Today, not only can you choose designer eyewear, you can bypass glasses altogether. If you are a candidate, you can choose to wear contact lenses. Just like glasses, they can help correct various faults in your vision. Sometimes, they can even prove to provide superior help than that offered by other types of eyewear. Classification If you decide to go with contacts, you need to understand the various ways people classify them. Talk to your eye care professional in Grand Rapids about your options. He or she will also explain to you how they may affect your particular situation. In considering your visual acuity and your choice of visual improvement, the professional will discuss such things as: Materials: What are the lenses made of? Removal: What is the length of time you can wear a pair without having to remove them? Disposal: Are the lenses disposable? If so, how often do you need to replace them? Design: What is the specific design of the lenses? What does that mean to you? Will it have an impact on your visual acuity? Of the above list, one of the more important factors in contact lenses choice is materials. Materials for Contact Lenses Essentially four basic types of lenses exist. They fall into the following categories: 1. Soft Lenses: Such lenses are composed of plastics that are soft and gel-like. They contain water and cover the entire cornea. These are hydrogels. One of the latest technologically advanced forms is silicone hydrogel. These soft gel lenses are very popular throughout the United States, including Grand Rapids. Overall, soft lenses rank the highest in usage by Americans 2. GP Lenses: GP lenses are the second most popular type of lenses in America. This type of lenses, while made from plastic, does not have a water-filled layer. Of a smaller diameter than soft gel lenses, this rigid plastic material is employed more frequently when the vision problems are high astigmatism and farsightedness. 3. Hybrid Lenses: This combines the best of both GP and soft lenses resulting in both comfort and visual acuity. Hybrid lenses currently hold the lowest market percentage. 4. Hard Lenses: These rigid plastic lenses composed from Poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) were once the norm. Today, they are rarely prescribed having been essentially replaced by GP lenses and are rarely prescribed today. Your eye specialist...