People with poor vision once had very few options. They could deal with glasses that were heavy and usually unattractive. They could choose contacts that were much the same - heavy, uncomfortable and lots of trouble. Or they could simply choose to have uncorrected vision. But the past two decades have seen some incredible advances in vision correction, including contact lenses.

One of the most notable recent advances in the technology of contact lenses has to do with astigmatism. Until lately, those with astigmatism didn't have the option of contact lenses at all. Today, astigmatism is only one of the changes that made contact lenses appropriate for more people over the past few years.

Multi-focal lenses is another recent addition to the contact lens industry. No longer do those with the need for bi-focals and tri-focals have to give up their contacts in favor of glasses.

Convenience and safety are other areas that have been vastly improved over the past few years. When contact lenses were newly introduced, nightmare situations frightened some people away from using contact lenses. In those early days, contact lenses were made of heavy, rigid materials. Times and materials have changed and today's contacts are usually flexible and made to withstand impacts - eliminating the potential for broken contact lenses to damage the eyeball.

Another convenience is the disposable contact, but this is more than just a convenience. There have been hundreds of people who faced serious eye infections from mishandling contact lenses. Disposable contacts eliminate the need to clean contacts and lessen the potential for contaminating the lens and the eye.

In additional to disposables, extended wear contacts are offering their share of convenience and safety. Because there's no need to remove the contacts daily, there's no need to wash them and put them back in every day. That also lessens the potential to introduce contaminations into the eye.

With the incredible advances, it's no wonder that so many people are choosing contact lenses over other vision correction options. Considering the improvements in safety, the convenience of today's materials, and the fact that contact lenses can correct many vision problems, maybe it's time for you to consider contacts.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Contact Lenses Information a website providing information on Contact Lenses