Category: Contact lens

Should Your Child Switch to Contact Lenses? Pros, Cons and When It’s Safe

Posted on by rpacificador

“Oi, you, four eyes.” Does that sound familiar from your schoolyard days? As children become more active and self-aware, many ask to switch from glasses to contact lenses, especially if they’ve received unkind nicknames. For parents eager to protect their youngsters from playground teasing, it raises an important and often complex question: are contact lenses safe for children, and if so, when is the right time to consider them?

Whether for sport, self-confidence, or practicality, contact lenses for kids are more accessible than ever thanks to technological advances and easier application methods. But choosing the right moment to trade in their frames isn’t simply about their age — they and you will need to balance their maturity, lifestyle, and willingness to care for their lenses responsibly to manage your children’s eye health.

While the idea might feel like a big step into big kid territory, many families find the transition smoother than expected, especially with the guidance from your local Eyecare Plus optometrist. Let’s discuss the potential benefits and challenges, and determine whether contacts are the right choice for your child’s vision and lifestyle.

What motivates kids to switch from glasses to contacts

For many adolescents, wearing glasses becomes a routine part of life. However, it can also be a difficult adjustment for many, particularly as they grow older. It might explain why they frequently and supposedly forget them at home. The reasons are often a mix of practicality and personal preference, which can range from:

  • Confidence and self-image: Some children feel more confident without glasses, particularly during social events, photos, public speaking or school.
  • Sports and physical activity: Glasses can slip, fog up, or break, making it harder for them to participate in their favourite games or sports. Contact lenses for kids offer clearer peripheral vision and stay in place, making them ideal for active lifestyles.
  • Discomfort or inconvenience: Kids may find glasses uncomfortable on their nose or ears, especially when worn all day at school.
  • A sense of maturity: Managing their own vision care can give children a sense of responsibility and independence.
  • Curiosity or peer influence: Some simply want to try lenses because friends wear them, or they’ve heard about others making the switch.

Pros and cons of contact lenses for kids

Deciding when is the best age for kids to wear contacts involves weighing the benefits and the challenges for your child’s maturity level and general attitude. While many adapt well and enjoy the freedom they provide, they do come with responsibilities that not every child may be ready for. Here’s what you’ll need to consider.

Pros:

  1. Improved vision for active lifestyles: Contact lenses provide stable, unobstructed vision during play and sport rather and won’t bounce around their face, slip or fog.
  2. Boosted self-esteem: Children who are self-conscious about wearing glasses may feel more confident and comfortable wearing contact lenses in everyday life or social and school settings.
  3. Better peripheral vision: Contact lenses, unlike glasses, cover the entire eye surface and are not impacted by distortions that may occur wearing glasses.
  4. Avoiding lost or broken frames: Parents know the challenge of keeping glasses intact, in their possession and making sure they get worn.
  5. Support for myopia: Special myopia control contact lenses can slow the progression of short-sightedness, offering both vision correction and long-term health benefits.

Cons:

  1. Requires consistent hygiene: Contact lenses must be cleaned and handled correctly to avoid eye infections. You’ll need to supervise their application until they can be trusted to apply them consistently and independently. Daily disposable contact lenses are a good option to consider as they don’t require cleaning.
  2. Not suitable for every child: Your child’s maturity, lifestyle, and ability to follow instructions are crucial in determining whether they’re ready to wear them regularly.
  3. Initial learning curve: Inserting and removing lenses can take time and patience. Some children may initially struggle with touching their eyes.
  4. Ongoing costs: While contact lenses are very affordable, they need frequent and ongoing replacement. Additionally, specialty lenses, like those for myopia control, may cost more, particularly if lenses are frequently lost or damaged.

What’s the best age for kids to wear contacts?

There is no fixed age when your optometrist will prescribe your children their first contact lenses. Their suitability has less to do with how many candles are on their most recent birthday cake. It’s about their maturity, motivation, hygiene habits, and ability to manage their vision care independently.

While it is more common for children to wear contact lenses from the ages of 10 and 11, some may not be ready until their early to mid-teens. Others might adapt easily at a much younger age, particularly with Mum and Dad’s assistance

Are contacts safe for children?

Contact lenses are safe for all age groups, provided they are worn responsibly and are appropriate for your youngster. During your kids’ eye exam, your Eyecare Plus optometrist will review your child’s vision needs and ask about your child’s maturity. Key signs your child may be ready include:

  • They follow instructions well and have a good sense of personal hygiene
  • They’re motivated to wear lenses and understand how to use them properly
  • They can commit to a routine of lens care, insertion and removal
  • They’ve expressed frustration or discomfort with their glasses in everyday life
  • Their myopia is increasing rapidly and they will benefit from the myopia control contact lenses to slow down this progression

When these behaviours are in place, the conversation shifts from “Should they?” to “How can we help them succeed?” That’s when it’s time to schedule an eye exam for kids and speak with your optometrist about whether contact lenses are their preferred vision care.

Contact lenses are one part of your children’s eye health plan

When arranging your child’s first pair of contact lenses, working closely with professional optometrists, such as those at Eyecare Plus, ensures any eye health plan aligns with your child’s current health and evolving visual needs. Our comprehensive eye assessment goes beyond a simple vision check — it offers a complete picture of your child’s ocular health, visual development, and readiness for contact lens use. During your consultation, the optometrist will:

  • Assess the shape and health of the cornea to ensure it can safely support contacts.
  • Measure tear film quality to determine whether the eyes can stay properly hydrated.
  • Review lifestyle habits, including school routines, screen time, and physical activity, to recommend the best lens type.
  • Discuss personal hygiene and maturity to gauge whether your child will likely manage contact lens care independently.
  • Identify whether monthly or daily disposables are the best contact lenses for kids.
  • Demonstrate proper application and removal techniques.

It’s also worth noting that contacts help manage broader kids’ eye health issues. For example, children with progressive short-sightedness may benefit from myopia control contact lenses, designed to correct vision and help slow its deterioration.

