Contact Lenses and Care
Monthly vs. Daily Contact Lenses: The Ultimate Comparison1
6 mins read
So, monthly replacement or daily disposable contact lenses?
We’d love to give you the answer. However… there isn’t one. Or rather, the answer depends on you. Each type of contact lens has its advantages, so read this quick introduction. Then you and your optician can make the decision, having considered all the pros and cons of daily disposable contact lenses vs monthly replacement contact lenses.
It all starts with a chat about your expectations and needs. Your optician will take a look at your eyes, make a few measurements and test your vision. Then comes the big moment: a recommendation. Once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to open wide and glimpse a crisp, clear future. You’ll be fitted with your selected lenses—but only to give them a dry run. You can always change your mind later, swapping between daily disposable and monthly replacement lenses at any time, or even trying colour options.
Daily disposable contact lenses
Let’s say, for the sake of simplicity, that you decide to try daily disposable contact lenses. After all, they’re a very popular and attractive option.
Daily disposables are a revolutionary development. When contact lenses were first invented, they cost a small fortune per lens, so the idea of throwing them away after 12-16 hours might have been acceptable to millionaires, but not to anyone else.
Today however, the cost per lens has shot down, while quality and performance have raced up! In fact technological advances have come so far that you can put in a fresh pair of contact lenses every day of the month (or whenever you want a break from glasses) at a cost that’s only slightly higher than wearing a single pair of monthly replacement contact lenses.
These single-use contact lenses have the great advantage of convenience. You just apply a fresh clean pair in the morning (or whenever you choose during the day), then take them out at night, disposing of them before you go to bed.
After that, you start with a fresh pair each morning. No solutions, no cleaning, no maintenance and no fuss. Because they’re taken fresh from their sterile blister pack solution, daily disposable contact lenses are guaranteed to start every day clean and fresh, helping to ensure your eyes stay healthy. Since the approach involves no solutions, case or storage, you eliminate hassle, fiddliness, time, debris from dirty lenses—and potential complications. And for additional convenience, you can keep a spare pair or two in a handbag, gym-bag or office drawer - for spontaneous use, or to replace a damaged or dirty pair.
By the way, the word ‘disposable’ means you throw the lens away after each use: hence daily disposables are dispensed with after being worn within a 24-hour period. You can also get weekly and extended wear lenses—designed to be worn continuously for a week or month, then never again, never having been removed during the days and nights spent under your eyelids. Always check the packet and follow its guidance.
Sounds interesting? Daily disposables are perfect for occasional use. If you only want to wear lenses on certain days, or for special occasions, they’re your ideal solution. Have a word with your optician and see if this could work for you and your eyes.
Daily disposables: why not?
What’s the downside then?
Used every day, they may cost more than monthly replacement lenses. You’ll only get the full benefit of these lenses and enjoy extra eye health if you stick to the rules, never over-wearing the lenses or reusing them. Doing so is a recipe for an undesirable eye infection, discomfort or a nasty complication—and that’s certainly not convenient!
How about monthly replacement contacts?
The other really popular option is monthly replacement contact lenses. These contact lenses are taken out each evening (or during the day when changing to glasses). They are then cleaned, rinsed and disinfected before being stored overnight in contact lens solution. The lenses can then be reused the next day, for up to a month from the first day of use - but no longer!
One advantage of monthly replacement contact lenses is that they are more durable and less likely to tear. This is hardly surprising, since they’re designed to remain robust during a cycle of up to 30 applications, removals and cleaning sessions.
A main selling point for monthly replacement contact lenses is that they tend to be more economical than daily disposables (even when you consider the extra cost of the cleaning solution).
Monthlies include special agents within their structure to improve moisture retention and remain highly resistant to deposits like proteins and lipids. This is particularly true of monthlies made from silicone hydrogel. These allow around five times as much oxygen to pass through as pure hydrogel, making them extremely comfortable to wear and good for your eye’s health.
