Contact lenses are a perfect solution for those who find glasses inconvenient or troublesome. They are easy to use, convenient and flattering. No wonder then that over 75 million people worldwide wear them.

Contact lenses offer a number of advantages to wearers. Unlike glasses which can get hot and burdensome in the summer contact lenses offer real comfort. The way in which glasses steam up when it is rainy or humid can be irritating. This is something that you do not need to worry about with contact lenses.

Contact lenses are virtually undetectable so they do not affect the way you look. And if you do want to make a statement, you can always try tinted lenses.

For active sportspeople they improve peripheral vision and make running easier. Glasses however are practically impossible to wear when playing sports because they tend to slip when you run.

The issue of peripheral vision is a big advantage from an optometry perspective. In this respect they are much better than glasses because they give the wearer a broader field of sight.

They also offer better vision to wearers than glasses by giving a more realistic object size because they are worn so close to the eye. Contact lenses also slow down or prevent the development of short sightedness completely. This is something that regular glasses cannot do in the same way.

The good news is that most people could wear contact lenses if they needed or wanted to. Although hard lenses can be slightly uncomfortable to start with most people get used to them pretty quickly. Whilst soft lenses are normally comfortable and easy to use from the word, "go".

There are some people however for whom contact lenses would not be suitable. For example people who are prone to eye infections should probably avoid them. Speak to your optometrist about whether or not contact lenses would be appropriate for you.