Equally important are follow-up visits. These check-ins allow the optometrist to monitor their fit, comfort, and visual clarity, addressing early signs of irritation, misuse, or eye health changes.

Restore vision and confidence with Eyecare Plus

While not every child may be ready right away, many can safely make the transition with the right support, guidance, and lens choice. From self-esteem boosts and sports-friendly wear to the clinical benefits of myopia control contact lenses, today’s lens options are more advanced and accessible. But every child’s eyes are different, that’s why expert, personalised ocular advice matters.

Our experienced optometrists understand what it takes to ensure a safe and successful wear. Whether it’s your child’s first contact lenses or it’s time for an updated fit, we provide expert care that supports them from their very first pair to every one after. Book an eye test today at your local Eyecare Plus clinic and give your child the support they need to see clearly and live confidently.

Can Multifocal Lenses Help with Digital Eye Strain?

Posted on by rpacificador

Whether checking emails, working on spreadsheets, or scrolling through social media feeds while simultaneously streaming movies, Australians spend more time than ever in front of screens. While this digital shift has brought more conveniences and opportunities for entertainment, it has also introduced a silent, persistent strain on our eyes.

Blurred vision, dry eyes, and headaches are no longer rare complaints, but are becoming more common the longer you keep your eyes fixed on backlit screens. This condition, commonly referred to as digital eye strain, or clinically as computer vision syndrome, is becoming more pronounced every year and with people of all ages.

But what if your eyewear could do more than simply correct your vision? What if the right pair of glasses could make screen time more comfortable? Multifocal lenses, especially modern progressive lenses, are now being looked at not just for reading or distance, but as a way to ease digital eye fatigue. Could they be part of the solution? Let’s take a closer look.

What is digital eye strain?

It is a group of symptoms that occur after extended, and more often, uninterrupted use of digital screens. While anyone can experience it, it’s especially common among people who spend more than two hours a day on computers, tablets or smartphones, which, for most of us, is every day. These symptoms may include:

  • Blurred or fluctuating vision
  • Dry, irritated, or watery eyes
  • Headaches, especially after screen use
  • Eye fatigue or heaviness in the eyelids
  • Double vision during or after device use
  • Increased light sensitivity
  • Difficulty refocusing between distances
  • Neck, shoulder, or back pain related to poor posture
  • Trouble concentrating after extended screen time

Computer vision syndrome isn’t just the result of focusing our eyes on screens — we tend to blink less, which dries out our eyes. Fonts on digital displays often lack the sharp contrast of ink on paper, while glare and poor lighting can also make eyes feel more fatigued. Not to mention that our eyes constantly have to refocus, especially if we shift between multiple screens or glance from a device to distant objects and back again.

Over time, this repetitive strain can lead to visual discomfort and fatigue. Understanding this is the first step toward exploring how to reduce eye strain from screens, and why certain optical solutions like using multifocal lenses for computer use may offer relief.

Why digital eye strain is a focusing problem

To understand why our eyes get tired from screen time, it helps to look at something called visual accommodation, basically, how our eyes adjust their focal range between things that are close, mid-range, and far away. The eye’s lens sits behind the iris and the ciliary muscle surrounding the lens changes it’s shape when focusing on different distances. These ciliary muscles  are constantly working whenever you read a book, check your phone, or glance from your laptop to something across the room. That back-and-forth takes effort, and over time, it can really wear your eyes out, ouch!

The real problem arises when this system is overworked. Digital devices are typically viewed at intermediate distances, not quite close like a book, and not as far as a television. Holding this focal range for extended periods can fatigue the eye muscles, particularly if your lenses or screen setup doesn’t already provide adequate support.

The more your eyes are forced to work without a visual break, the more stress they absorb. And if you already need vision correction, this strain compounds over time. This is where specially designed progressive lenses come in, they offer targeted support for intermediate vision zones.

How multifocal lenses help digital eye strain

Many people are familiar with reading glasses or single‑vision lenses, which correct for one distance, either near or far. However, they can fall short when visual demands span multiple zones. This is where glasses for digital devices come into play.

  • Multifocal lenses are designed to accommodate multiple prescriptions within a single lens, allowing the wearer to see clearly at varying distances. Earlier versions such as bifocals or trifocals typically have visible lines that separate each vision zone, which some wearers find distracting or outdated.
  • Progressive lenses represent a more modern and refined evolution of multifocals. Rather than distinct sections, they offer a seamless transition and a more natural viewing experience between distance, intermediate, and near vision by eliminating the visual jump between lens segments.

When you spend hours each day looking at a screen, your eyes are under continuous pressure to focus at a mid-range distance. Standard single-vision glasses, designed for either close-up or long-distance tasks, do not provide the visual flexibility required for prolonged screen work.

By using multifocal lenses for computer use, the intermediate prescription aligns with the typical position of a computer monitor or tablet, where your eyes need it most, helping reduce the effort required to focus on the screen.

These lenses help mitigate symptoms such as eye fatigue, blurred vision, and headaches by easing the workload on the eye’s focusing muscles. They’re not a one-size-fits-all solution, but for those with presbyopia or existing vision correction needs, they may be among the best lenses for digital eye strain. It also means you don’t need to carry additional glasses, like occupational or computer glasses, your multifocal lenses can manage all your vision needs.

Eye strain prevention tips beyond lenses

While wearing progressive glasses for digital devices can make a huge difference, managing computer vision syndrome often requires a more holistic approach. Small adjustments to your daily habits and workspace can reduce symptoms and help your eyes stay comfortable throughout the day. Here are some proven tips to prevent eye strain:

  • Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds to give your eye’s focusing muscles a break.
  • Adjust your screen settings: Ensure your screen’s brightness matches your environment. Increase text size and contrast where needed to avoid squinting.
  • Optimise your workstation: Position your screen about an arm’s length away, with the top of the monitor at or slightly below eye level to help maintain a natural head and neck posture.
  • Control lighting and glare: Use anti-glare filters, position screens away from windows, and consider ambient lighting that reduces contrast between the screen and surroundings.
  • Remember to blink: Blinking keeps the eyes moist and comfortable.
  • Stay hydrated and take breaks: Drinking water supports tear production and eye health. Taking regular breaks helps your eyes reset and reduces muscular strain.

