Daily disposable contact lenses are designed to be worn for a single day, and then thrown-away. As such, these lenses represent the ultimate in convenience for the contact lens wearer. No need for extensive cleaning procedures - you don't even need a contact lens case unless you want to take the lenses out for a while. Moreover, daily-disposable contacts are generally considered the safest and healthiest type of contact lenses because the use of a fresh pair of lenses every day minimizes the chance for build-up of harmful pathogens on the lens surface.

Each of the major US contact lens manufacturers offers a daily disposable contact. First into the market was Johnson and Johnson with the Acuvue 1-day, then came Ciba with the Focus Dailies and finally Bausch & Lomb with the Soflens One-Day. In Europe and Asia, Daily Disposables are one of, if not the leading modality for contact lens wear, but in the US, daily disposables have captured only about 5% of the contact lens market. The primary reason is cost - to wear daily-disposable contact lenses full-time, you need about 360 pairs a year. While these lenses cost less on a unit basis than conventional lenses, by the time you purchase a year's supply, if you are one of those consumers still buying your contacts at the doctor's office, you can easily spend $600-$700 per year. Even with the savings on solutions and cases, this is still a significant expense. This is one area where internet retailers like Discount Contact Lenses really come into their own - with savings of 50% or more and the convenience of direct home delivery, many people are finding that endless trips to the doctor's office to pick-up more lenses is simply not economic or convenient.