The Pros & Cons Of Wearing Contact Lenses

Doesn't Protect Eyes From UV Rays

An important and overlooked benefit of glasses is they do something contacts can't: they can adjust the amount of light that enters the eye. Photochromatic eyeglasses, also called glasses with transition lenses, darken automatically in sunlight for comfortable vision and they block some ultraviolet rays from entering the eye. Wearing contacts doesn't protect eyes from UV rays like glasses can because glasses can block one hundred percent of UV light, not just a tiny portion.

The eye's lens absorbs rays that pass through the pupil. This ultraviolet exposure can cause cataracts later in life. The American Optometric Association recommends wearing sunglasses that block UV-A and UV-B rays to protect against solar radiation. Some contacts can offer a bit of protection by absorbing ultraviolet radiation and lowering the amount of radiation that reaches the surface of the eyes, but lenses can only block seventy to ninety percent of UV rays.