Find relief from digital eye strain with multifocal lenses at Eyecare Plus

Managing computer vision syndrome doesn’t mean you need a permanent digital detox; combining good habits with the proper optical support can make a meaningful difference.

Your eyes work hard every day, often more than you realise. And while digital screens may be here to stay, discomfort doesn’t have to be. With the proper support, including properly fitted multifocal lenses for computer use, you can reduce strain, improve focus, and protect your long-term eye health.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of digital eye strain, don’t wait until it worsens. Book a comprehensive eye test with your local Eyecare Plus optometrist and find out whether progressive lenses are right for you.

Multifocal Lenses Explained: Your Guide to Clear Vision

Posted on by rpacificador

There are many beautiful things about getting older, but struggling to read the menu isn’t one of them! As we age, it’s normal to notice a decline in vision, particularly in the ability to focus on nearby objects. For many people, it’s caused by a very common condition known as presbyopia, which can have a significant impact on your lifestyle. Thankfully, multifocal lenses are here to help.

But what are multifocal lenses, how do they work, and will they really help you get through the day without squinting? While you prep to visit your local optometrist, read on to learn more about age-related vision loss, and you’ll get everything about multifocal lenses explained.

Understanding Presbyopia: Age-Related Farsightedness

Presbyopia is a common condition that affects the eye’s ability to focus on objects that are close by. It typically starts to present by the mid-40s and gradually worsens over time, with most people experiencing significant presbyopia by their mid-60s.

What Causes Presbyopia?

As you age, the lenses in your eye become gradually less flexible and cannot adequately thicken, making it harder to bring objects close by into sharp focus. While the symptoms of presbyopia gradually occur, this change is a normal part of ageing. It can lead to blurred close-up vision, causing difficulties with activities like reading, driving, sewing, or even using your smartphone.

What Causes Presbyopia

For many people, the onset of presbyopia is gradual. You may find yourself holding objects at arm’s length to see them clearly, squinting to improve focus, experiencing tired eyes when reading, and even headaches.

Because presbyopia is a natural — albeit annoying — part of ageing, many people eventually need some form of vision correction to help manage these changes. Options include reading glasses, contact lenses, and multifocal lenses. Today, we’re focusing on multifocal lenses — a popular presbyopia treatment option for those seeking a single solution to correct both near and distant vision.

What are Multifocal Lenses?

As the name suggests, multifocal lenses are eyeglass lenses that provide clear vision at different focal lengths. Simply put, they can help you see up close and far away without switching your glasses.

Whether you’re used to wearing glasses or not, there are many benefits to wearing multifocal lenses, giving you a versatile and adaptive way to manage your symptoms of presbyopia. Imagine this — you’re out at a restaurant, and it’s time to order. Instead of putting on a separate pair of reading glasses, squinting to see the fine print, or having to hold the menu at arm’s length, you can simply read the menu clearly by looking through the lower area of your glasses. Then, you can get back to chatting with your friends across the table like nothing ever happened!

How Do Multifocal Lenses Work?

At their core, multifocal lenses are designed to mimic how your eyes naturally move as you go about your day. The different regions of the lens have different prescriptions to match the distance you’re likely looking. For example, we tend to hold small things close to us in our hands, so it is only natural that the “reading” portion of the lens is at the bottom.

The process of assigning these zones is no accident, either. When developing multifocal lenses, the goal is to be able to shift between looking close up and far away as smoothly as possible. This optical balance is key to minimising distortions and keeping your vision as clear and ‘natural’ as possible. Multifocal lenses are available in various configurations to help separate the focal zones to match your needs and lifestyle.

Types of Multifocal Lenses

Multifocal lenses are a broad term to describe any pair of glasses with more than one prescription or focal length in each lens. But don’t worry — while it helps to know your options, your optometrist will recommend the best choice for your needs. The options available include:

Types of Multifocal Lenses

Bifocal Lenses

These lenses have two distinct sections, split horizontally by a visible line. The upper portion is used for distance vision, while the lower is designed for reading or seeing objects up close.

Trifocal Lenses

Trifocals extend the concept of bifocals by adding a third segment for intermediate vision, which makes them especially useful when using computers and other electronic devices. They feature three distinct zones for close-up, intermediate, and distance vision.

Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses offer a gradual transition between different focal lengths. There is no visible line, and the power changes smoothly from the top to the bottom of the lens. This design not only corrects for distance and near vision but also provides a more natural experience for middle-distance tasks.

The Benefits of Multifocal Lenses

Okay, now you know more about presbyopia and how multifocal lenses work. But what makes them the right choice for you over, say, carrying a separate pair of reading glasses? The benefits of multifocal lenses are hard to deny — here are some ways they can ease the burden of age-related farsightedness:

1. See Clearly Over Multiple Distances

Because presbyopia usually develops gradually, many people don’t realise how much they squint during their daily lives. Multifocal lenses help you see clearly at near, middle, and far distances — a luxury you may not even realise you’ve been missing out on!

2. Convenience and Versatility

Sure, reading glasses can help you see up close, but putting them on and off multiple times a day can feel laborious. Multifocal lenses provide flexibility to adapt to your visual needs, no matter what your day has in store.

3. Embrace Your Style

Modern multifocal lenses are designed not only to correct your vision but also to look good. Advanced lens technology makes these lenses thinner and lighter than ever, ensuring they fit your specific lifestyle needs and aesthetics. No need to worry about any ‘coke bottle’ comments! Visit your local Eyecare Plus location, where you’ll find a pair of multifocal lenses for every style.

4. Cost-Effective Over Time

While multifocal lenses may have a higher upfront cost than single-vision lenses, they often prove more cost-effective in the long run. Without needing to buy multiple pairs of glasses, you’ll likely save on glasses over time!

5. Increased Comfort and Reduced Eye Strain

By providing clear vision across multiple distances, multifocal lenses help reduce the effort your eyes need to exert when constantly refocusing. This can help lessen eye strain, especially if you spend long hours reading or working on a computer.

