Extended Wear Contact Lenses

Extended wear contact lenses are not necessarily the opposite of disposable contact lenses, as even the former have expirations. The difference, though, lies in the duration of life between the extended wear contact lenses and the typical daily disposables. True, disposable contact lenses include those with an extended lifespan. That’s why extended wear contact lenses and disposables are not opposite to one another. The extended wear contact lens, specifically, is that particular type of contact lens that has a lifespan that extends beyond a day, usually two weeks, a month, or, in the case of some novelty or decorative contact lenses, over a year. The duration of extended wear contact lenses, then, is defined in this sense because “regular” contact lenses are designated a day’s longevity and extend wear lenses stretch beyond that norm.

Extended wear toric contact lenses are a unique case. All of these—soft lenses and rigid lenses—are extended wear contact lenses. Toric contact lenses are especially designed to serve as a corrective toward Astigmatism, which is a condition whereby the human optical lens has developed awkwardly and refractive light is unable to enter to the eye. Blurry and fragmented vision is the unfortunate result. Millions of people all over the world have this frustrating condition, so toric contact lenses, not surprisingly, comprise a significantly large portion of those sought for and sold. The extended wear contact lens has a longer duration of life because of its corrective properties; this type of contact lens tends to provide ongoing correction for this particular aberration. The toric contact lenses, regardless of their brand or particular make, last about two weeks or, which is more common these days, 30 days (one month), as the corrective integrity of the design requires that the lenses be discarded at the time of expiration.

An extended wear colored contact lens, such as the decorative lens, however, has typically a much longer duration than the corrective contact lens. This kind of contact can be kept and used several times up to a year or even two years, as long as the contacts are cleaned and disinfected before and after each use. This is important. If the contact lenses are not cleaned AND disinfected periodically, bacteria and/or dirt will build on them and then they cannot be used due to the risk of infection. Expiration of extended wear contact lenses in this category will not exceed two years; even with constant cleaning and disinfection, contact lenses, like anything else wear down and deteriorate over time. Although they can be expensive, extended wear contact lenses must be replaced upon each expiration date.

Extended wear contact lenses, because of their longevity, are high-quality contact lenses, so the long period of wear that they get will return great ongoing performance, provided they are handled safely and properly.