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What are the best contact lenses?

You’re here because you need new contact lenses. And, after seeing the hundreds of options on the market, you’re left wondering, what are the best contact lenses? Some contacts are certainly better than others, but there's no wide-spreading answer for everyone. 

Ultimately, the best contact lenses depend on the wearer’s unique preferences, needs, and existing eye conditions.

It’s like shopping for a car. A Lamborghini might be the best car for a wealthy bachelor, but a mom of five kids likely needs a practical minivan over a sports car. Your contact lenses should also be a personalized choice. 

Here’s what matters when you select your contacts:

  • Lens type: Do you want soft lenses, rigid gas-permeable lenses, toric lenses, or multifocal lenses? 

  • Durability: Do you want daily or extended-wear lenses?

  • Budget: How much can you afford to spend annually on your lenses?

  • Use: How often will you wear your lenses, and for how long?

  • Special needs: Do you have dry or sensitive eyes? Would you like to try lenses with blue-light filtering technology? 

But you didn’t come here just to be told that finding the best contacts for you requires research — best of luck. We’ve researched for you. As you continue to read, you’ll learn some of the best options for different contact lenses, based on specific types and categories. 

You’ll be left with everything you need to make an informed decision, so your eyes get that Lamborghini-level fit. 

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What type of contact lenses do doctors recommend?

Doctors typically advise patients to wear daily disposable contacts. Replacing the product daily is the most hygienic option. It significantly reduces the chances of infection and irritation. Additionally, those with dry eyes and allergies often find daily contacts more hydrating and comfortable.

After that, it’s all about addressing your prescription’s specific needs. Luckily, you can find daily contact lenses that work for you, including contacts for astigmatism, toric, multifocal, and presbyopia. 

Best contact lens brands

You’ve come to the right place for your information. We’re kind of experts on contact lenses (come on, it’s in our name), so we know what we’re talking about when it comes to the top brands. 

Some of the best contact lens brands are: 

  • Acuvue: Acuvue is one of the most well-known contact brands, and for good reason. Its innovative lenses are specifically designed for comfort and reduce the feeling of tired and dry eyes. 

  • Air Optix: Air Optix lenses are made of silicone hydrogel, which helps you feel moisturized and comfortable all day long. 

  • Biofinity: CooperVision's Biofinity lenses are made for breathability, comfort, and clear vision. 

  • Clariti: Clariti lenses are made of a silicone hydrogel that achieves maximum breathability for easy all-day wearability. 

  • CooperVision: As one of the largest contact lens brands, CooperVision creates lenses that are affordable and comfortable and use the latest technology. 

Best daily contacts

If you’re considering daily contacts, you’re a smart cookie. Sure, it can be a bit pricier to go with the daily disposables. But once you lose one of those extended-wear lenses 2 days into having them, you’ll curse the contact lens gods and wish you went with dailies. 

Key features

  • Thin lenses: You want lenses that are thin and soft, so they feel easy to wear all day.

  • Silicone hydrogel material: Contacts made from silicone hydrogel allow oxygen to pass through easily, which can help keep lenses comfortable all day long.

  • Wetting agents: Some contact lens brands have wetting agents that can help retain moisture.

  • UV protection: If you live in a sunny climate, you may want disposable dailies that offer UV protection.

Benefits

  • No cleaning required

  • No need to purchase storage and cleaning supplies

  • Easy replacement if you lose or rip a contact

  • Reduced risk of infections, irritations, and dry, tired eyes

Disadvantages

Best for

You should choose daily contacts if you’ve previously struggled with infections, irritations, and dry eyes from your contacts. Additionally, if you know you can’t stick to proper cleaning protocols, dailies are the safest option. 

Lastly, someone who travels a lot may prefer daily lenses. This way, if a lens is lost or torn, you have a large backup supply. 

People just starting with contact lenses may opt for dailies, as they’re often considered the easiest to use and most comfortable option. 

Someone on a tight budget may not want to choose a daily disposable contact. 

Here are some examples of some great daily contact lenses: DAILIES TOTAL1, Precision1 One Day Contact Lenses, and ACUVUE OASYS 1-DAY.

Best monthly contact lenses

Listen, you like your routine, and you stick to a budget. You don’t need the luxury of dailies; what’s next, daily one-use socks?

If you can trust yourself to stick to a cleaning routine, monthly contact lenses are a fantastic choice. When choosing the best monthly contacts, here’s what to watch out for.

Key features

  • Durability: Monthly lenses need to last a while, so they typically need to be made of a durable material.

  • Cost-effectiveness: If you’re going the monthly route, you should get them for a much better price than daily contacts.

  • Wetting technology: Your monthly contacts need to provide moisture for the entire 30 days, so focus on brands that promote additional wetting technology.

  • UV protection: You may want monthlies that offer UV protection.

Benefits

  • More environmentally friendly 

  • More affordable

  • Less likely to tear due to the thick and durable material

Disadvantages

  • Requires strict hygienic practices for cleaning and storing

  • Need to purchase storage and cleaning products

  • Higher cost of replacement

  • Higher risk of irritation, dry eyes, and infections 

  • Less comfortable due to the thick lens material 

Best for

Monthly contact lenses are great for someone who has worn contacts for a while and can handle the thicker lens material. They're also ideal for someone who can stick to a cleaning routine and hasn't previously suffered from dry eyes or eye infections. 

Here are some examples of daily contact lenses we recommend purchasing: ACUVUE VITA, Biofinity, and Total30. 

Best contacts for astigmatism

Sometimes, you walk to the donut tray in the office, happy to see there are two left. You reach out and realize there’s just one. Your darn astigmatism strikes again with the double vision! 