Beyond Multifocals: Other Presbyopia Treatment Options

Losing vision as you age is one of the unfortunate realities of life, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to take control. Here are some other ways to manage presbyopia alongside multifocal lenses:

Reading Glasses

Reading glasses are a common and simple solution for presbyopia — they’re inexpensive and easy to use. However, they are only effective for close-up tasks, requiring you to swap them with other kinds of lenses when you’re involved in other activities.

Monovision Contact Lenses

With monovision contact lenses, one eye is corrected for distance vision and the other for near vision. While this option can work well for some, others may find the adjustment challenging, where your depth perception can sometimes be affected.

Surgical Options

Procedures like LASIK or lens implants offer permanent solutions, but they come with higher costs and potential risks that must be carefully considered.

Find Your Multifocal Lenses at Eyecare Plus

Getting older is a fact of life, but dealing with age-related farsightedness doesn’t have to be! Multifocal lenses are a convenient, adaptable way to transition into this new stage of your life — all without constantly reaching for reading specs.

If you’re ready to take control of your vision, look no further than Eyecare Plus. As independent Australian optometrists, we are committed to helping you find the best vision options for your condition, lifestyle, and preferences. And when it comes to presbyopia, we can help fit you in a pair of multifocal lenses that will make you forget you were ever squinting!

Find a local Eyecare Plus optometrist near you, or call 1300 EYECARE to start your journey to clear vision today.

Advancements in Contact Lens Technology: New Innovations for Wearers

Posted on by rpacificador

If you’ve been too scared to try contact lenses or unable to comfortably wear them in the past, with the latest advancements in contact lens technology, there is no better time than now to explore your options.

While contact lenses are a practical, convenient, and safe alternative to prescription glasses, a study found over 50% of wearers experience discomfort, such as dry eye syndrome, redness and irritation. These can cause many people to reduce how long they wear them and even abandon their contact lenses altogether. The good news is there have been significant developments in contact lens technology in Australia, making them more comfortable and convenient to wear. With the latest contact lenses, there’s no such thing as one size fits all. From extended-use contacts to UV protection, you now have the freedom to choose what best suits your eyes and lifestyle.

So, what are these groundbreaking advancements? In this article, we’ll discuss the various components of a contact lens, such as the materials, design and function, and explore how the most recent contact lens innovations in 2025 can help improve your eyes’ restoration, health and vision.

New Contact Lens Material Innovations

Soft vs hard contact lenses

Since their introduction in 1887, contact lens technology has continuously been developed to pursue complete comfort and sight restoration. For many years, the only option on the market was Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses, which were made from hard plastic. While proficient in providing clearer vision, its inflexible material has often been a source of irritation for many people’s eyes.

Nowadays, hard contact lenses are largely worn by people with specific eye conditions, who are unsuitable candidates for soft lenses. Although they can leave uncomfortable wear, their crisp quality is a desirable feature that has now been put to better use thanks to recent technological advancements. More on that later. 

Stepping onto the scene in the late 90s, silicone hydrogel lenses — made from a soft hydro-based plastic material — were a profound new benchmark for comfortable contacts. While this material has been popular for many years, recent developments have taken the comfortability and efficiency of silicone hydrogel lenses to a new level. More recently, they can better cater to specific conditions.

Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

With recent modifications to silicone hydrogel lenses, studies have found the latest contact lenses to be more comfortable to wear for extended periods. Here’s why:

  • Enhanced wettability: This enhancement helps retain moisture in the eye by providing a continuous tear film on the lens surface, preventing dryness and irritability. 
  • Increased oxygen permeability: Silicone Hydrogel contacts feature a porous build, allowing more oxygen to permeate the eye. Not only does it provide more comfortable wear, but it helps manage issues of hypoxia, which manifests in blurry vision, red eyes, and prolonged discomfort. 
  • Easier to handle: It was found that 25% of wearers discontinued wearing contacts due to the difficult application and removal process. Contacts have now been modified to be slightly firmer than their soft lens counterparts, making them much easier for people to handle. 

Hybrid Lenses

Advancements in optical science have paved the way for hybrid lenses, which combine the sharp vision of hard materials with the porous and comfortable properties of soft materials. With an RGP centre and a soft silicone hydrogel skirt, wearers can benefit from the best of both contact lens materials, further enhancing their perception and eye restoration.

Vision Enhancement Lenses

Vision Enhancement Lenses

Just like fingerprints, no two eyes are the same. Previously, contact lenses were crafted with a generic design, making them very uncomfortable or futile for people with various eye shapes, conditions and symptoms. With the latest contact lens technology advancements, many types of lenses have been trialled to better cater to specific conditions. These advancements will allow you to see more clearly, help minimise the progression of certain conditions and find improved comfort in contact lenses. Some lens designs that have been recently released or are under development include:

Toric lens

Astigmatism is a condition where the cornea or eye’s lens has an irregular curvature, resulting in blurry and distorted vision. Toric lenses are specifically tailored to fit eyes that aren’t rounded, helping to correct vision and improve comfort. Traditionally, toric lenses often had issues with inconsistent clarity; however, the latest technological advancements have improved consistency and stability. 

Multifocal lens

Multifocal lens

Developed to correct presbyopia, multifocal lenses are a highly advanced solution for people with multiple prescriptions. They can help restore near and distant vision simultaneously, allowing eyes to quickly adapt to surroundings without switching glasses.

Telescopic lens

Telescopic lens

As one of the newest developments in optic science, telescopic lenses are designed to improve the sight of people with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). These lenses target their symptoms using built-in telescopes to magnify images and project them on the healthy part of the retina. Telescopic lenses are still in various clinical trials and are unavailable to purchase. 

Myopia control lens

Myopia control lens

Recent developments have employed multifocal designs to correct short-sightedness and slow myopia progression. Myopia control lenses are a breakthrough innovation intended for children, with treatment ideally starting at ages 7-12. 

