These colored contacts are available in either corrective or non-corrective forms.

Eyeglasses or contact lenses that are worn only for cosmetic purposes are called Plano contact lenses or glasses. Corrective colored lenses may be used for astigmatism, near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and even for people who just want disposable lenses.

Opaque tints dramatically change the color of the eyes. Enhancement tints are prescribed to people with light-colored eyes to make their eyes look brighter and put more accents on them.

Visibility tint does not change the eye color. It only puts color to the lens so the owner may see them even when in cleaning solution. There are also theatrical lenses – those with designs. You may have eyes like those of a vampire, an alien, a fictional creature, or a witch.

Just like corrective lenses and glasses, colored lenses also need prescription. In fact, this is even applicable for Plano contact lenses. Buying contact lenses and getting fitted with a pair are two different things.

Since a contact lens is a medical device, it requires a prescription from a medical expert just like drugs. If it is not prescribed well, it may not help correct your vision.

Or much worse, it might give you more problems such as allergies or make your vision problem a lot more of a hassle. Not having the proper type of contact lenses can give you discomfort, inflammation, abrasion that can cause more damage to the cornea, swelling, and other problems that might lead to permanent eye damage.

Now how do you choose the right kind of colored contact lens? If you want to show off a bit and make people ask about your eyes, you might want to wear brightly colored contact lenses.

If you are a center-off-attention type of person and want people to notice your contacts easily, try wearing opaque color tints. If your skin is dark, use bright-colored contacts.

In case you have natural brown eyes, try wearing violet, blue, or green ones. If you wear makeup, wear contact lenses with a color that will stand out form your mascara and eye shadow.

But if you want a subtle change where people would only notice something new but not know exactly what has changed, you would want to try color enhancers. One option is to use an enhancer with a shade of blue. It would deepen your natural eye color and define the edges of your iri

Contact lenses will provide you with clear vision so that you can play the sport of your choice. With the contact lenses you will be having that freedom you could never have because of those glasses. With contact lenses you can now play sports such as football, basketball, baseball, soccer and hockey.

Believe it or not, contacts give you better peripheral vision that the eyeglasses do. Another advantage you will be getting is that you will not be injuring your eyes. When individuals play games and wear glasses at the same time, they have a high chance of something happening, their glasses breaking and their eyes getting hurt.

The contact lenses can help in correcting a lot of visual problems that you are faced with. It does not matter if you have been suffering from near sightedness, astigmatism, or far sightedness, you will still be able to turn to contact lenses. In order to get a complete diagnosis done on your eyes and get your contact lenses, you should visit an eye care specialist. The eye care specialist will be able to tell you if contact lenses are suitable for you.

The key to good performance when it comes to playing sports all revolves around the ability to see well. You will need to see the ball, see when to swing and much more, with contact lenses it will all be possible. When you have contact lenses, you will find that a number of different things are better.

• You will have better perception and depth
• Better peripheral vision
• No fogging because of rain or steam
• Contacts are great for vigorous sports
• You will have better judgment of the speed and distance

As you have read, you will be a lot safer when wearing contact lenses instead of glasses. Another great thing about the contact lenses is the fact that you can wear protective goggles while you are playing sports. When you are wearing eye glasses, it is hard and nearly impossible for you to wear protective goggles. In some sports, protective goggles are an absolute must. When you have glasses, you could have shattered spectacles, broken frames and many more injuries done to your glasses. In order to protect your eyes when you have contact lenses in, swimmers and surfers can wear goggles that are tight fitting and at the same time they will be maintaining their good vision.

Dealing with conjunctivitis is not easy but knowing the facts will help you to understand what causes it and hopefully to treat it.

Commonly known as ‘pink eye’, conjunctivitis is any inflammation that occurs in the clear tissue that covers the white surface of the eye and inner layer of the eyelid (conjunctiva).

Men, women and children of all ages, even the newborn, can suffer from one of the forms of pink eye.

