Why switch to Daily Disposable Soft Contact Lenses?

Sumayya Vanker - B.Optom (UDW)

Daily disposable soft contact lenses are exactly what the term “daily disposable” implies, that is, a fresh new pair of contact lenses inserted into your eyes each morning and then removed and discarded in the bin at the end of each day.  

Monthly disposable soft contact lenses, on the other hand, implies a pair of contact lenses is re-used daily for a month before being discarded and requires cleaning, disinfecting and careful hygiene on a daily basis. The health, vision and comfort of your eyes are thus dependent on diligent care and acceptable wearing time of your lenses per day. Overwearing, poor hygiene and/or being complacent with disinfection of your lenses can lead to serious eye infections which can be sight-threatening.

In today’s fast-paced world of health and fitness, convenience and time-saving, daily disposable contact lenses have become the lenses of choice for both optometrists and contact lens wearers around the world.  Here are the reasons why more and more people are switching to ‘dailies’:

1. CONVENIENCE  

  • Save time – no cleaning or disinfecting necessary 

  • Easy wear schedule – a new pair per day – no need to remember or set phone reminders to discard after 30 days

  • Spare pairs are easy to carry with you, especially when travelling – no hassle carrying contact lens solution especially when flying

2. OCULAR HEALTH  

  •  Most preferred reason by optometrists for fitting dailies

  • More than 90% of lens wearers do not clean/care for their lenses and lens cases correctly.

  • Using a fresh, clean, sterile pair of lenses each day means there is no accumulation of day-to-day deposits of protein, lipids, calcium, harmful bacteria, viruses and airborne allergens being reintroduced daily back into your eyes as  these can cause infection, corneal scarring and in some cases, permanent visual loss  

3. INCREASED COMFORT  

  • There is less time for deposits to build-up

  • Fewer dry eyes and allergy problems due to less solution irritation

4. SUITABLE FOR ALL LIFESTYLES   

  • Ideal for occasional contact lens wearers who use them for sport or leisure especially swimming, surfing, camping etc.

  • Best for teens and young adults

  • Safest for full-time wearers who have busy, active lives

5. BEING IMPROVED ALL THE TIME 

  • Manufacturers are putting more time and money into research and development to make dailies healthier, more breathable, comfortable, affordable and available in wider prescription parameters in sphere, toric and multifocal lenses.

The benefits as noted above are enough to switch to dailies, but the cost of dailies still poses a problem for most full-time contact lens wearers. However, due to competition and more brands of dailies being produced every year, the cost has lessened considerably so as to be competitive with the cost of monthly lenses including lens solution. 

Also, many environmentalists feel that dailies are adding to environmental waste whereas contact lens manufacturers argue that there is more hazardous waste material from the by-products during the manufacturing of contact lens solutions for monthly contact lenses.

Overall, the benefits of dailies far outweigh the disadvantages, especially when it comes to the health of your eyes, which is one of your five senses.  So, switch to dailies for healthier comfortable eyes, vision and ease of use!