It's time to get contacts for astigmatism so that donut tray never makes a fool of you again. When selecting the best astigmatism contacts, here’s what we recommend looking for.

Key features

  • Thicker material: Toric lenses are made of a thicker material to prevent the lens from rotating in your eye.

  • Dual curvature: A toric lens should have a dual curvature to help treat the astigmatism. 

  • Stabilization designs: Your astigmatism contact lenses should have designs that help stabilize the lens in place, ensuring consistent vision correction.

  • Custom-fit: Toric lenses often need to be custom-fit to your exact eye shape. 

Benefits

  • Astigmatism correction

  • Comfort

  • Clear vision

  • Come in a wide number of varieties, including dailies, monthlies, and more

Disadvantages

  • Usually more expensive

Best for

This might shock you, but astigmatism contacts are best for people with astigmatism. Please don’t get these if you don’t have the condition — and don’t try to make regular contacts work if you have astigmatism. Denying your condition won’t make it go away. 

Some options for astigmatism contact lenses we recommend are ACUVUE OAYSYS,  Bausch + Lomb ULTRA, and Precision1.

Most comfortable contact lenses

Comfort can be subjective. Some find 5-inch heels comfortable, and others think they’re a form of torture. The same is true of contact lenses. 

Your eyes may have special requirements that others do not, so your comfort will be different. Still, generally speaking, you can watch out for specific things to prioritize comfort. 

Key features

  • Thin lenses: Get the most comfort with thin contacts.

  • Silicone hydrogel material: Silicone hydrogel is the most common contact lens material because it's the most comfortable overall.

  • Wetting agents: Avoid dry, uncomfortable eyes by choosing lenses with wetting agents.

Benefits

If you find contacts comfortable, you’re more likely to stick to wearing them, so your investment will be worthwhile. 

Best for

If you’ve never worn contacts or have dry eyes, focus on comfort when choosing them. 

We recommend the following for comfortable lenses: ACUVUE OASYS, Biofinity, and DAILIES TOTAL1.

Best contacts for beginners

You’ve never purposely poked your eye before, and you may be wholly unprepared to do that with contacts. Add in a foreign object in your eye all day, and it becomes an all-round terrifying experience.

Rest assured, almost everyone who tries contacts sees how bright their new future is. Without being dramatic, contacts give you freedom like you’ve never felt before. Crystal clear vision without glasses sliding off your face or those pesty indents on the bridge of your nose.

Still, the right contact lens choice can make the transition easier for a beginner. 

Key features

  • Thin: Thin, soft lenses are the easiest to adjust to.

  • Silicone hydrogel material: Select a lens made of silicone hydrogel for breathability.

  • Wetting agents: Your lens should have wetting technology to allow you to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Benefits

  • Comfort

  • Clear vision

  • Come in a wide number of varieties, including dailies, monthlies, and more. 

Best for

Beginner contacts are great for individuals who are new to contacts and have no outstanding eye conditions. 

We recommend purchasing the following beginner contact lenses: AquaSoft Daily, 1-Day Acuvue Moist, and DAILIES AquaComfort Plus.  

Best colored contacts 

If you’re going to wear contacts, why not make it fun? You don’t have to stick to your original eye color. Match your eyes to your outfit and see what kind of reaction you get.

Here’s how to choose the best color contacts.

Key features

  • Proper fit: A contact lens that doesn’t fit well is one you won’t use for long, no matter its color.

  • Blending tints: If you want to pull off a natural new look, select a colored lens with blending tints. 

  • Clarity: You need a colored contact lens that allows you to see well.

  • Wetting agents: A high moisture lens means you wear your new look all day long.

Benefits

  • New color for your eyes

Best for

Colored contacts are great for anyone who wants to add some flair to their look. 

Need contacts that provide a fun, new pop of color for your eyes? Check out colored contacts with these brands: AIR OPTIX Colors, DAILIES COLORS,  and Eyedia clearcolor.

Best contact lenses for dry eyes

When you read about different contacts, you often come across promotions using the words “wet," "moisture," and "hydrate.” That’s because no one wants to try contacts only to struggle with dry eyes all day. 

For some people, contacts can cause dry eyes. Luckily, lots of contact lens brands for dry eyes focus on adding moisture and preventing dry eyes. 

Key features

  • Silicone hydrogel material: Select a lens made of silicone hydrogel for breathability.

  • Wetting agents: Your lens should have wetting technology, so it stays hydrated throughout the day.

  • Timeline: These contacts should be made to wear for several hours, as dryness often increases the longer you wear lenses.

Benefits

  • Comfort

  • Clear vision

  • Come in a wide number of varieties, including dailies and monthlies

Best for

If you’ve struggled with dry eyes, focusing on this feature for your contact lens is incredibly important. 

The best options for hydrating contact lenses are 1-Day Acuvue Moist, AIR OPTIX plus HydraGlyde, and DAILIES AquaComfort Plus.  

Best contact lenses

Ultimately, the best contact lenses for you depend on the specific criteria you prioritize. You need to understand if budget or durability matters most and whether you have certain features or eye conditions you need to treat.

No matter what type of contact lenses you're looking for, the best selection is available at 1-800 Contacts. In just a few minutes, you can find your contacts, enter your prescription, and place your order. Get started now.

Did you know you can order contacts online? 

Say goodbye to trips to the eye doctor and hello to convenience! With 1-800 Contacts, you can easily order your contact lenses online and have them delivered straight to your door. Plus, our online vision exam makes it simple to get the prescription you need without leaving home. And the best part? You’ll save money on your first order with 1-800 Contacts. It’s never been easier to get your contacts! 

Original Publish Date: 1/24/2020

Updated: 4/17/2025