Irrespective of the cause, the condition, apart from being unsightly, can be extremely uncomfortable. Irritation can be severe, not dissimilar to the discomfort a foreign body in the eye produces, accompanied by a watery or thick yellow/white discharge.

It is important to remember that conjunctivitis is highly contagious so take care over personal hygiene and avoid contact with others.

Symptoms of Conjuctivitis

Common pink eye symptoms are: -

• A gradual onset of noticeable red soreness in one or both eyes.

• Itchy, gritty feeling in one or both eyes.

• Tears or a yellowish discharge that can form a crust after sleeping and is difficult to remove.

Duration of Conjunctivitis

If untreated conjunctivitis usually lasts for two to three weeks although it can resolve itself in as little as two to three days. Early treatment can clear the condition sooner.

Causes of Conjunctivitis

Bacterial or viral infections are the most common causes. Others include foreign bodies, tobacco smoke, use of contact lenses, cosmetics or chemical splashes entering the eye, and allergies.

In infants the cause may be a blocked or incompletely opened tear duct.

Risks of Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis as a result of a bacterial or viral infection is highly contagious, especially among children. Risk of passing on the infection can last for seven to fourteen days after its first appearance.

Resist rubbing the eyes, wash hands frequently, avoid touching others, towels, face cloths, pillows etc, should not be shared with others and washed and changed at least daily. Throw away used mascara and other eye cosmetics and do not use any one else’s.

Although uncommon, conjunctivitis may be a sign of a serious underlying eye disease.

Unless advised by a doctor, never cover red eye with a patch as it can only encourage increased infection.

Treatment

• Bacterial Conjunctivitis

This form of pink eye can be treated with antibiotic eye drops or alternatively, for children and infants, with an antibiotic eye ointment that is easier to apply. In either case consult your physician for the recommended medication and be sure to complete the course even if the symptoms clear up, if not the infection can re-occur.

A significant improvement can be expected within 24-48 hours.

• Viral Conjunctivitis

In common with other viral infections the condition cannot be cured by treatment and must run its natural course. However your physician will advise on the best treatment to alleviate the symptoms. Expect a gradual worsening of the condition for the initial 3-5 days before the symptoms gradually improve and clear on their own, usually within a further two to three weeks.

• Allergic Conjunctivitis

If your doctor diagnosis this condition, there is a variety of eye drops that can be effectively prescribed, ranging from anti inflammatory, antihistamines, steroids and others.

Although it is highly recommended that medical advice is sought as soon as possible after the symptoms appear, it is possible to gain some relief by applying a clean cloth dampened with warm water to the closed lids of the affected eye.

No form of conjunctivitis is likely to have any long term effect on the vision or eye health of adults and older children, but do remember that it is highly contagious, take precautions not to pass it on. Children should either be kept from school or teachers advised that the child has conjunctivitis. In the case of infants seek immediate medical attention as soon as any symptoms are noticed.

Red eye is an uncomfortable and unpleasant infection that can strike without warning. The sooner sufferers obtain and act on qualified medical advice, the quicker and more effective the relief.

However, if you feel that you don’t want to go to see your doctor you could always try some natural cures

The primary purpose of tears is to clean and lubricate the eyes.

Tears are secreted from the lacrimal glands through ducts to the surface of the eyes between the eyeball and the lid.

The lacrimal gland, one for each eye, is located at the back of the top eyelid. When we blink, tears known as lacrimal fluid, are distributed over the eye surface.

The lower eyelids have minute orifices called puncta on their margins and bottom corner that collect tears and pass them down to the inner nose.

This is the reason that the nose runs if there is an excess of tears caused for example by crying, laughter or peeling onions.

As the flow of tears increase so the eyes flood as the puncta cannot cope and the excess of tears run down the cheeks.

It is important that the eye surface (cornea) is kept continually moist and nourished by tear fluid which at the same time washes away any dust or other small foreign particles that are virtually a constant in our modern world.

Another important function of tear fluid is to fight any bacterial infection that can attack the eyes.

Tears consist of water, mucin, lipids, lysozyme, lactoferrin, lipocalin, immunoglobulins, glucose, urea, sodium and potassium.

