A contact lens is a thin, curved piece of clear plastic that sits directly on the surface of your eye to help you see better. Contact lenses do the same job as eyeglasses, correcting vision problems like nearsightedness or farsightedness, but instead of sitting on your nose, they rest gently on the wet surface of your eyeball.

The lenses are so thin and light that most people forget they're wearing them after a few minutes. They move naturally with your eye when you look around, giving you clear vision in every direction without frames blocking your view. Athletes often prefer contact lenses because they don't fog up, slip down, or fall off during games.

Putting in contact lenses takes practice. You place each lens on your fingertip, hold your eyelids open, and gently touch the lens to your eye. Your eye's natural moisture holds it in place. Most contact lenses need to be cleaned and stored in a special solution each night, though some types are designed to be thrown away daily.

Doctors called optometrists or ophthalmologists fit people for contact lenses, measuring each eye carefully since everyone's eyes are slightly different shapes and sizes.