Contact Lens Types

There are many different contact lens types available, all of which require a prescription from an eye care provider. Talk to your eye care provider if you’re thinking about getting contact lenses or changing your contact lens type. To get a prescription for contact lenses, an eye care provider will:

• Perform a complete examination of your eyes
• Try contact lenses on your eyes
• Determine how the contact lenses fit on your eyes
• Test your vision through the contact lenses
• Give you instructions on proper contact lens wear and care

Your eye care provider will help you get the best possible vision and comfort from contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses without a proper fitting and lens care instructions from an eye care provider can lead to eye injury, infection, or other complications ^1,2. Contact lens types may differ based on what they are made from (lens material), how long they are designed for wearing each day (wear schedule), and how often they should be replaced (replacement schedule). The most common contact lens types include the following:

Lens Material: Soft or Hard (Rigid Gas Permeable)

Wear Schedule: Daily Wear or Extended Wear

Replacement Schedule (for soft contact lenses): Daily Disposable or Planned Replacement

Less commonly, people wear other types of contact lenses for special reasons.