Contact Lenses vs Glasses, What is Best for You?

Many people wear contact lenses for reasons of convenience and beauty, but they also have practical advantages over glasses. Here are some of them:

* Vision becomes more natural and the sizes of objects are represented correctly. Glasses distort the form and the size of an object

* The frame of a pair of glasses limits peripheral vision

* Contact lenses move with your eyes

* Lenses do not mist over in cool or damp weather, they do not freeze in the winter, they do not become wet under a rain and snow does not stick to them.

* If the powers your eyes require are significantly different, contact lenses can be made in such a way that both eyes will operate in coordination

* Lenses are irreplaceable for people who play sports, dance, or have an active lifestyles.

* Lenses help your children avoid the psychological and physical traumas related to wearing glasses.

* Contact lenses can protect the cornea during recuperation. Special soft medical lenses are made for this purpose.


See comparison and review of healthy contact lenses
Contact lens cons
On the down side:

* contact lenses need frequent replacement, so they cost more

* wearing contact lenses presents a certain risk of eye infection, particulary if you don’t clean them properly

* caring for your lenses takes time


When contact lenses are definitely superior to glasses
Sometimes, though, glasses simple wouldn’t work. For example:

* In cases of severe short-sightedness, when thick glasses are very heavy and make your eyes look small

* In cases where there is a big difference (more than 2.5 diopters) between the visual acuity of your eyes. With such a condition, glasses can’t provide adequate correction

* In cases where your cornea needs special protection - for excample, after the removal of a cataract


It seems that benefits contact lenses offer outweigh the effort that is needed to take care of them. Besides, many people think that they simply don’t look good in glasses. Contacts are a perfect solution for this problem because they are practically invisible.
See more suggestions for eye eye health and contact lenses

Color Contact Lenses - Change Your Eye Color in the Blink of an Eye

Did you ever wish that you had a different eye color? Or maybe you just want to do something a bit crazy and have different color eyes for each party? Color contacts can do wonders for your appearance, but only if you select the right type and color. Learn how to get the best out of your color lenses, what your options are and what to consider when selecting color contacts.

Do color lenses really change your eye color and look natural?

This is a question that worries most people who want to try color contacts for the first time. After all, you want people to think “what gorgeous eyes she has” not “what nice contact lenses she wears”.

Color lens manufacturers are aware of the issue and try to make color contacts look vivid, yet natural. There is a lot of sophisticated technology involved in the brand name color contacts like Acuvue 2 Colors or Freshlook. The lens isn’t just solid color, it has a pattern similar to the pattern of a human eye. Also the color isn’t consistent throughout the lens, just like in most people eyes. See color contact lens comparison


Color lens choices for light eyes

Depending on the effect you want to create, people with light eyes can wear enhancement or opaque color contacts.
If you just want to enhance your natural color, half transparent, enhancement lenses would be great for you. The best choices are:

# Acuvue 2 Colors Enhancers - to brighten your eyes.

# Freshlook Radiance - lenses with an illuminating effect that enhances your color and makes your eyes appear sparkly.

# Freshlook Dimensions - unique lens design makes your eyes appear not only brighter but also creates the impression of depth and dimension.

If you feel adventurous and want a dramatic change, go for opaque lenses:
# Acuvue 2 Colors opaques

# Freshlook Colorblends

If it is your first time with color contact lenses and you aren’t sure what effect you want, start with enhancement lenses. This way your friends will notice that you look more appealing, but they probably won’t notice what it is about you that attracts their attention.

Color contact lenses for dark eyes

If you have very dark eyes and tried color contact lenses a few years ago, you probably were not very impressed with the effect. Contacts of the previous generation didn’t look quite right. However, recently developed color lenses like Freshlook Colorblends can do wonders for dark eyes.

One thing to remember, however, is that enhancers don’t work on brown eyes, so your only choice is opaque contact lenses. Acuvue 2 Colors opaques and Freshlook Colorblends work best for dark eyes.

Also you should be careful, when selecting the color. It should be a color that would look right with your skin and hair. See color contact lens chart with suggestions and photos.

If you just want to make your eyes seem brighter and more vivid, without changing their color, go for brown or hazel color lenses. This way your eyes won’t look a different color, but people will notice that they are bright and lively.

Opaque color contacts work very well. The only thing they can’t do for you is to make your eyes light. Blue, green and aqua opaque contacts create a deep, vivid color, which suits people who have naturally brown eyes.

Do color contacts come with corrective powers?

Acuvue 2 Colors and all Freshlook collections come with visual correction powers as well as in plano (no correction). Additionally, Freshlook Colorblends is the only color lens that comes in toric, so it is suitable for people with astigmatism.

So which is better: Acuvue 2 Colors or Freshlook?