However, with a monthly replacement contact lens you do have to keep it clean. Each lens has to be cleaned, disinfected and stored after every use, every time, to keep them fit to wear. This means you need a supply of contact lens solution to clean and store your lenses, a good memory or system to remind you when to buy and use new contact lenses (it’s a good idea to make this a set day in every month), and a more disciplined approach to your bedtime routine.
Daily disposables: why not?
What’s the downside then?
Used every day, they may cost more than monthly replacement lenses. You’ll only get the full benefit of these lenses and enjoy extra eye health if you stick to the rules, never over-wearing the lenses or reusing them. Doing so is a recipe for an undesirable eye infection, discomfort or a nasty complication—and that’s certainly not convenient!
Extended wear and continuous wear
Your monthly replacement contact lenses may not be suitable for overnight wear. If you want to keep in your lenses full time, ‘extended wear’ (six nights, seven days) or ‘continuous wear’ (up to 30 nights, 31 days) silicone hydrogel lenses could be what you’re looking for. Confusingly, the latter are sometimes referred to as weekly or monthly replacement contacts. Thanks to superb oxygen permeability, these extended and continuous wear contact lenses can be worn day and night for their specified term, before being replaced. Talk to an eye care professional to find out if this is right for you.
Which is best for my eye condition or prescription?
If you’re still wondering which lens is best for your eyes, but also aware that you’re likely to need multifocals or toric lenses to correct astigmatism, don’t let this worry you. These days there are daily disposables and monthly replacement contact lenses for almost all lens wearers, whatever their eye conditions and prescriptions are.
Speak to your optician, listen to their recommendation, but remember: neither daily disposables nor monthly replacement contact lenses are intrinsically better or worse than the other at correcting your vision.
Both can change your life, for the better!
Products You Might Be Interested In
DAILIES TOTAL1™
The first and only daily disposable lenses with nearly 100% water at the surface2, so nothing touches the eye but a gentle cushion of moisture.†3
PRECISION1™
Precise vision and dependable comfort4 in an easy-to-wear, easy-to-love daily disposable contact lens.
TOTAL30™
The first and only monthly replacement Water Gradient contact lenses, so comfortable they feel like nothing, even at day 30.‡5
REFERENCES
†Based on 90.4% of wearers agreeing with the statement, "while wearing my lenses, I sometimes forget I have them on".
‡Based on more than 70% of wearers agreed with the statements ‘These lenses were so comfortable I didn’t feel anything’ and ‘I did not have to think about my contact lenses today’, n=66.
1. About Contact Lenses.CDC. Website. https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/index.html. Updated May 27, 2025. Accessed September 2025.
2. Thekveli S, Qui Y, Kapoor Y, et al. Structure-property relationship with delefilcon A lenses. Contact Lens Anterior Eye. 2012; 35 [Suppl 1]:e14.
3. Perez-Gomez I, Giles T. European survey of contact lens wearers and eye care professionals on satisfaction with a new water gradient daily disposable contact lens. Clin Optom. 2014;6:17-23.
4. Perez-Gomez I, Valente R, Vonbun H. Survey of patient and ECP satisfaction with a new daily disposable toric contact lens. Optom Vis Sci; 2021;98:E-abstract 215040.
5. In a clinical study wherein patients (n=66) used AOSEPT® solution for nightly cleaning, disinfecting, and storing; Alcon data on file, 2021. Study CLY935- C013 p.4.
Data on file references available at AUS: 1800 224 153; Auckland NZ: 0800 101 106.
Consult your eye care professional for wear, care, precautions, warnings, contraindications and adverse effects.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE.
All content on this website is for informational purposes only, always talk to your health professional regarding your eye health or medical conditions.
©2025 Alcon Laboratories Pty Ltd. AUS: 1800 224 153; Auckland NZ: 0800 101 106. ANZ-VC-2500021
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