Eyeglasses vs Contact Lenses: The Pros and Cons

For people with weak eyesight, there are usually two main choices when it comes to choosing how to treat the issues: eyeglasses and contact lenses. Other options, like laser surgery, usually come with stricter requirements for the patient. However, with both glasses and contact lenses, the only thing you need to use is a clear knowledge of your eye power or glasses prescription.

However, while narrowing the number of options down to these two is easy, making a final decision is more complex. There are a number of pros and cons for each option, ranging from how they look aesthetically to how they perform when worn. Let’s look at each of them. 

Contacts

Contacts are available in several different types, depending on how long you wear them. Daily wear lenses, for example, would need to be removed every night, while extended-wear lenses can be worn overnight and only need to be removed once a week.

 Advantages

There are several advantages to wearing contacts. These include:

• Contacts offer you a more natural vision as compared to glasses – they shape around the curvature of your eye and offer a larger field of vision, as well as fewer obstructions. This makes them a useful option for people who have ocular prosthetic devices in one eye and want to maximize their existing vision. It’s important that if this is something that you need, that you look into the viable options available. 
• Unlike glasses, you don’t need to worry about contacts fogging up in weather such as rain and cold. 
• Contacts are particularly useful for physically active people – you don’t need to worry about them falling off your face or getting in your way while playing sports, for example. 

 Disadvantages

However, there are some disadvantages. These include:

• They require far more care to use as compared to glasses. They need to put in in the right way, and some people can find it challenging to try and apply a lens to their eye. Additionally, they need to be taken care of daily once you remove them in order to avoid infection.
• Depending on the type of damaged vision you have, contacts can cause some blurry vision. For example, people with high astigmatism can find that they have blurry vision when the lens rotates – while it is possible to get special contacts to counteract this effect, they are more expensive. 

Eyeglasses

There are two major types of glasses, depending on the type of vision loss that you have. If you need help to correct issues with distance vision, you will need single vision glasses. Near-vision issues, on the other hand, can be counteracted with the use of multifocal lenses. 

 Advantages

If you’re debating between the two, there are several advantages that glasses offer, including:

• They are easy to use – all you need to do is slip them on. Unlike contacts, they don’t require much care, aside from cleaning the glass of any dust every so often. 
• With glasses, you don’t have to worry about direct contact with your eyes. This is a positive thing for many people, ranging from those worried about inserting lenses to those who have dry or sensitive eyes. 
• This is usually the more affordable option of the two, especially over a period of time. While the initial investment in glasses is larger, replacement is far less frequent and usually only happens as a result of a change in power, damage to the glasses, or outgrowing the frames. 
• They offer a layer of protection from environmental irritants, such as wind, dust, and other debris.
• They are usually a fun aesthetic choice and can easily be personalized to fit your personal sense of style.

Disadvantages

However, like with contact lenses, there are drawbacks. These include:

• People with stronger prescriptions may find they need to use thick lenses, which can be aesthetically unappealing and even uncomfortable in some cases. Additionally, the glasses may cause your eyes to appear particularly minified or magnified. 
• Glasses are easily affected by the outside elements – for example, water splatter from rain and fogging from wind and cold can obstruct your weather. While this can be annoying for all eyeglass wearers, it’s particularly inconvenient if you play sports or are particularly active. 
• Some frames may exert pressure on the back of your ears and your nose, leading to discomfort.

With the number of considerations to keep in mind, the final decision of whether eyeglasses or contact lenses are the better options is ultimately a personal decision. However, it’s always a good idea to have an extra pair of up-to-date eyeglasses with you, in case your existing pair gets damaged, or you’re forced to spot wearing contacts due to infection, irritation, or simply not liking the feel of them. An emergency pair means you won’t need to worry about having to wait to buy a new pair and get it tailored to your prescription.