Tears form three distinct coatings on the eye surface, each having a specific and important function in normal circumstances. This coating or film is known as the precorneal film.

The outer layer or lipid layer is responsible for preventing the surface from drying out by forming a hydrophobic barrier to slow down evaporation. At the same time this barrier retains the tears from running onto the cheeks.

The middle layer, known as the aqueous layer, fights infections and assists in spreading the tear film over the eye surface.

The inner or mucous layer function as the water-bonding layer that is responsible for even distribution of all three layers over the eye surface. It also contains mucus that helps to protect the cornea.

Healthy tear production is essential for eye health. The older we are the less tears we produce.

Curiously and very misleading is the fact that although the eyes are watering profusely, we can still be suffering from a lack of healthy tear fluid over the entire surface of the eyes.

Should this be occurring without any noticeable cause do go and see your eye consultant to have it checked out. Ignoring the symptoms, which may not appear constant, can lead to sight problems.

Depending on the sufferer’s condition, ophthalmologists can provide either a cure or hold the condition in check. The inner puncta sometimes blocks but can be restored to normal by laser treatment.

Various eye drops such as

Optive Lubricant Eye Drops

or

Soothe Lubricant Eye Drops

are available that encourage sufficient tears to keep the eye surface healthy.

Insufficient or thin tear fluid levels have caused problems to contact lens wearers but modern technology has largely overcome this problem as contacts have become more flexible, disposable or oxygen permeable.

The Intac implants can be replaced to correct the changes in vision that occurs normally with age, or they can be removed altogether.

Micro-thin synthetic intercorneal rings are surgically implanted into the cornea to change its´ curvature resulting in a correction or reduction in the myopia.

The procedure is also used in the treatment of Keratoconus, a degenerative condition where the cornea becomes thin and more conical resulting in distorted and multiple vision.

Vision will improve within a few days of the surgery but while the healing process takes place vision may fluctuate for up to three months before settling down.

The results of Intac implants have shown excellent improvement in vision, cannot be felt, require no maintenance and are less visible than contact lenses.

To date, of the few that have had the Intac implants removed, there has been no indication of problems occurring when alternative corrective eye surgery has taken place. If contemplating this procedure you should check with your eye consultant that no problem cases have yet come to light.

Despite contact lenses to correct visual impairment being available for many years, constant developments have given wearers an ever widening choice that includes ease of use, convenience, sight correction and cosmetic enhancement.

If you are considering contact lenses or even if you are an existing user it is worth getting up to date knowledge of the variety of lenses available before visiting your Ophthalmologist, Optometrist or Optician.

When your ‘eye practitioner’ realizes that you have taken the trouble to find out about the variety of contact lenses and their benefits he is more likely to advise you in greater detail about the choices and their suitability for your needs.

You should always bear in mind that contacts are medical devices that require specialist fitting and aftercare. Only suitably qualified eyesight consultants should prescribe contact lenses so if in any doubt check out the qualifications.

Most people with the types of visual impairment that can be corrected by contact lenses will have very few, if any, wearing problems providing that they are measured and fitted correctly.

Contact lenses can be prescribed for replacing Bi-focal spectacles. They are known as Toric lenses and are available as extended wear, disposable or traditional reusable lenses.

All contact lenses are available in a variety of colors whether they are used for vision correction or simply to cosmetically enhance eye color.

Sadly in rare cases the shape of the eye or other considerations can cause problems and consequently contact lenses will not an option.

Types of Contact Lenses

• Traditional Reusable Lenses

This type has an extended life for six months or longer before needing to be replaced.

Prescriptions for these lenses and all others will depend on the physical measurements of the eyes and the requirement to correct the visual impairment.

It is an important consideration to bear in mind that the more frequently you replace your lenses the healthier and more comfortable your eyes will feel.

Substances occurring in tears, such as protein and calcium will build up on the surfaces of lenses and must be cleaned after each days wear.

