Daily, monthly or multifocal contact lenses: which to choose, and who they suit
Choosing a contact lens depends first on how often you wear lenses, the state of your tears and your refractive error: daily disposables suit occasional wear and sensitive eyes, monthly lenses suit everyday wear, and multifocal lenses, sometimes called varifocal lenses, suit presbyopia. Rigid lenses still have their place in high astigmatism and keratoconus. No type of lens is right for everyone: it is the fitting, with a trial on the eye, that decides.
LENS TYPES
What are the main types of contact lens?
Daily disposable soft lenses are thrown away every evening: no solution, no case, and a sterile lens every morning. Frequent-replacement soft lenses, two-weekly or monthly, are cleaned and stored overnight, then replaced on a fixed date; most are made of silicone hydrogel, a material that lets more oxygen through to the cornea. Rigid gas permeable lenses, smaller and harder, generally need, in routine practice, a few days to a few weeks of adaptation, but give very precise vision when astigmatism is high or the cornea is irregular, and are usually kept for one to two years. Scleral lenses, which have a large diameter, rest on the white of the eye and vault over the cornea: a 2015 review (Schornack) describes them as an option for irregular corneas, such as in keratoconus, and in some severe ocular surface diseases. Finally, coloured lenses are lenses like any other and require the same fitting and the same hygiene: we discuss them in our article on Halloween novelty contact lenses.
What guides the choice of a contact lens?
How often you wear them, and your budget
This is the first criterion. For occasional wear, the daily disposable is the obvious choice: a monthly lens opened and worn three times in the month costs more and ages in its case. For everyday wear, a monthly or two-weekly lens becomes better value, provided the cleaning routine is kept up. The budget varies widely from one product to another; rather than an average price that would soon be out of date, our contact lenses or surgery calculator estimates your actual spending over several years, and the article contact lenses or surgery: the cost over 10 years explains the method in detail.
Dry eyes and allergies
Contact lens wear induces or worsens dry eye: the 2017 TFOS DEWS II report (Gomes) classifies it among the iatrogenic causes of dryness, those linked to medical care and devices. It is also one of the main reasons people give up their lenses. In a Canadian survey of 4,207 current or former wearers (Dumbleton, 2013), about 23% had stopped permanently, and the reasons most often cited were discomfort (24%) and dryness (20%). When your eyes feel tight and dry by the end of the day, a daily disposable, with no build-up of deposits, is often better tolerated, and dry eye itself can be treated. In people with allergies, daily disposables also limit the protein deposits that keep up a reaction of the upper eyelid, papillary conjunctivitis: a 2020 review (Kenny) lists reused lenses and replacing lenses too infrequently among its contributing factors.
Astigmatism, presbyopia, sport
Astigmatism is corrected with a toric lens, daily or monthly, weighted so that it does not rotate on the eye; beyond a few dioptres, or if the cornea is irregular, a rigid lens gives sharper vision. Presbyopia, after the age of 40 or 45, calls for a multifocal lens or monovision, both described below. For sport, especially in a swimming pool or the sea, a daily disposable is thrown away after the session: water must never come into contact with a lens that will be worn again, because of the risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis.
SAFETY
Daily or monthly lenses: which are safer?
The most feared complication is microbial keratitis, an infection of the cornea. It remains rare, and how often it occurs depends more on the way lenses are worn than on their type. In a surveillance study conducted for one year across the whole of Australia (Stapleton, 2008, Ophthalmology), the annual incidence was 1.2 cases per 10,000 wearers of rigid lenses worn during the day, 1.9 for soft lenses worn during the day and 2.0 for daily disposables; it rose to 19.5 for soft lenses worn overnight and to 25.4 for silicone hydrogel lenses worn overnight. Loss of vision occurred in 0.6 wearers per 10,000 per year. The risk factors were overnight wear, poor case hygiene, smoking, buying lenses online and less than six months’ experience of lens wear.
A London case-control study (Dart, 2008, Ophthalmology) fills in the picture: the risk of infection was no lower with daily disposables than with reusable soft lenses, but the infections were less severe, with no daily disposable wearer seeing their visual acuity fall to 20/40 or worse; rigid lenses carried the lowest risk, and overnight wear, whatever the type of lens, multiplied the risk by 5.4. Among daily disposable wearers (Stapleton, 2017), the risk factors were occasional overnight wear, inadequate hand washing and smoking. The daily disposable therefore mainly limits the severity of infections, probably because it does away with the case, the solution and the ageing lens; it no longer protects if you sleep in it. Minor complications, on the other hand, are common: the 2021 CLEAR consensus (Stapleton) estimates that about a third of wearers experience one, most of them mild. The habits that protect your eyes are described in our articles on the most common hygiene mistakes and on the dangers of sleeping in your contact lenses. A red or painful eye while wearing a lens should not be left to wait: remove the lens and see an ophthalmologist the same day or, failing that, go to the eye emergency department.
