The Best Contact Lenses of 2022 (2024)

We are back with our all time favorite and most anticipated series, the best contact lenses of the year, with some exciting new additions and improved contact lenses for 2022. So, prepare to explore and try out the best contact lenses for the year 2022!

In this article, I will discuss my favorite contact lenses based on their usage, modality, technology and also a special surprise contact lens! Keep reading to find out!

The following list represents the opinions of the author and not Eyes On Eyecare®. For more information on this topic, please check out our other content on contact lenses!

Best daily contact lenses

DAILIES®AquaComfort PLUS® contact lenses offer the widest range of parameters of any one-day contact lens.¹ It also has Blink-Activated Moisture that provides outstanding comfort by releasing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with each blink thus improving patient comfort.¹

With a water content of 69%, it offers enhanced tear film stability and helps provide comfort throughout the wearing period.¹ Thus over the past year, this lens has grown on me becoming one of my favorites for patient comfort and power availability.

^{Figure 1: Dailies AquaComfort PLUS contact lens}

Best Biweekly contact lenses with best value for money offer

Being a consistent winner for 2019 and 2021, ACUVUE OASYS® with HYDRACLEAR® PLUS biweekly lenses offer HYDRACLEAR® PLUS Technology which is unbeaten in comfort across 20 clinical studies.² This technology also embeds tear-like molecules (PVP) that mimic the mucins found in tear film to help support a stable tear film.²

Besides all this, it continues to be the best value for money offer!

^{Figure 2: Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus}

Best monthly contact lens

AIR OPTIX® NIGHT & DAY®AQUA® has become one of my favorites over time after using AIR OPTIX®plus HydraGlyde® in the past. This lens provides a flexible lens-wearing experience designed for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. It is perfect for patients needing comfortable vision at night, busy professionals, mothers with young kids, unpredictable work schedule or frequent travelers.

SmartShield® Technology delivers a protective layer of moisture to help shield lenses from irritating deposits which helps offer lasting comfort.³

This lens also has a low rate of microbial keratitis. Thus a great monthly lens for your patients.

^{Figure 3: Air Optix Night and Day Aqua}

Best Color contact lenses

AIR OPTIX®COLORS is usually my go to lenses for patients as they can get a variety of color options from an established brand of contact lenses. Although this past year, I have started to prefer 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® as these colored contacts boost your natural eye color thus creating an authentic look. This is perfect for patients needed to enhance their eye color for certain occasions or events hence the 1 day modality is convenient. It also has LACREON® Technology which offers all-day comfort and moisture.⁴

These lenses enhance the eye’s natural beauty by adding definition to the limbal ring. The three different effects include NATURAL SHINE®, ACCENT STYLE, and VIVID STYLE.

^{Figure 4: Acuvue Define}

^{Figure 5: Acuvue Define effects}

Best multifocal contact lenses

One of my favorite multifocal lenses during this year has been Biofinity® multifocal because of the success I am achieving with presbyopic patients. Being a monthly lens, it continues to provide comfort that lasts all day. Its Balanced Progressive® Technology provides multiple correction zones in each lens that are tailored to the patient’s prescription which provides clear vision at all distances.⁵

But the reason why this lens became my favorite is because of the range of power it provides, especially its Biofinity® toric multifocal which now gives the option for multifocal correction to those with high cyl.

^{Figure 6: Biofinity multifocal}

Best contact lenses for those dry eyes

We all know that daily disposable lenses are best for those with dry eyes. Our go-to lenses include Dailies Total 1 or OASYS® 1-DAY with HydraLuxe™, but did you know that Proclear® 1 day lenses are recognized by the FDA for improved comfort in relation to dryness?⁶ Its PC technology™ creates a lens material that contains phosphoryl choline (PC) molecules, which bind with water molecules in natural tears to form a protective “shield” of water around the lens which helps patients feel moist and comfortable all day.⁶

I have only tried this on a few mild dry eye patients so far, but it is definitely worth experimenting more.

