Back in the day: When daily disposable contact lenses first emerged on the market, the lenses were used for troubleshooting and helping with patients having trouble wearing lenses. Additionally, they were used for patients who had dry eyes and allergy issues. For kids, this lens modality helped with safety and for adults it provided great option for troubleshooting. At that time, I never even considered silicone hydrogel (SiHy) daily disposable lenses as a priority. I thought the idea of needing high oxygen for someone replacing their contact lenses daily made no sense.

Today: I think much differently about daily disposable contact lenses and SiHy daily disposable technology. Practitioners have come to understand that these lenses are great for nearly all patients. So, today, I recommend daily disposable contact lenses for almost every single patient. Practitioners have also learned the tremendous value of silicone daily disposable lenses. Patients are wearing their lenses longer, staring at computers or other digital devices, and need the best lenses to protect their eyes and keep them comfortable all day long.

Beyond that: With so many great multifocal lens options, patients are potentially likely to be in lenses for 50 years. I have personally been wearing contact lenses for 40 years after being fit as a 12-year-old. To that end, we need to be aware of how 50 years of contact lens wear can impact a patient and do all we can to minimize that impact. Providing high oxygen, great comfort, and optimum vision is the key to lifelong success with contact lenses.

For those reasons, I have seen the growth of daily disposable contact lenses at my practice. At this point in time, nearly 90% of my patients are in daily disposable contact lenses and a large percent of those are wearing SiHy daily disposables. The reality is that the health of these lenses and the parameter availability makes this the obvious choice for most of my patients. Look at each patient encounter as a chance to ensure that they are not only happy today with their contact lenses, but happy for their life in contact lenses.

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