PRESBYOPIA
Multifocal contact lenses: how do they work, and what are their limitations?
A progressive, or multifocal, contact lens does not work like a varifocal spectacle lens. The spectacle lens has a zone for distance at the top and one for near at the bottom, and your gaze chooses between them. The contact lens, on the other hand, moves with the eye: it superimposes several images on the retina, each sharp at a different distance, and the brain selects the right one. This is simultaneous vision, described in a 2017 review (Pérez-Prados): it relies on tolerance to blur, and the choice of lens design depends on the pupil, the aberrations of the eye and the centring of the lens. The same review notes that some people with presbyopia give up these lenses because of limitations in visual quality or comfort. In routine practice, a slight loss of contrast, especially at night, and an adaptation period of a few days to a few weeks are to be expected; many people get on with them very well, while others keep glasses for night driving or close precision work.
The other option with contact lenses is monovision: one eye corrected for distance, the other for near. A 2007 review (Evans) puts its success rate at 59 to 67% among wearers already fitted with lenses, with limitations for night driving, intermediate vision on screens and a loss of depth perception that most people do not notice; it points out that surgical monovision should only be decided on after a successful trial with contact lenses. When contact lenses are not suitable, or you no longer wish to depend on them, surgery is an indication in its own right: PresbyLASIK is the technique intended for becoming independent of glasses at the age of presbyopia, and our page on presbyopia compares contact lenses, monovision and laser.
Daily, monthly, rigid, multifocal: comparison table
| Lens | Suitable for | Advantages | Limitations | Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily disposables | Occasional wear, sport, dry or allergic eyes, first-time wearers | New every day, no solutions, less severe infections | More expensive for everyday wear; not available for every correction | None: thrown away in the evening, never worn overnight, never in contact with water |
| Monthly or two-weekly lenses | Everyday wear, a wide range of corrections | Economical in use, wide choice of materials | Deposits and dryness towards the end of the month; risk linked to lens care | Solution every evening, case replaced every month, lenses replaced on a fixed date |
| Rigid gas permeable lenses | High astigmatism, irregular cornea, keratoconus | Very sharp vision, lowest risk of infection, last one to two years | Adaptation over several days to weeks, dust can be uncomfortable | Daily cleaning with a dedicated solution |
| Multifocal (varifocal) lenses | People with presbyopia who want to do without reading glasses | Distance and near, often without glasses; available as daily, monthly or rigid lenses | A compromise on contrast, adaptation over a few days to a few weeks | Depends on the lens type; several trials often needed |
SPECIAL CASES
My child is short-sighted: which contact lenses can slow down myopia?
In children, certain dual-focus daily disposable soft lenses slow the progression of myopia. In a three-year randomised trial in children aged 8 to 12 (Chamberlain, 2019), myopia progression was reduced by 59% and the elongation of the eye by 52% compared with a conventional daily disposable lens. A Cochrane review updated in 2025 (Lawrenson) confirms that multifocal soft contact lenses and orthokeratology, a rigid lens worn overnight that reshapes the cornea, reduce the elongation of the eye, with a low to moderate level of certainty depending on the option. Our articles on myopia control lenses for children and on orthokeratology explain their indications in detail. Children are seen at the Cachan practice from the age of 3.
Who fits contact lenses, and what should you do before a surgical assessment?
A contact lens is not chosen from a catalogue. Fitting involves measuring the curvature of the cornea, examining the tears and eyelids, then a trial on the eye, sometimes with several lens designs. At the Cachan practice, these fittings are carried out by Dr Tourabaly’s associates, including myopia control lenses and orthokeratology. The basic handling techniques are learnt during this consultation; our article how to put in and take out contact lenses goes through them step by step. If you are considering surgery, you will need to stop wearing your lenses before the pre-operative assessment, because they temporarily change the shape of the cornea that topography measures; how long you need to stop depends on the type of lens and will be specified when you book your appointment (see stopping contact lenses before the assessment). The assessment, including corneal topography, is carried out at the Cachan practice or at the Sorbonne Saint-Michel practice (Paris 5th).
Can you wear contact lenses all your life?