If not carefully cleaned and kept in a sterilized container the eyes will become more prone to infection and the lenses will also become gradually more uncomfortable to wear.

There are a variety of excellent proprietary lens cleaning and storage solutions available at pharmacies.

Contact lenses can also be used to change eye shape such as bulging.

• Disposable Lenses

Obtainable for up to two weeks wear before being discarded and replaced with fresh lenses.

Now the most popular type of contact lens and recommended by eye care practitioners as the healthiest lens option.

Daily disposables have now become an affordable option, will never need cleaning or after care so no build up of deposits are likely to occur that lead to eye infections.

However disposable lenses can be cleaned and there are some excellent products available but disposables can save you the time, effort and expense of doing this and the health risks are lessened.

• Gas permeable Extended Wear Contact Lenses

As these lenses allow more oxygen to reach the eyes they may be worn continuously for up to thirty days without removal including overnight wear to extend their usage time.

The most convenient of all contact lens types.  Should be disposed of after use. Watch out, as there are still some brands that only allow for seven days continuous wear although they are becoming less available.

• Frequent Replacement Contact Lenses

These lenses should be replaced monthly or quarterly and are not suitable for overnight wear.

A well qualified vision practitioner should recommend the most suitable and comfortable type of contact lens to suit the shape of the eye and the wearer’s needs without obligation or charge.

Today, with the incredible advance in modern science, it is possible to have a clear lens replacement that is able to actually  restore almost perfect, if not perfect vision.

Using highly accurate measuring instruments and very sophisticated surgical procedures it is now possible to remove a defective natural lens from an eye and replace it with a soft lens implant that can restore perfect or near perfect vision.

This procedure is known as Clear Lens Replacement (CLR) surgery.

For a century or more, surgeons have had the skills to remove the lens from an eye, mainly to restore some sort of impaired and unfocused vision to cataract sufferers.

A cataract causes the lens to become cloudy, vision blurs and eventual blindness occurs.

With the advent of modern computerized measuring equipment, accurate to one hundredth of a millimeter, not only can cataract sufferers have excellent vision restored but virtually any body suffering from visual impairment such as short or long sight can enjoy the benefits of lens replacement surgery.

What will the Surgeon Do?

A few days prior the operation, the surgeon will take measurements that will allow the computer to calculate the dimensions of the artificial replacement lens. This procedure is painless.

Before operating a general but light anaesthetic is administered and the surface and eye area is numbed. A very small incision is made through the surface tissue of the eye to enable the natural lens to be removed.

This is done by using an instrument that very gently sucks out the tissue and can take a little time. The surgeon then inserts the prepared soft lens implant into the eye, puts a light dressing over the area and the job is done. The process is in most cases painless.

Normally the surgeon will operate on only one eye and wait around two weeks before operating on the other as a precaution against the rare risk of a complication

Generally speaking patients are in and out of hospital in an hour to an hour and a half and suffer no more than mild discomfort.

Eye Surgery Aftercare

After removing the protective dressing the morning following the operation you will be able to drive and read without any problem – providing you remember to remove the appropriate lens from your eyeglasses!

The wonderful experience of being able to see clearly after a lifetime of wearing glasses is unforgettable and can take some getting used to.

The eye may water or have a slight itch for a while after the operation. Your surgeon will take into account this possibility and prescribe the appropriate medication.

Do not rub your eyes and do not indulge in any active exercise and avoid any heavy lifting for six weeks after the operations. By this time the eyes should have settled down to normality.

Reading and long distance sight will no longer need the aid of contacts or eyeglasses and no problems with discerning colors or night driving should be experienced.

Are There Any Risks to Eye Surgery?

As with any invasive surgical procedure there is always a small risk of infection. Should the eye become infected after the operation in most cases it can be quickly and successively treated although some discomfort is likely to be experienced.

Do have an in depth discussion with your eye specialist with an emphasis on any risks before deciding to undertake CLR surgery.

The Long Term Benefits

The feeling of freedom after being dependant on visual impairment aids takes time to become adjusted. Many will have a greater feeling of self confidence as there will be no more fears of losing or breaking their glasses or the embarrassment of groveling around for a lost contact lens.

