Ask your eye care practitioner which is best for you.
Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson are major contact lens manufacturers that make one-day lenses. They are really handy (and safe) for occasional wear, as well as being convenient and affordable. However, if you are going to wear contacts just for swimming, you can consider one-day lenses that are meant to be worn and thrown away without ever cleaning or disinfecting them. If not, what should I do when I am swimming so I can see? - R.G., TexasĪ: If you read the previous question about swimming in contacts, you will see that I recommended wearing goggles for safety. I am in swimming and want to know if there are any contacts you can wear swimming that are not too expensive. Q: I wear glasses at this point but want to try contact lenses. Prevent it by wearing goggles or using daily disposable contact lenses. When you're swimming, all it takes to get an eye infection is for one little amoeba to lodge itself between your contact lens and your eye. So, either take your contacts out for swimming or wear goggles. For example, Acanthamoeba keratitis, caused by a common single-celled organism (amoeba) that can be present even in chlorinated swimming pools, is a painful waterborne infection that can severely damage the front surface of the eye, causing scarring and vision loss that could require a corneal transplant.Īnd the water in swimming pools can change the way your lenses fit, making them too tight and causing red eyes, contact lens discomfort and possible eye health problems. Swimming pools and other water sources can be contaminated with microorganisms that can cause serious eye infections. Q: Can I swim with my soft contacts in? How will chlorine affect my contacts? - N.H., VirginiaĪ: I highly recommend you wear goggles if you swim with soft contacts on your eyes. It’s used when your doctor feels that compensation for eye alignment is necessary.Questions answered by Burt Dubow, OD, Charles Slonim, MD, William Trattler, MD, and Sayed Jovkar, MD Prism only appears on a low number of prescriptions. AddĪdd is used in multifocal lenses to indicate the additional magnifying power for the bottom part of the lens. Axis is measured in degrees and refers to where the astigmatism is located on the cornea. If your doctor has included cylinder power, there will also be an axis value to indicate positioning.
If there’s no number in this column, then your doctor hasn’t found an astigmatism or your astigmatism does not need to be corrected.
CYLĬYL is an abbreviation of “cylinder” which indicates the lens power your doctor is prescribing to correct your astigmatism.
If you’re farsighted (hyperopia), the number will have a plus sign (+). If you’re nearsighted (myopia), the number will have a minus sign (-). SPH is an abbreviation of “sphere” which indicates the power of the lens your doctor is prescribing to correct your vision. Other abbreviations you might notice on your eyeglass prescription include SPH, CYL, Axis, Add, and Prism. Other abbreviations on your eyeglass prescription