There is no single answer to this question. Both brands of lens are very comfortable to wear and create a great look. The only difference is in the colors. On the same person, blue from Acuvue would look very different from Freshlook blue. It really depends on your eyes and face, and it’s almost impossible to predict the result until you wear your color contacts.

Don’t pay to much attention to how the lens looks in the picture, because on you it will probably look different. This happens mostly with enhancer lenses - blue enhancers over blue eyes look very different from enhancers over gray eyes. Opaque color contact lenses also can look very different on different people; this is not due to your natural eye color, but because of eye shape, skin and hair types.

When you narrow your choice to one color, I would recommend asking your doctor for two prescriptions: one for Acuvue 2 Colors and another for Freshlook. Then order both. They cost pretty much the same, so you would spend no more than if you were to order 2 boxes of each.

Then, after wearing your new color contacts for a while, you can decide for yourself, which looks better.

Also, doctors usually give you free trial color contacts. You can’t really wear them in public because trial lenses have the word “test” imprinted on them, but it gives you a fair idea about the color. Ask for two free pairs, one from Freshlook and one from Acuvue, and see which looks best.

As far as the price is concerned, Freshlook and Acuvue 2 Colors cost about the same for a 6-lens box. However, all Freshlook lenses are monthly disposable, while Acuvue 2 Colors is a 2-week disposable contacts lens. So it turns out that Freshlook is twice cheaper. And you can get them both with a great discount - see how to get cheap color contact lenses

If you were thinking of giving yourself a little treat, getting color contacts would not disappoint you. And now when you know what would work best for you, you can make your choice with confidence.

Happy changing!

Problem Solving: Puffy Eyes

Let's admit it: puffy eyes do not look very attractive. Some
people are born with them, but for most of us it is a sign of
aging. Even if you don't show the unsightly condition now, you
may develop it sometime down the road. Wouldn't it be helpful to
know to how to improve your looks, avoid the appearance of puffy
eyes or at least put it off as late as possible?

Puffiness occurs due any or all of the following reasons:

- Liquid retention.
This may be caused by allergy, irritation, illness,
lack of sleep or tiredness.

- Redistribution of fat caused by aging (surgical measures may
be necessary).

- Genetics
Puffy eyes are inherited and are caused by improper lymph
circulation or peculiarities of one's body.

- Internal disorders
Kidney, stomach or nervous system disorders often manifest
themselves with puffy eyes.

First of all, rule out the forth reason. Then, see if any of
these risk factors are present in your life: too much stress,
lack of sleep, late and lavish dinners and overindulging in
salty and smoked foods. Sometimes puffiness is caused by even
more trivial reasons, such as a wrong pillow. Raising your head
slightly above the body level should help. Pay attention to
cosmetics you use for your eye area. Those with thick and heavy
texture may also cause puffiness.

If, despite your perfect state of health, good eating habits,
adequate amount of sleep and right cosmetic choices, you still
end up with those baggy circles under your eyes, then the cause
of the problem may be anatomical. In some people, membrane that
separates the skin and underlying fibers is very thin. It thins
out even more with age, bringing the fibers closer to the skin
and thus giving your face that puffy look. In this case, massage
done by a professional can be quite effective.

Unless cause by internal disorders or genetics, puffiness under
eyes can be prevented. Cosmetologists recommend paying attention
to the delicate eye area starting at 20-25 years of age,
especially, if your relatives have this problem.

Avoid such risk factors as stress, unhealthy foods, beer and
strong alcoholic beverages - they all lead to water retention.
You may want to limit your fluid intake as well.

Look for light eye creams and gels with arnica, vitamin K,
collagen, elastin or hyaluronic acid.

Homemade treatments can also be effective. To reduce puffiness
and improve circulation, mix 2 teaspoon of sour cream and 1
teaspoon of finely chopped parsley, put mixture in cheesecloth
and apply to the eye area for 10-15 minutes.

Another easy recipe is grated potato, applied in the same manner
as the sour cream eye mask. These masks will produce visible
improvements if done 1-2 times a week.

Herbal compress is another natural treatment you can do at home.

Cover 1 tsp of sage leaves with 1/2 cup of boiling water and let
stand for 10 minutes. Filter the infusion and divide it into two
parts - warm and cold. Soak two gauze pads or cotton balls in
each bowl and apply to eyes: 10 minutes warm and 10 minutes
cold. Do this procedure every night during a month. Sage can be
substituted by chamomile or dill weeds.

Finish treatments with your favorite anti-puffiness eye cream.

All of the above measures, including massage, are also very
beneficial in preventing wrinkles and brightening the skin. You
don't have to wait for puffy eyes or wrinkles to show up. Do
something good for your skin now to keep it from aging.