The A to Z of Contact Lenses – M to Q
Manual D – the part of Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Code of the Eye’ that details his famous drawings and designs about the way light enters and is refracted back out of the eye, which lead the way for early contact lense developments.
Nearsightedness – known more medically as myopia, nearsightedness is a problem that occurs where the person cannot see items in the distance clearly. Their close-up vision is generally fine, but as the light is focused in front of the retina improperly, their long distance vision suffers – sometimes quite considerably. Of course, a set of contact lenses can help this condition, bringing the distance items into focus.
Opticians, Ophthalmologists and Optometrists - all with one main aim, which is to aid, and where possible, correct the patient’s vision. Opticians are able to prescribe contact lenses, ophthalmologists deal with much more serious eye matters, such as diseases that require surgery, including the fitting of intraocular contact lenses and finally optometrists who are a mixture of both – prescribing contact lenses and carrying out non-surgical operations.
Polymethyl Methacrylate – the material that the first wearable, patient friendly contact lenses were made from. Known to most as Perspex, polymethyl methacrylate is a flexible plastic based material that made the contact lenses easy to fit and remove and comfortable to wear.
Quarterly Replacement Lenses – as their name suggests, quarterly replacement lenses are designed so the wearer can wear a single pair for three months before needing a replacement. Whilst some often wear the lenses for longer, it is generally not recommended as small particles of dust and debris can build up, not only damaging the contact lenses, but the eye too.