Do Contacts Make Your Eyes Look Bigger? Exploring the Impact of Lenses

Bigger eyes look more attractive? As much as the beauty or attractiveness standard is subjective, research has stated that people with bigger eyes are considered more attractive. Many people have actually wondered if wearing contact lenses would make their eyes look bigger, which led them to try out several lenses. However, this is just an illusion.

The Basic Perception of Eye Sizes

The size of our eyes is influenced by numerous factors. The most obvious is the actual size of the iris and pupil compared to the white part of the eye, known as the sclera. If the pupil is dilated and the iris is more visible and the sclera is less covered, the eye sizes tend to appear bigger. People also compare the size of the eye to the face to determine if it is bigger or not.

Factors Affecting the Perceived Size of the Eyes

Aside the type of contact lenses one wears, there are several other factors that can influence bigger eyes.

Distance and Angle: Distance and angle at which someone sees or views your eyes can affect the perceived size by making it either look bigger or smaller.

Pupil Size: Taking the emotional state of a person and lighting conditions into considertation, it can also affect the perception of eye sizes. This is due to the fact that the pupil size changes based on these parameters. When excited or in a dimly lit area, the pupil dilates and cause the eyes to appear bigger.

Makeup: There are some techniques that enhance the eyes appearance when applied. e.g., mascara and eyeliners. They create a bold and enlarging effect around the eyes, causing a subtle change in eye shape.

Aging: Eye skin are prone to elasticity loss with age and this might slightly alter the eye shape and size. Although, this takes quite a few years to become noticeable because of the slow progression.

Facial Structure: The prominence of the cheekbones and overall shape of the face can also affect the largeness of the eyes compared to the rest of these features.

Other things that can also influence the perception of bigger eyes are eyelid positions, relative eye sizes, cognitive load, dark circles, health conditions, and medications.

People suffering from myopia and using glasses believe it minimizes the apparent size of the eyeballs due to the optical properties of “minus” prescriptions, with the degree of minification directly proportional to the amount of myopia. This is due to the fact that the concave lens is in front of the eyes when glasses are worn. Due to this belief, they switch to contact lenses to make their eyes look bigger.

Types of Contact Lenses

Generally, there are two types of contact lenses: the soft contact lenses and the rigid gas permeable (RGP). Other types of contact lenses fall into these two categories.

Rigid Gas Permeable

They have better resistance to deposit buildup and give clearer vision. These lenses are cheaper and more durable than the soft lenses. They have reduced likeliness to tear and are easy to handle, but they can be uncomfortable, compared to soft contact lenses. It might require weeks of constant wearing for the eye to get accustomed to it.

Soft Contact Lenses

They are made of flexible plastics that are soft enough to permit oxygen to pass through the cornea. They are more comfortable than the rigid gas permeable and easier to adjust. The newer sets of soft contact lenses contain silicone hydrogels that aid more oxygen entrance into the cornea. Examples of these lenses are extended-wear, standard, disposable, and custom or specialty contact lenses. They are good for myopia management, individuals with a high prescription, and eye dryness.

Custom or Specialty Soft Lenses

They are tailored to specific needs or conditions that standard lenses cannot address. These conditions are as follows:

• Irregular Cornea: These lenses are made to fit the perfect shape of the wearer’s cornea more accurately.
• High Prescription: The range of powers and curvatures for these lenses can be made wider to fit the individual’s eyes.
• Presbyopia: Since they are custom-made, they can contain multifocal lenses that provide clear vision at all distances without restriction.  This results in better centration and stability.
• Dry eyes: these lenses help improve hydration of the eyes and provide better comfort.

Examples of some lenses in this category are multifocal, cosmetic, hybrid, sceleral, and toric lenses.

