As legally defined by the FDA in regards to anything eaten or medicinal, the word “disposable” refers to any thing that is used once and never used again, meaning thrown out after its first and only use. That would mean, then, that disposable contact lenses have a very short lifespan. Well . . . some do, such as daily disposable contact lenses . . . but others don’t. Several Extended Wear contact lenses have a life cycle of 30 days (one month) before they are to be removed and discarded. As a matter of fact, most contact lenses are disposable (meaning used only once and never more than a month). Some prescription novelty contact lenses can be used by one person only for over a year, provided that they are cleaned and disinfected before and after each and every use. Perhaps some corrective contact lenses, like Acuvue® disposable contact lenses, can be used over and over again, but it isn’t recommended. Any disposable contact lens that serves as a cosmetic, for example, such as a disposable colored contact lens, must be used only once and then a new one reordered. Yes, it can get expensive, but it’s not as risky or dangerous, especially as far a bacterial transmissions go.

Another reason that disposable contact lenses must be eliminated once used throughout their designated duration is if they serve as a corrective. Since these are custom-fit to facilitate the particular ocular condition of the person who ordered them, no one else can possibly use them, less infections or irritations arise. No one wants that, do they? Disposable toric contact lenses, for example, can be used only by someone with Astigmatism, and the particular individual having the specific size and curvature to which the contact lenses have be customized. Any disposable toric lens wears down just like anything else, so it has to be replaced on a periodic basis, such as daily disposable toric contact lenses. These contacts do have a shorter lifespan than those designated to last for 30 days, but these—usually, if not only, soft contact lenses—have limited a lifespan for one good reason: as just mentioned, they are typically soft contact lenses. Although more comfortable than Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses, soft contact lenses are not as protective as the latter, so constant change, it would make sense, is necessary to prevent bacterial, microbial, or dirt cluster build up on the lenses. Even more, these soft contact lenses are discarded to remove the build up that has already accumulated on them. Because soft contact lenses are especially designed to be corrective toward a certain ocular condition, disposal of them is even more necessary, since their gradual loss of integrity might incur further ocular damage if the lenses continue to be worn.

In any case, disposable contact lenses are made to so for no reason more important than the health and safety of those who wear them. As ironic as it may seem, these are probably the safest and healthiest contact lenses in existence, for precisely that reason.