Functional Advancements

Functional Advancements

The latest contact lens technology advancements have enhanced the functionality of regular contacts with additional coatings and features that maximise their benefits. These developments reduce the impact of harmful environmental factors, preventing further eye damage while correcting your vision. Some additional coatings and features you can now add to your contact lenses include:

UV Protective lens

Extended and unprotected exposure to harmful UV rays can damage more than just your skin — it is linked to certain eye conditions, such as cataracts, AMD and photokeratitis. A UV protection coating on your contact lens acts as a barrier, filtering out damaging UV rays to help safeguard your eyes from sun damage. 

Blue-light blocking lenses

Artificial blue light is emitted from man-made sources such as digital devices. Extended exposure to devices can result in Digital Eye Strain and potentially cause you to experience symptoms of blurry vision, dry eyes and soreness. You can add a blue-light coating to your contact lenses to filter out damaging blue light and shield your eyes from strain during work and while using your personal devices. 

The Future of Smart Contact Lenses 

Recent breakthroughs in optic science and technology have demonstrated the future of contact lenses. With prototypes currently under clinical trial and review, contact lenses are being developed to integrate ‘smart’ technology and wireless communication to expand their capabilities and deliver real-time information to wearers. This has the potential to revolutionise sectors outside of optometry. Some innovations include:

Glucose Monitoring lens

This prototype uses ultra-thin transistors that register the wearer’s physiological state to detect glucose levels from tear fluid and corneal temperature. It hopes to help people with diabetes monitor their condition.

Intraocular Pressure Lens

Intraocular Pressure Lens

IOP contact lenses use tiny sensors to measure pressure in the eye to help detect early stages of glaucoma. They have also been tested to provide real-time assessments of IOP levels and help deliver prescribed treatments accordingly.

Augmented Reality lens

Augmented Reality lens

With prototypes made of the same contact lens materials you’re used to, AR lenses have the potential to be embedded with flexible micro batteries, tiny LED displays, and wireless communication components. The latest prototypes use these innovations to overlay digital information onto wearers’ real-world view, providing future possibilities to enhance the medical, gaming, and education sectors.

Eco-Friendly Developments

Eco-Friendly Developments 

With daily contact lenses becoming a popular and convenient choice for frequent contact lens wearers, there is a pressing concern over excess packaging. Technological advancements have paved the way for more durable silicone hydrogel lenses, allowing for weekly and monthly soft contacts — providing a more affordable and long-lasting alternative to daily lenses. But which option is more sustainable?

Research has discovered that daily disposables generate 27% more annual waste than their reusable counterpart when compared to full-time daily contact use vs full-time monthly contact use. 

If you rely on contact lenses to aid your vision, it might be time to switch to a monthly prescription to improve your carbon footprint. However, if your contact lens use is sporadic, as long as you recycle and dispose of your contacts correctly, you can remain environmentally conscious while wearing the best option for your lifestyle.

Find your tailored Contact Lenses at Eyecare Plus today

To maximise your vision and comfort, shop the expansive range at Eyecare Plus to benefit from the latest contact lens innovations in 2025. From vision enhancement lenses to contact lenses for eye health, we offer a curated selection of daily and monthly contacts — so you can navigate your prescription according to your needs.

Find your local optometrist to learn more about your options, and book an appointment for a contact lens fitting and a new prescription today. Our comprehensive eye examinations are tailored to your individual eye health so you can feel comfortable and confident wearing your contact lenses all day, every day.

Daily Contact Lenses vs Monthly – Pros and Cons

Posted on by ecp_super_admin

There are so many types of contact lenses on the market today, choosing the right kind can be difficult. After receiving your prescription, one of the first things a contact lens wearer must decide is what type of contact lens is right for me, dailies or monthlies?

As their names indicate, dailies are worn as daily disposable contact lenses, whereas a monthly disposable contact lens can be used for up to 30 days before being replaced. Each offers different advantages, and both have pros and cons. The choice you make should be based on your prescription, your lifestyle, and the recommendations of your optometrist.

To get the process going, Eyecare Plus has put together a head-to-head comparison of monthlies vs dailies.

Upkeep: cleaning, disinfecting, and storing

The main difference between dailies and monthlies is the amount of care they need. Monthlies require a daily cleaning routine, and they need to be stored in a little contact lens case each night.

Many eye infections can be prevented with proper contact lens wear and care. Cleaning your monthlies gets rid of debris and protein deposits from your tears that build up and can make the contact lenses uncomfortable and cause potential eye infections.

There is no maintenance for daily disposable lenses.

Advantage: dailies

Durability

Both daily disposable contacts and monthly contact lenses are soft contact lenses, though dailies are made of a slightly thinner material because they don’t have to last as long. The material to make most contact lenses these days is either hydrogel or silicone hydrogel.

Because monthly contact lenses are designed to last up to 30 days, they are slightly thicker than dailies, and are more resistant to rips or tears. Monthlies also usually offer more moisture retention so are more resistant to drying out.

Advantage: monthlies

Cost

Monthly lenses are usually considered the cheaper option because you buy fewer of them. It takes 24 monthly lenses (12 per eye) to supply a years’ worth of monthly disposable contacts, while a year’s worth of dailies is 720 lenses (or 360 pairs a year).

So, monthlies are cheaper. But the price difference is not as big as it seems. Monthly contact lenses need storage cases, travel supplies, and contact lens solutions too, and these items can add up. Still, even with these costs factored in, everyday contact lens wearers will usually get a slightly better value out of monthlies.

Advantage: monthlies

Performance

Because daily contact lenses are changed each new day, they don’t have time to wear out, as monthlies do. And there is no time for build-up to develop on daily lenses. Even with proper care, protein and lipid deposits can develop on monthly contact lenses, affecting the sharpness of vision.

Advantage: dailies

Young wearers

For first time contact lens wearers, especially teens or young people, most optometrists recommend daily disposable contact lenses. New users sometimes tear or lose their contact lenses, so for practical and economic reasons, daily disposables are preferable.

Teens (who are not usually known for their exacting standards of hygiene) are usually prescribed dailies.

