Consider this advertisement on television, a girl walks into an optician's shop and tries on different frames for glasses. Meanwhile a guy looking at her disapproves at the frames; in the end the girl goes inside and comes out without her glasses. As for the guy he throws his glasses and goes in as well. The girl and the guy realize that spectacles are an old concept, so they change it for contact lenses. Lenses are here to stay, spectacles are totally out as a person with specs on reminds one of a bookworm and the beauty of the eyes is hidden behind big frames. The fashion conscious and trendy crowd wants to look and feel good. Lenses have been there since a long time but now more and more people are using them.

The spectacles are doing a disappearing act. Also anyone can wear cosmetic and coloured contact lenses without any numbers. According to Mr. Avinash Pahwa owner of the famous Optical Palace in Delhi "It all depends upon the needs of the individual. But more and more people are switching to contact lenses. Lenses are any day better, but some customers still prefer spectacles. Basically different materials are used to make lenses, which can absorb water. Also it's easy to wear them and take them off, it's a single step solution and the maintenance is not too difficult. The price range is different for different companies, quality and duration of lenses, normally it starts from Rs1000 and above".

If you hate balancing your spectacles on your nose then lenses is any day a better option. Even though care has to be taken with their maintenance but they are much comfortable. As Juhi a student of History at Delhi University puts it, "I prefer lenses any day to spectacles. My numbers have come down since I started wearing them. Also people sometimes used to make fun at my expense or pass a comment when I wore specs. But thanks to lenses, no one even comes to know if I am wearing them at all. I can play sports, dance without any worry, as specs keep falling all the time."

Then there are coloured contact lenses, everyone from Urmila to Kareena to Sonali is sporting them. You can match it with your dress, make-up and give yourself a totally different look. Aishwarya's Grey-Green eyes turned deep blue to match her outfit in the song 'Nimbooda' from the movie 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'. In varied colours like violet, blue, brown, grey, olive, hazel, colour contact lenses are a sure hit with the fashion conscious Delhi junta. According to a famous Delhi make-up artist "I suggest my customers to use colour contact lenses to give them a fresh look everytime. One tends to get bored with the same colour of eyes; there the colour contact lenses come in handy. I try and match it with the makeup and dress of the client, but I make sure that it should suit the personality of the individual and look good over all. Coloured lenses are the best invention after lipstick, just like every time you can change the colour of the lips, the same is with the eyes. Also, with so many movie stars wearing them, many people follow them and try and change the colour of their eyes".

Many companies manufacture contact lenses and solutions, the most famous ones being Baush and Lomb, Johnson and Johnson, Ciba Vision, Focus, Acuve and many local companies. There are basically three types of lenses - the soft like jelly, the hard, which are very hard and the semi soft a combination of both. Also there is a difference according to the time duration as well, there are monthly, quarterly, weekly, yearly and even weekly contact lenses. It's hygienic to change them after a year. It's a crime to hide the most expressive part of your face under big frames and even ophthalmologists prescribe it. Change the way you see, look and feel, so all those of you who are trying to balance those glasses on your nose, just chuck them or bury them somewhere and switch on to contact lenses to see eye to eye.

-Jyoti Narang