Contact Lenses in Maine

Contact lenses are lenses placed on the cornea generally for the purpose of vision correction. They are used as an alternative to glasses for millions of people. It is estimated that 125 million people worldwide are contact lens users.


Contact lenses generally correct refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. They are also used therapeutically to treat such diseases as keratoconus, and have been used for cosmetic purposes as well, to change the color or appearance of the eye. Contact lenses vary in many different ways, including the material that they are made up of. There are hard, gas permeable and soft contact lenses. The majority of people who wear contact lenses wear soft lenses because they are immediately comfortable, as opposed to gas permeable lenses, which require some getting used to. Soft contact lenses also have more oxygen permeability and are easier to wear.

Contact lenses are broken down into two categories- daily wear lenses and extended wear lenses. Daily wear lenses are he most popular type of contact lens and are made to be worn during waking hours and taken out before an individual goes to bed at night. Extended wear contact lenses can be kept in over night and worn for periods of up to 30 days but patients who use extended wear lenses tend to have a higher incidence of corneal infections and ulcers.

Contact lens replacement is determined by the manufacturer of the lens. There are daily contact lenses that are thrown away each day and a new lens is inserted the next day. Typically, soft contact lenses last between 2 and 4 weeks, although hard lenses could be worn up to 10 years, and gas permeable lenses are durable to be worn for several years.

If you are in need of contact lenses, please contact Eyecare Medical Group at 1-888-374-2020.