Advantage: dailies

Overnight wear

Many people wrongly assume ‘monthly contact lenses’ means they put them in at the beginning of the month and take them out at the end of the month. But that is not how they work.

Leaving your contact lenses in can lead to irritation or an infection and deprive the eyes of oxygen.

During the day, eyes open, we are getting oxygen to our eyes constantly. However, when we sleep, the blood vessels in our eyelids are the only way to get oxygen to the surface of our eyes.

A contact lens is a barrier between the cornea (front of the eye) and the nourishing eyelids. While it certainly isn’t dangerous, it is not an ideal situation.

 

While there are several ‘extended wear’ contact lenses for overnight use, most eye care professionals agree: you should avoid sleeping with your contact lenses in, unless you have specially prescribed orthokeratology contact lenses.

Since contact lens wearers throw away their lenses at the end of the day, there is no temptation to keep them in overnight.

Advantage: dailies

Environmental impact

We all want to do our part, and with any disposable product, many people are concerned about the environmental impact of wearing contact lenses.

First off, contact lenses weigh about 30 micrograms, and it has been calculated that contact lenses only comprise about 0.5% of the total environmental waste. Probably more surprising, when you compare the environmental impact of dailies or monthly contact lenses to glasses, the contact lenses come out way ahead.

A year’s worth of daily disposables (365 pairs) would add up to about nine grams of plastic – a little less than the amount that goes into two credit cards.

At the same time, monthly contacts require plastic contact lens case, plastic bottles of multi-purpose solution throughout the year.

When the packaging and blister packs are properly recycled, and the contacts are properly disposed of (never flush contacts down the toilet or throw them down the drain), dailies are the surprise winner.

Advantage: dailies

Convenience

Dailies are not only more convenient than monthlies, they are also more convenient than almost anything, ever.

One time wear, put them in in the morning and throw them away at the end of the day. There are no solutions to buy, carry around and use.

Dailies also free you up to wear glasses one day and contacts the next.

Advantage: dailies

Dailies vs Monthly contact lenses: pros and cons

Monthly Contact Lenses PROS

  •       Great value for money, especially if you wear your contacts everyday
  •       Durable
  •       Lower annual cost on average than daily disposable contact lenses

Monthly Contact Lenses CONS

  •       Performance goes down the longer they are worn
  •       Wearers need to adhere to a replacement schedule
  •       Need to be cleaned daily

Daily Contact Lenses PROS

  •       Hassle free. No need to clean and store
  •       No need for contact lens solutions
  •       A fresh pair every day
  •       Great for new contact lens wearers and young people

Daily Contact Lenses CONS

  •       More upfront costs than monthlies

Talk to your Eyecare Plus optometrist

No matter what you decide, there are plenty of daily and monthly contact lens options. When it comes to choosing the right contact lens types for you, it is important to see a well-trained and qualified optometrist.

Book an appointment with your local Eyecare Plus optometrists who will make sure you choose the right contact lenses in terms of the fit, size and material that matches with your lifestyle and are healthiest for your eyes.

 

How to Choose Contact Lenses: Which Type is Right for You

Posted on by ecp_super_admin

We live in the golden age of contact lenses. But with all these innovations and styles, it is easy to get overwhelmed. If you are wondering which contact lens type is right for you and why, read on and let us make things clearer for you.

Ever since German Ophthalmologist Dr Adolf Fick made the first pair of contact lenses in 1888, contact lenses have been getting better and better. Dr Fick would be amazed at the wide range of styles and materials for contact lenses available now: daily disposable contact lenses (‘dailies’), monthly contacts (‘monthlies’), hard contacts, soft contacts, extended wear contacts, multifocal contact lenses and many more.

There are two main categories of contact lenses: hard and soft. Both contact lenses are made of plastic, and both can correct near-sightedness and farsightedness.

Hard contact lenses are made of ‘rigid gas-permeable’ plastic and soft contacts are made of silicone hydrogel.

Hard Contact Lenses

At first, hard contacts were the only kind you could get, but today, hard contact lenses are usually chosen by people who have eye conditions that won’t allow them to wear a soft contact lens. If your optometrist determines that you have an irregular-shaped eye or a condition called ‘keratoconus,’ hard contacts will be recommended.

In general, hard lenses last longer and are less expensive in the long run. They tend to suit wearers who are more comfortable with a daily cleaning regimen. With proper care, hard contacts can be worn for up to a year without being replaced. 

Soft Contact Lenses

There are many great contact lens types but soft contact lenses are the most comfortable and the most popular. Soft contact lenses are typically thinner and lighter than hard contact lenses; they’re also easier to care for and they have less risk of infection.

Soft contact lenses come in three main varieties…

Daily disposables or ‘dailies’ are made for one-time wear and are the most convenient contacts. 

Fortnightly disposables are soft lenses worn for up to two weeks (taken out each night). They must be cleaned and stored in solution overnight.

Monthly disposables can be worn for 30 days. Although you need less lenses, you need to ensure they are cleaned and stored in contact lens solution overnight.

It is important to care for your contact lenses. Our contact lens guide provides you with the best ways to care for your contact lenses.

Which type of contact lens is right for me?

The right contact lenses depend on the level of your eye health. There are plenty of contact lens types to suit every individual. An example is toric contact lenses, these contact lenses are designed to help people with Astigmatism. Also choosing contact lenses to suit an active lifestyle is best as it is the common choice for active people. Although the best answer to this question will come from your Eyecare Plus optometrist. A consultation with an Eyecare Plus optometrists will make sure you choose the contacts with the fit, size and material that match your lifestyle and are healthiest for your eyes.

What contact lens type is right for you? Here are five questions to consider:

There are many innovative contact lenses on the market so which is right for you?

The two main categories of contact lenses are hard and soft. These are both made of plastic, and they can both can correct near-sightedness and farsightedness.

Hard contact lenses are made of ‘rigid gas-permeable’ plastic and soft contacts are made of silicone hydrogel.

