contact lenses, such as increased comfort and no extensive cleaning required—ideal for people with busy schedules. 

There is no need to remember to pack that oversized bottle of solution, and you can say goodbye to contact maintenance routines. 

If you like to switch between frames and contacts or only really wear contacts for socializing or when you exercise, daily disposable contacts may be the best fit for your flexible lifestyle. 

You may have an unpredictable, ever-changing profession where daily disposable lenses become your go-to lenses. Whether you're a first responder on-call, a night shift worker, working more than one job or a mom juggling life with no downtime, the last thing you want to worry about is cleaning or storing your contacts. 

Daily disposable lenses make it easy for you to toss your old pair and replace them with a clean, fresh pair the next day. 

Don't miss a beat, or worse, risk your eye health by overstaying your welcome in your contact lenses. 

Daily disposable contact lenses have indeed been frowned upon for their environmental impact, but this often doesn’t take into account the plastic that’s used in lens cases and bottles of contact solution—all of which have roughly the same net impact.   

Also, Hubble Contacts lens packs and boxes are 100% recyclable— making your decision to switch to Hubble’s daily disposable lenses that much easier. 

Daily disposable contact lenses offer so much more than just convenience, conceivably making them the healthier choice for the continuance of your eye health. 

Why you should never reuse daily disposable lenses or sleep in them.

Just because you wear daily disposable lenses, doesn’t mean you don’t still have to follow best practices for lens care. We've all been guilty of forgetting to take our contacts out at night or reusing them the next day because we forgot to grab a new pack. We may have even found that our eyes responded fine to this evident mistreatment—thinking to ourselves, maybe I can reuse my lenses for longer than a single-use.

When you reuse your contact lenses you put yourself at risk for discomfort, dryness, and serious eye infections. More serious side effects include corneal ulcers, hypoxia from lack of proper oxygen to your corneas, damage to corneal stem cells, and chronic inflammation potentially leading to intolerance to contact lenses.  

To assist you in making thoughtful eye-health choices, we've composed some hygiene and wellness tips to consider while wearing daily disposable lenses. 

• Avoid reusing your contact lenses at all costs! Daily disposable lenses’ thin lens material doesn't allow for consistent disinfecting, leaving you susceptible to complications and infection if you reuse them. If you are in between orders, throw on your trusty Hubble frames and make a statement instead until your new lenses arrive
• Don't leave your contacts in while you sleep, no matter how tired or tempted you may be—doing so can lead to ocular irritation, swelling, and corneal ulcers. 
• Never touch your contacts with dirty hands! It seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how often people forget to wash their hands, risking transferring bacteria to their lenses. 
• Avoid exposing your daily disposable contacts to water. Any source of water can potentially change the shape of your lenses, risking micro-abrasions to your corneas. 
• Don't reinsert a dropped contact—it is just not worth the potential risk of infection or damage to your eyes. 
• Avoid rubbing your eyes no matter how tempting! Regardless of whether you have your contacts in or not, rubbing your eyes may cause blurry vision and risks possible harm to your corneas.
• It's best to wait until you've completed your entire morning routine before inserting your contacts. Your hair products, make-up, and water may cause eye irritation and leave a coating over your contacts, making it hard to see. 
• If you're experiencing any eye discomfort or irritation avoid contacts for the day. Grab those stylish frames and pay your Optometrist a visit to make sure it's just your seasonal allergies acting out and nothing more. 

Seeing is essential, but maintaining your eye health is even more critical. Avoid the risks and peel back the lid on a fresh pair of daily disposable contact lenses every day—making the best choice for your eyes. 

Are Hubble’s daily disposable contacts a fit for your life? 

Life can be unexpected, messy, and fast-paced. Most of us are running from work to planned activities, errands, and appointments, and seeing clearly is focal. 

Choosing daily disposable contact lenses can help you gain control over your eye health—providing you comfort and ease.

Hubble's subscription services make getting your daily disposable lenses a breeze. Get your up-to-date prescription from your Optometrist and always have a fresh pair of lenses at your fingertip.

Hubble's lenses are made from Methafilcon A hydrogel material with 55% water content, UV protection, and a thin edge designed for easy insertion, all-day comfort, and, best of all, crystal clear vision. 

Daily disposable lenses give you the freedom to live your life more comfortably, all while still putting your eye health first—knowing you're making an excellent choice for your eyes. 

Resources:

Allaboutvision.com 

College-Optometrists.org 

Contactlenses.org 

Eyegalleryks.com 

Lagunaeyes.com 

Perfectlens.ca 

CLSspectrum.com 

Piedmont.org