There are very real cosmetic benefits. You will never again have to worry about spectacle frames that suit you or your eye make up choice of color. Applying your make up will be so much easier and most importantly you will not have spectacle frames and their lenses obscuring your most important beauty feature – your eyes.

Something in the eye! It happens to all of us from time to time, whether it is an eyelash, dirt, grit, paint or any one of 100s of foreign bodies the result is the same. Discomfort at the least, excruciating pain at worst.

One of two things can happen when a foreign body gets into the eye. It can either stay on the surface or penetrate into the eye.

Penetrating Foreign Bodies

Strangely enough if a small sharp object breaks through the eye surface it is often less painful than a foreign body lying on the eye. In some instances it does not become an immediate cause for concern until complications arise at a later date.

Most penetrating eye injuries are caused when using or around machinery or hammering when small particles of metal or wood traveling at high speed are flying around. Protective goggles should be worn in such an environment but we don’t live in a perfect world so accidents are bound to happen.

What can you do about Penetrating Foreign Bodies?

If you suffer or even suspect that a foreign body has penetrated the outer eye layer go without delay to the nearest treatment center at work, your doctor, or ophthalmologist. Doing nothing can lead to loss of vision, premature cataracts and damage to the retina so do not take any chances, delay is dangerous.

Surface Foreign Bodies

Any number of small particles can cause problems, often painful, when they become trapped or attached to the surface of the eye, sometimes under the eyelid.

In general these foreign bodies are blown or fall onto the eye, sometimes they are quick and easy to remove, other times they just seem to want to cause as much difficulty and accompanying pain as possible.

The worst instance in my personal experience was getting a particle, probably sand, blown into my eye on a very windy day. Somehow it got under my contact lens that then decided to be extremely difficult to remove.

The end result after a visit to the hospital was a scratched cornea that was unbelievably painful and lasted several days and I never wore contacts again.

Don’t be alarmed, this was exceptional. Foreign bodies lying on the eye surface very rarely result in a serious or sight threatening condition.

Action to Take

There are does and don’ts when dealing with superficial foreign bodies. Of course if you happen to be near a doctors surgery or hospital a qualified nurse will have to hand all the necessary aids to painlessly remove the offending particle. The same applies to the local optician and in many countries the pharmacy or chemists can sort the problem.

But being practical or not wanting to cause a fuss what is the best way to remove the lash, or grit or whatever on your own?

The first objective is to be able to see the foreign body. It may be stuck under an eyelid or in the depths of a corner.

• Lie the thumb and forefinger on the upper and lower eyelids and very gently lift and close the lids several times, nine times out of ten this will allow any particle stuck under a lid to loosen and be easily seen on the visible eye surface.

More often than not anything in either corner of the eye will also become easier to locate. Now comes the difficult part,.

• A mirror is a must and do not be tempted to use any object that is the remotest bit solid, even a cotton bud must be used with extreme care. I normally use the corner of a clean handkerchief to pick off the foreign body unless I can rinse it out with clean warm water to start with, fine if I am at home but I don’t carry an eye bath around with me! Best of all is a reliable friend with a steady hand – no problem.

Never, never, take chances with your eyes. They are arguably your most valuable asset and deserve the very best of attention so if in doubt seek qualified advice, better to see than be sorry.

More evidence about the dangers of sun worshiping coming from http://www.china.org.cn/english/health/231140.htm

It appears that porcelain skin is no longer as fashionable in East Asia as it once was.

Ro Young-suck, head of the Korean Dermatologist Assn has announced in a statement that younger Asians are becoming victim to skin cancer with a huge rise in men in particular.

This could due to the fact that most women either use sun protector or makeup combined with protection.

Not only can prolonged exposure cause skin cancer but the effect on the eyes can be also be dangerous.

Sunlight reflected from the surface of water or other reflective medium can cause conjunctivitis and keratitis.

For more information on how to protect your eyes please how to protect your eyes in sunlight

.