Your Eyecare Plus optometrist (eye doctors) will conduct contact lens fittings as part of every standard eye examination for contact lens wearers.

During the fittings, they will determine the correct size and fit for your contact lenses. That said, your local Eyecare Plus optometrist will still rely on you to ensure that your contact lenses fit you best. It is crucial to pick the best contact lenses to suit your lifestyle.

Here are a few questions to consider to help your optometrist to determine the contact lenses that will work best for you…

  1. Do you suffer from allergies?

Daily disposable contact lenses are the best for people with allergies and are the usual recommendation.

Because daily disposable contact lenses are replaced each day (instead of cleaned and stored), there is no chance of any allergen build up on the surface of your contact lenses. This reduces the chance of infection and alleviates the symptoms of eye allergies.

  1. What sports do you participate in?

Contact lenses are a common choice for active people, but the type of lens you choose will differ based on your favourite way of staying fit. Daily-wear contact lenses are the best option for weightlifting and yoga as well as on-field activities like soccer, rugby, or footie.

Hikers or mountain climbers might find extended wear lenses a better choice. Swimmers, on the other hand, are encouraged to wear goggles, not contact lenses.

  1. How often will you wear your contact lenses?

Many people who wear glasses like to have the option of wearing contact lenses occasionally – for a night out or special events. Soft contact lenses (daily, extended or disposable) are usually recommended for glasses wearers who like to change it up from time to time. Rigid gas permeable lenses are more durable than soft contact lenses, they are also more breathable, this type of lenses will suit a daily contact wearer who prefers to wear contact lenses than frames.

  1. Be honest: will you follow the recommended care routines?

Will you clean, rinse, and store your contacts each night using the recommended cleaning regimen? Don’t forget to clean your contact lens case too!

Remember that proper lens care takes time, so it is best to choose the lens that fits your life rather than try to change your life to fit the contact lenses.

  1. Are you approaching 40?

As we age, we inevitably begin to lose the ability to focus up close. It is a natural part of getting older, and it’s called presbyopia Like most other vision problem, presbyopia can be managed.

Multifocal contact lenses or bifocal lenses, provide vision correction for both near and far and are available in a range of options: hard or soft, extended wear and daily disposable.

Collaboration with your optometrist means you will make the best possible choice of contact lenses.

Eyecare Plus optometrists will prescribe the contact lens that fixes your vision problem and will fit your contact lenses for maximum comfort.

It is up to you to follow the recommendations and replacement schedules that will preserve your eye health and help you get the most out of your contact lenses.

Do I need a contact lens fitting?

Yes. Contact lenses fit on the cornea (the clear, domed window in front of your eye). Your corneas need oxygen from the air to stay healthy, so when a contact lens is fitted on the cornea, it’s important that the cornea is still getting the oxygen it needs.

Contact lenses today are ‘oxygen permeable.’ That is, they allow oxygen to reach the cornea while you wear them. But without a proper fitting, you may get a contact lens that is too tight, which could limit the oxygen flow and lead to problems. On the other hand, if your contact lens is too loose, it will feel like you have a constant eyelash stuck on your eye and could cause an abrasion.

When it comes to choosing the right contact lens types for you, it’s important to see a well-trained and qualified optometrist.

When your Eyecare Plus optometrist fits you with your contact lens prescription, they will ensure that your corneas are getting the oxygen they need and the lenses you select will not lead to complications.

Book an appointment with your local Eyecare Plus optometrists who will make sure you choose the right contact lenses in terms of the fit, size and material that match your lifestyle and are healthiest for your eyes.

contact_lens contact_lens_application Contact_lens_case contact_lens2

Different Types of Lenses for Glasses Explained

Posted on by ecp_super_admin

Prescription lenses are vitally important; they are what gives prescription glasses the ability to provide sharp, clear vision. Everyone has their own unique vision needs so there are many types of prescription lenses and glasses available.

At Eyecare Plus, we understand that this can get confusing, so we have put together this ‘Guide to Glasses’ to help. Whether your optometrist determines you are nearsighted, farsighted or suffer from a condition like digital eyestrain, this guide can help you better understand the types of prescription lenses you need, and why.

Prescription glasses

When we say ‘prescription glasses’ we mean that the lenses are specifically designed to meet the vision needs of specific patients. Prescription glasses are unique to each person. They have much better lens and frame quality than the over the counter ‘reading glasses’ that you can buy at pharmacies or dollar shops. 

Prescription lenses

‘Prescription lenses’ are provided by optometrists (eye doctors) after a comprehensive eye exam. As a general rule, the ‘prescription’ in prescription lenses is good for about two years. Sometimes, the prescription lens for one eye is different from the other and they correct different problems.

It is important to note that the ‘prescription’ in your prescription lens is NOT THE SAME as a prescription in your contact lens prescription – you need a separate prescription for that. 

Photochromatic lenses

Often called by the most popular brand name ‘Transition Lenses,’ photochromatic lenses are transparent indoors but automatically adapt to the light as you move outdoors. The glasses darken within about a minute in bright light. Photochromatic lenses are available in almost all lens designs and materials.

Single vision lenses

Single vision lenses correct single vision problems. That is: they work for people who are either nearsighted or farsighted, but not a mix of both. Single vision lenses have the same corrective power distributed evenly throughout the whole lens. As we age, single vision lenses become less effective at correcting our vision problems, which is why most people switch to ‘bifocal,’ ‘trifocal’ or ‘progressive lenses.’

Bifocal lens

Bifocal lenses are for people who are both nearsighted and farsighted, a condition (called ‘presbyopia’) that is extremely common in people over 40. (‘Bi’ means ‘two’). Bifocal lenses are divided into two parts and have two corrective lens powers – one for distance and one for close up. Instead of having a pair of glasses to see off in the distance and another pair to read things up close, bifocals combine the two in one. Basically, it is like having a pair of near vision glasses built into your far vision glasses.

Trifocal lenses

Trifocal lenses provide three distinct prescriptions. They are split into three distinct sections on the lenses, correcting near, far and intermediate vision. In most trifocals, the top part of the lens

corrects far away vision, the middle part corrects intermediate (about arm’s length) and the lower part of the lens corrects close-up vision.