Yes, in most cases, provided the eye continues to tolerate them well. Wearing lenses does not wear out the cornea as such, but it calls for monitoring at every age: the cornea needs oxygen, the tear film changes over the years, and dry eye, more common after fifty, is the first reason for cutting down wearing time. An annual check with the ophthalmologist makes it possible to examine the cornea and adjust the type of lens, for instance towards daily disposables, or towards multifocal lenses when presbyopia sets in. If tolerance declines, the alternatives are discussed: glasses, or, after an assessment, refractive surgery suited to your age.
Frequently asked questions
Are daily disposable lenses safer than monthly lenses?
Not in the sense that infection would be rarer: in the 2008 studies, the risk of keratitis was comparable between daily disposables and reusable soft lenses. However, infections in daily disposable wearers were less severe. What really changes the risk is overnight wear, which multiplies it by more than five (Dart, 2008), and case hygiene, which the daily disposable does away with.
Can a monthly lens be kept for more than a month if it has rarely been worn?
No. The replacement date runs from when the lens is opened, not from the number of days it has been worn: the lens accumulates deposits and micro-organisms in its case even when it is out of the eye. For occasional wear, that is, in routine practice fewer than two or three days a week, the daily disposable avoids the case and its contamination, and often works out cheaper.
Do multifocal contact lenses correct presbyopia well?
They allow many people with presbyopia to read without glasses, through a compromise: several images reach the retina at the same time and the brain sorts them. A slight reduction in contrast and a period of adaptation are usual. If the result is not satisfactory, monovision with contact lenses or PresbyLASIK can be discussed at the assessment.
I have astigmatism: which contact lens should I choose?
A soft toric lens, daily or monthly, for most common degrees of astigmatism. For high astigmatism or an irregular cornea, a rigid gas permeable lens gives more stable and sharper vision.
My eyes are dry with my contact lenses: should I stop wearing them?
Not necessarily. Dryness is one of the main reasons for giving up lenses, but it can be treated: a change of lens material, switching to daily disposables, preservative-free artificial tears compatible with contact lenses, eyelid care. If the discomfort persists, refractive surgery may be discussed, after treatment of the surface of the eye and an assessment that checks that the dryness does not contraindicate it.
How long should you stop wearing contact lenses before a refractive surgery assessment?
It depends on the type of lens: in routine practice, a few days for a soft lens, longer for a rigid lens, which changes the shape of the cornea more. You will be told how long when you book your appointment. The aim is for topography to measure your cornea as it really is, not as the lens has moulded it.
Can you wear contact lenses all your life?
Yes, as long as the cornea and the eye surface tolerate them, which is checked at every follow-up: corneal integrity, dry eye, allergy, hygiene. With age, dry eye often makes wearing less comfortable and the ophthalmologist adjusts the lens type or wearing time. Redness or pain with a lens in means removing it and seeing an ophthalmologist the same day or, failing that, the eye emergency department.
Consultations in Cachan, Paris 13 and at the Sorbonne Saint-Michel practice (Paris 5th) · Tel. +33 1 45 47 08 11
Scientific sources
- Stapleton F, et al. The incidence of contact lens-related microbial keratitis in Australia. Ophthalmology. 2008. PMID 18538404
- Dart JK, et al. Risk factors for microbial keratitis with contemporary contact lenses: a case-control study. Ophthalmology. 2008. PMID 18597850
- Stapleton F, et al. Risk factors and causative organisms in microbial keratitis in daily disposable contact lens wear. PLoS One. 2017. PMID 28813424
- Stapleton F, et al. CLEAR – Contact lens complications. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021. PMID 33775382
- Pérez-Prados R, et al. Soft multifocal simultaneous image contact lenses: a review. Clin Exp Optom. 2017. PMID 27800638
- Evans BJ. Monovision: a review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2007. PMID 17718882
- Dumbleton K, et al. The impact of contemporary contact lenses on contact lens discontinuation. Eye Contact Lens. 2013. PMID 23266586
- Gomes JAP, et al. TFOS DEWS II iatrogenic report. Ocul Surf. 2017. PMID 28736341
- Kenny SE, et al. Giant papillary conjunctivitis: a review. Ocul Surf. 2020. PMID 32339665
- Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019. PMID 31343513
- Lawrenson JG, et al. Interventions for myopia control in children: a living systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025. PMID 39945354
- Schornack MM. Scleral lenses: a literature review. Eye Contact Lens. 2015. PMID 25536528
This article is intended for information only and does not replace a medical consultation. Indications, expected benefits and risks depend on each individual situation. For any question about your vision, consult an ophthalmologist.
Written and reviewed by Dr Moïse Tourabaly, ophthalmic refractive surgeon — former chef de clinique (Quinze-Vingts National Eye Hospital).
Last updated: October 10, 2026