Standard Soft Lenses

Contrary to the general belief that contact lenses make the eyes look bigger, the difference in the eye size of people wearing contact lenses for vision correction purposes is very subtle. Soft contact lenses are the most common contact lenses for daily activities. It contains very flexible polymer material that is helpful for eye comfort and clear vision. Their designs are formed to suit the eye problem aimed to treat. Spherical standard soft lenses help with farsightedness or nearsightedness by reshaping the way light enters the eyes. They bend light rays to focus properly on the retina, improving your vision

However, even these standard lenses can contribute to a slightly enlarging effect on the eyes in the following ways:

•   Removal of Glasses Frame: They have the capacity to shrink the eyes where they are worn on, especially the thick ones. Taking the contact option allows the visiblilty of the eye’s full size and get rid of the obstruction caused by frame.
• Reduced Shadows: Glasses can cast shadows around the eyes. This can lead to the appearance of dark circles around the eyes. This makes the eyes look smaller unlike contact lenses that improve appearance and get rid of the shadows to a reasonable extent.
• Brightness and Clarity: A clearer and sharper image is created by the contact lenses when it sits directly on the cornea. This is way better compared to wearing glasses. This clarity can make the eyes look slighter bigger, and of course, more refined.

One thing to note and understand is that, there is never a change in the actual size of the eyes. All theses changes shape with standard soft contact lenses and the subtle changes in size is because of the absence or elimination of the glasses or a cleaner image.

Circle Lenses for Bigger Looks

For people who wants a dramatic enlarging effect in their vision game, this type of lenses are the most perfect because it causes the biggest change. They are formulated to enlarge the appearance of the iris. The circle lenses often comprise of a dark outer ring that makes the iris appear larger diameter and look more defined. This is possible because they cover a certain portion of the sclera, which creates an illusion of larger eyes in return.

Impact of Circle Lenses

• Larger Diameter: The standard contact lenses have lesser diameter compared to the circle lenses. Due to this extended diameter that covers a certain portion of the scelera, the eyes look bigger than the time you are wearing spectacles.
• Doll-like Effect: The combo of larger diameter and dark ring results in a ‘doll-like’ or ‘anime’ appearance. This is a look that is popular in many Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. It has gained worldwide popularity and becomes a feat for beauty standard.

Things to Consider While Wearing Circle Lenses

• Eye Health: Getting a circle lens from reliable sources so they meet safety standard is very important. No matter the type of contact lenses you want to wear, it is safe to get it prescribed by the eye doctor. Poorly manufactured lenses can pose a risk to your eye which might also affect your eye care professional, so speak to them first.
• Hygiene: This cannot be emphasized on enough. One of the things to take seriously when dealing with any form of lens is hygiene. Clean hands before handling, proper contact solution for storage, and other necessary instructons must be given by the eye care professional to avoid posed risk.
• Proper Fitting: Just like any contact lenses, circle lenses must be properly fitted by an eye care professional.6 Ill-fitting lenses can cause discomfort, irritation, and even damage.7
• Wearing Time: Do not ever over wear these lenses, just like the standard contact lenses. Their abuse can lead to major eye health problems and worsen your condition.

Conclusion

Do Contacts Make Your Eyes Bigger? The answer depends on your contact lenses. While standard soft lenses can create subtle enlargement by elimination of the obstruction in eyeglasses and improving clarity, circle lenses are originally designed to enlarge the iris’ appearance and create a dramatic bigger eyes look.

Before you take any step in wearing contact lenses that changes the appearance or size of your eyes, you should visit an eye doctor that can verify the eligibility of your eyes for contact lens use. They will also guide you in choosing the right type, and ensure proper fitting of the lenses.

Each individuals results can vary. With this article, you are more capable of making educated decisions related to your eye health.

 Bibliography

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/glasses-contacts/avoid-these-four-dangers-of-non-prescription-conta

https://www.lenscircle.com/difference_between_normal_lenses_and_circle_lenses.html

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-eyes-appear-larger-when-wearing-contact-lenses-compared-to-normal-glasses

https://www.reviewofcontactlenses.com/article/custom-vs-standard-soft-lenses-for-the-irregular-cornea-how-to-choose#:~:text=Standard%20soft%20lenses%20benefit%20the,burden%20than%20a%20specialty%20lens.

https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/differences-between-soft-and-hard-contact-lenses#:~:text=Soft%20contacts%20are%20the%20most,cases%20to%20provide%20clear%20vision.