Progressive lenses

Progressive lenses are multifocal lenses that provide near, far and intermediate vision correction without the distinct lines across the lenses. This type of lens provides a gradual transition in vision correction from the top to the bottom of the lens.

Blue light lenses

Computer screens emit blue light, which is associated with a risk of eye damage. Staring at a computer screen (especially over long periods of time) exposes your eyes to digital eye strain. Digital eye strain is not the best feeling, but there are glasses made just for this. Blue light lenses have a special coating to block blue light and reduce the potential harm to your eyes.

Plastic lenses

Plastic lenses are the most common type of corrective lenses used in glasses. They are a high-quality, less-expensive option, but they are not as scratch-resistant as glass lenses. Generally speaking, plastic lenses are the safer choice for kids.

Glass lenses

Glass lenses tend to be more durable and easier to clean than plastic lenses. However, glass lenses are heavier than plastic lenses and the weight tends to go up as the prescription power goes up.

Your Eyecare Plus specialists know the right glasses to suit your needs. Book an appointment with your local Eyecare Plus practice to discuss your eye health needs.

General Information

Book an Eye Test at your local  Eyecare Plus Optometrist. We are locals caring for locals that offer comprehensive eye examinations, prescription glasses, frames & contact lenses.

eyecare-plus-optometrist-woman-trying-frames

How to Avoid Acanthamoeba Keratitis

Posted on by ecp_super_admin

The best way to deal with acanthamoeba keratitis is to never get it in the first place. Hundreds of millions of people wear contact lenses safely every day and manage to avoid infection. For the most part, acanthamoeba keratitis prevention comes down to keeping your contact lens hygiene standards high.

More specifically, here are a few things to remember…

    1. Never, ever rinse your lenses or cases with tap water.
    2. Ask your Eyecare Plus optometrist for advice and instructions on cleaning your contact lenses and follow it.
    3. If you have extended-wear contact lenses, clean, rub and rinse your lenses each time you remove them. Rubbing and rinsing them helps to remove microbes and residue.
    4. Don’t wear your contacts in the shower, in the pool, in lakes or rivers or in a hot tub.
    5. When handling your contact lenses, wash your hands with soap and water. Make sure you thoroughly dry your hands before handling your lenses.
    6. Change your contact lens case every three months.
    7. Put fresh contact lens solution in your case every day. A good habit to develop is to dump your old solution each morning after you put your contacts in for the day. Then rinse the case with multipurpose solution and let it air dry. When you remove your contacts at the end of the day, pour new contact lens cleaning solution in your case.
    8. Never reuse or top-off old solution in your contact’s case.
    9. If you scratch your cornea (front of the eye), avoid contact lenses for a few days until your eye heals.
    10. Don’t sleep with your contacts in.

 

11 Contact Lens Tips

Posted on by ECP Manager

Contact lens tips for first time and experienced wearers.

  1. Wash your hands with soap and dry them thoroughly before touching or handling, applying, or removing your contact lenses.
  1. Only use solutions and drops on your contact lenses specifically “for contact lenses”.
  1. When applying your contact lenses, put them in after your morning routine to avoid contamination by water from the shower or sink.
  1. Apply makeup after you have applied your contact lenses and remove them before taking makeup off.
  1. If a contact lens is difficult to remove from your eye, dry your fingers then remove. If this continues to be difficult, close your eye and massage your upper lid. The lens will start to move. You may need to repeat this process and blink few times to moisten the surface of your eye until the lens starts to move. Do not be alarmed – you may need to repeat this process several times as it can take up to 10 minutes for the lens to move freely.
  1. It is fine to interchange your prescription contact lenses and glasses.
  1. For monthly replaced lens wearers keep a supply of contact lens solution in your cupboard. When you need it, you need it!
  1. When outside, practice good eye health. Wear sun glasses with your contacts, even if you are wearing UV protective contact lenses as they do not block out all harmful UV rays.
  1. Buy your contact lenses from a legitimate source and make sure an optometrist or eye care professional prescribes your lenses.
  1. Ask your optometrist how to care for your contact lenses.
  1. If your eye feels uncomfortable or you have poor vision when you wear your contact lenses, take them out and start the process again. If your eye continues to feel uncomfortable, poor vision or looks red, contact your local Eyecare Plus optometrist.

How to put in Contact Lenses: Easy Step-by-Step Instructions

Posted on by ECP Manager

For new prescription contact lens wearers, or people who want a refresher, here are our simple, easy to follow steps for applying contact lenses.

  1. Most important, wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them thoroughly before touching or removing your contact lenses.
  1. Prepare a clean surface or, if you are standing over the sink, make sure you put a plug in the drain.
  1. When wearing monthly replaced lenses place your storage case in front of you, left and right, to avoid mixing up your left and right contact lens prescription. They usually are different powers. Start with the same lens each time to avoid switching the lenses by mistake.
  1. For both daily disposable and monthly replaced lenses, remove one of the lenses from its container by pouring it into the palm of your hand.
  1. Using your dominant hand place your contact lens on the tip of your middle or index finger.
  1. Look for any damage to the lens and check it is the right-side up like a cup with the edges turned up. Flip the lens over if the lens looks like a cap.
  1. As you look in the mirror, hold your upper eyelid open with your other hand. At the same time, hold down your lower eyelid with your middle or ring finger of your dominant hand.
  1. Now, as you look in the mirror, place the contact lens on your eye.
  1. Shut your eyes slowly and roll them around to position the lens. Then, once your lens is settled in place, open your eyes, and blink a couple of times. Do a final check in the mirror to see that your contact lens is in the middle of your eye.
  1. When your contact lens is in place, your eye will feel comfortable, and your vision will be clear. Repeat the process for the other eye.
  1. If your eye feels uncomfortable or vision is not clear, take the contact lens out and start the process again. If your eye continues to feel uncomfortable, poor vision or looks red, contact your local Eyecare Plus optometrist.
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