^{Figure 7: Proclear 1 day contact lenses}

Best contact lens for sports

Patients who play sports are often exposed to sunlight/UV and require consistent protection from its harm while being comfortable with their vision to perform their best. ACUVUE® OASYS with Transitions™ Light Intelligent Technology™ appear to deliver such visual performance with protection. These lenses offer seven dimensions for superior visual performance and these include:⁷

1. Physical comfort
2. Vision at night - reduces haloes by 18% and starburst by up to 28% at night
3. Color contrast - provides 38% better color contrast
4. Vision in bright light, indoors and out - reduces stressful impact of bright light
5. Active blue light filtering - blocks up to 15% of blue light indoors and 55% outdoors
6. UV protection - highest level of UV protection in a contact lens which blocks 100% of UVB and >99% of UVA
7. Adaptation to changing light - seamlessly adapts to light, indoors and out

^{Figure 8: Acuvue Oasys with Transitions}

^{Figure 9: Acuvue Oasys Transitions change from clear to dark}

Best contact lens for those with allergies

Yes, you read that correctly! ACUVUE Theravision® with Ketotifen is the first and only medication-releasing contact lens for patients who need vision correction and itchy eye relief. One third of contact lens wearers experience itchy eyes and 80% of these patients are frustrated by their allergies interfering with their contact lens use.⁸

This lens combines etafilcon A with an antihistamine, ketotifen, which blocks histamine receptors, stabilizes mast cells and inhibits inflammatory cell accumulation within the eye.⁸ The medication is in its preservative form in the contact lens with its effect lasting for up to 12 hours.⁸ This lens recently earned FDA approval which is a first in this category.⁹

These lenses represent a promising field, as it opens a pathway for development of other types such as ones with antimicrobial properties.

^{Figure 10: Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen}

Best new contact lens

Again by Alcon, there is a new contact lens in the market! TOTAL30® is the all new first and only monthly replacement Water Gradient contact lens that feels like nothing, even at day 30. In an in vitro study, this lens demonstrated superior lens-surface moisture stability in comparison to other reusable brands.¹⁰ It also has a Dk/t of 154 and a surface water content of approximately 100% while the core water content is 55%.¹⁰ Thus, this lens makes it to the top of my priority when it comes to monthly wearers.

^{Figure 11: TOTAL30 contact lens}

Readers’ favorite contact lens

This is the special section dedicated to you! In our Best Contact Lenses of 2021 article, you all predicted Bausch + Lomb INFUSETM as your most anticipated lens which also happens to be the one full of cutting edge technology. The reason it is named infused is because it is “infused” with different types of ingredients to promote comfort. These 1-day lenses use high quality material called kalifilcon A which features extremely high oxygen permeability.¹¹

The only cons of this lens are that it does not have toric or multifocal options.

^{Figure 12: Bausch + Lomb INFUSE contact lens}

As always, continue to recycle your contact lenses!

^{Figure 13: ONE by ONE Recycling Bin}

Conclusion

Contact lenses are an excellent form of vision correction for anyone interested in them. With advancements in technology, they are becoming better than ever, now with the availability of medication-releasing contact lenses. The future looks bright as contact lens technology continues to improve leading to more comfort and protection for patients’ eyes.

The above mentioned lenses were some of my favorites in 2022, what are your favorites for this year?

References

1. https://professional.myalcon.com/contact-lenses/daily/dailies-aquacomfortplus/
2. https://www.jnjvisionpro.com/products/acuvue-oasys-2-week?check_ous=1
3. https://professional.myalcon.com/contact-lenses/monthly/air-optix-night-and-day/
4. https://www.jnjvisionpro.com/products/1-day-acuvue-define
5. https://coopervision.com/practitioner/our-products/biofinity-family/biofinity-multifocal
6. https://coopervision.ca/practitioner/our-products/proclear-family/proclear-1-day
7. https://www.jnjvisionpro.ca/products/acuvue-oasys-transitions
8. https://www.jnjvisionpro.ca/products/acuvue-theravision
9. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson--johnson-vision-care-receives-fda-approval-for-acuvue-theravision-with-ketotifen--worlds-first-and-only-drug-eluting-contact-lens-301493964.html
10. https://professional.myalcon.com/contact-lenses/monthly/total30/
11. https://www.bauschinfuse.com