The lenses Council reports that 26 million Americans wear contact. Among lenses wearers, approximately 80% wear the soft type and discountedcontacts 18% wear rigid gas-permeable lenses. The Council reports that about 11% of lenses wearers, approximately 2.8 million people, are under 18.InfantsThere are few instances when corrective lenses--lenseses or discountedcontacts contacts--are prescribed for infants. However, when an infant develops cataracts , a condition known as infantile aphakia, contact may be prescribed following discountedcontacts surgery. In 1993, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that contact were safe and effective for use with infants following cataract surgery. Routine care of the lenses was easily learned by the baby''s parents or caregivers.

Glass was the first material to be used for lenses lenses, and was used for several hundred years before plastic was introduced. The crown glass used for lenses lenses has an index of refraction discountedcontacts of 1.52.Optical-quality acrylic was introduced for lenses use in the early 1940s, but because it was easily scratched, brittle, and discolored rapidly, it did not supplant glass as the material of choice. Furthermore, it had a relatively low index of refraction, so it wasn''t suitable discountedcontacts for people with large refractive errors. A plastic called CR-39, introduced in the 1960s, was more discountedcontacts suitable. Today, lenses wearers can also choose between polycarbonate, which is the most impact-resistant material available for eyewear, and polyurethane, which has exceptional optical qualities and an index of refraction of up to 1.66, much higher than the conventional plastics used for lenses, and even higher than glass. Patients with high prescriptions should ask about high index material options for their lenses. Aspheric lenses are also useful for high prescriptions.

BE PERSISTENT. What should you do if you have trouble prying your prescription out of your doctor''s hands? Your state attorney general''s office should be able to tell you whether your state requires doctors to give out prescriptions. If yours doesn''t, try reassuring your doctor that you will not neglect necessary follow-up visits, or ask him or her to match prices you''ve found at an online or mail-order source.When comparing prices, be sure to factor discountedcontacts in any shipping charges that add to your mail-order costs. And discountedcontacts ask what a discounter''s policy is on discountedcontacts replacing damaged or missing lenses; many doctors replace them free. Also check the expiration date when you get your lenses to make sure they haven''t expire discountedcontacts.