Not ready for LASIK surgery? Contact lenses remain a good option.

If you're not quite ready for LASIK (you should be at least 18 years old) or you're just not keen on the idea of having eye surgery, contact lenses are the next best thing to laser vision correction.

One-day disposable and continuous-wear contacts are nearly as hassle-free as LASIK, with no worries of surgical complications.

But some contact lenses are better than others. New soft contact lenses called "silicone hydrogel lenses" allow more oxygen to reach your eyes for safer long-term wear. And new contact lens treatments help keep the lenses from drying out.

Daily Wear

For daily-wear lenses (those you remove at the end of the day), we recommend 1-day disposable lenses. These are extremely convenient, because you don't have to clean and disinfect them at the end of the day. Instead, you just throw them away and put on a new pair the next day.

Though more expensive on an annual basis than other lenses, 1-day disposable soft lenses are the ultimate in convenience. Comfort tends to be excellent, too, because every day you're wearing a fresh lens.

Examples of 1-day disposable lenses include:

• 1-Day ACUVUE (Vistakon/Johnson & Johnson)
• 1-Day ACUVUE Moist (Vistakon/Johnson & Johnson)
• Focus Dailies (CIBA Vision)
• Biomedics 1-Day (Ocular Sciences)
• Proclear 1-Day (CooperVision)

Continuous Wear (24/7)

Continuous wear lenses (also called "extended wear" or "overnight wear") are lenses that you wear continuously day-and-night for a specified period of time. At the end of that period (usually 2 weeks), you remove and discard the lenses before bedtime. The next morning, you start a new wearing period with fresh lenses.

The maximum period of continuous wear approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is 30 days. Your eye doctor will be able to tell you if your eyes can tolerate continuous wear of contact lenses, and for how long. Not everyone can wear them successfully, and not all extended wear lenses are FDA-approved for up to 30 days of continuous wear.

Examples of continuous wear lenses include:

• Night & Day (CIBA Vision)
• O2 Optix (CIBA Vision)
• Acuvue Advance (Vistakon/Johnson & Johnson)
• PureVision (Bausch & Lomb)

Contact Lens Exams

The first step to see if you can wear 1-day disposable and continuous wear contact lenses successfully is to have a contact lens exam with your eye doctor. Choose a doctor who specializes in contact lenses for best results.

Also, routine visits to the doctor who prescribes your contact lenses are necessary to make sure your eyes stay healthy during contact lens wear. Your eye doctor can spot potential problems even before you feel any discomfort from your lenses. To avoid serious harm to your eyes, follow the contact lens wearing schedule and lens replacement schedule your doctor recommends, and show up for all your follow-up visits.

Where to Buy

Where you decide to buy replacement contact lenses is up to you. As long as you have a valid contact lens prescription, you can purchase them anywhere you like.(By law, your eye doctor has to give you a copy of your contact lens prescription if you request it.)