More than 24 million people in the United States wear contacts. They can be especially helpful if you exercise regularly or don't like to wear glasses. However, you'll need to replace them frequently for your eye health. 

How often you need to replace them depends on whether you choose daily or monthly contacts. Here are the pros and cons of daily contact lenses vs. monthly ones.

Daily Contacts

Daily contact lenses are meant to be worn for just one day. When you're ready to remove them, simply take them out and toss them — no cleaning, disinfecting, or storage necessary. If care and maintenance for your contact lenses aren't high on your list, then daily contacts might be a good choice for you.

Pros of Daily Contacts

Because they're worn for just one day, daily contacts have a low risk of eye infection. They're less likely to incur a buildup of deposits like proteins and allergens. These can cause chronic inflammation and make the lens uncomfortable to wear. In addition, since they don't require cleaning and storage, daily contacts are more convenient than monthly contacts. They can also save you time in your daily routine. You don't need to clean your disposable contact lenses before you put them in. When you're done wearing them, simply throw them away — or better yet, learn how to properly recycle them.

After purchasing your daily contacts, you won't need to buy other contact lens supplies like contact solutions. These are necessary if you wear monthly contacts. Since there's no disinfecting involved, your eyes won't be exposed to lens care solutions, which can be irritating for some.

Cons of Daily Contacts

Daily contacts are made of thinner materials, which may increase the risk of tearing. As such, it's a good idea to carry a spare set of lenses and a backup pair of eyeglasses. Also, the upfront cost of daily contacts is higher. That means you'll pay more initially for daily vs. monthly contacts. But you may save money in the future since you won't need to buy lens solutions to clean and disinfect them.

Throwing away lenses each day produces more daily waste than monthly contacts. With that being said, there are other kinds of waste associated with monthly contacts. This includes things like the plastics from bottles of contact lens solutions, to perhaps a lesser degree. You can reduce this waste by avoiding flushing your contacts and recycling them properly.

Monthly Contacts

Monthly contact lenses are meant to be worn for about 30 days. They must be removed, cleaned, disinfected, and stored each night. When the 30 days are up, you dispose of your lenses and start fresh with a new pair.

Pros of Monthly Contact Lenses

The cost of purchasing monthly contact lenses is lower than the cost of purchasing daily lenses over the same period. Additionally, because you're not disposing of a pair of lenses each day, there's less waste. Their thicker material makes monthly lenses less prone to damage and tearing.

Cons of Monthly Contacts

Because monthly contacts are built to be handled more often and last longer than daily contacts, they're composed of stronger materials. Therefore, monthly contacts might feel thicker, and possibly less comfortable, in your eye than daily contacts. This is not recommended for those with sensitive eyes.

Since they're worn for longer periods, debris can accumulate on the lenses, interfering with clear vision. That's why cleaning and storing your monthly contacts properly is important. Monthly contacts require maintenance and added costs of lens cleaning solutions. The care involved can also add time to your schedule.