Gigi Greene, age 9, of Lamar, S.C., for her question:
WHAT ARE CONTACT LENSES MADE FROM?
Some people can wear contact lenses while others are unable to do so. For the most part, however, personal preference and the doctor's opinion determine whether a person with weak eyes selects regular glasses or contact lenses. Some doctors report, for example, that persons having had cataracts removed can see much better with contact lenses than with ordinary glasses.
Not too long ago contact lenses were the size of quarters and were made out of glass that was especially molded to fit the entire white part of the eye as well as the cornea. A special fluid was necessary for use between the lens and the eye.
In 1971 something new came out in the contact lens field: a soft lens that was made of porous liquid¬absorbing plastic. The lenses are as soft and flexible as the tissues of the eye and are especially comfortable to wear.
Contact lenses today are no larger than your little fingernail. Each lens actually floats on a thin layer of tears on the surface of the eye's cornea. The cornea is that clear part of the eyeball in front of the pupil.
Most ordinary eyeglasses reduce the size of an object that nearsighted people see and sometimes distort side vision. Most contact lenses, however, produce normal sized images and make no distortion of side vision.
Some people are bothered by a condition called keratoconus, a condition where the cornea of the eye bulges out at the center and creates blurred images. Ordinary glasses do not seem to correct this condition, yet wearers of contact lenses seem to receive normal vision.
Cost of contact lenses seems to be higher than that for ordinary eyeglasses in most cases. But wearers report there are a number of advantages that make the higher price worthwhile. In cold weather there is no fogging over of contact lenses, and it is also found that contact lenses do not have to be changed as often as regular glasses.
Many athletes have discovered that they can wear contact lenses while engaging in active sporting activities, and they do not risk possible injury that sometimes results from wearing ordinary glasses.
Contact lenses, it seems, are right for certain people while ordinary eyeglasses are best for others.