contact lenses

Eye Exams for Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are an excellent alternative to using glasses. A typically unidentified reality is that not all clients wear contact lenses as their main source of vision correction. Each client is different, with some patients using contact lenses just on weekends, on special celebrations, or simply for sports. That is the charm of contact lens wear, the versatility it gives each specific patient and their lifestyle.

If you decide to go with contact lenses, it is extremely essential that the lenses fit appropriately and conveniently which helps you with contact lens safety and health. A contact lens exam will consist of both a comprehensive eye examination to check your total eye health, and your basic vision prescription, and after that a contact lens assessment and measurement to determine the appropriate lens fit.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Eye Exam

Whether or not you have vision issues, it is important to have your eyes checked routinely to ensure they are healthy and there are no signs of an established eye condition.

A comprehensive eye examination will inspect the general health of your eyes in addition to the quality of your vision. During this test the eye doctor will determine your prescription for glasses, nevertheless, this prescription alone is not sufficient for contact lenses. The doctor might likewise check for any eye health problems that could disrupt the convenience and success of contact lens wear.

Hard To Fit Contact Lens Patients

Even if you’ve been told you can’t use contact lenses, we may have the ability to assist. Specialty contacts are available for patients with dry eyes, severe astigmatism, and more.

The Contact Lens Consultation

The contact lens market is always establishing brand-new innovations to make contacts more comfy, convenient, and available. Therefore, one of the initial steps in a contact lens assessment is to go over with your optometrist some way of life and health considerations that might impact the type of contacts that fit you best.

A few of the alternatives to consider are whether you would choose everyday disposables or regular monthly disposable lenses, as well as soft versus stiff gas permeable (GP) lenses. If you have any specific eye conditions, such as astigmatism or dry eye syndrome, your optometrist may have specific recommendations for the best type or brand for your ideal comfort and vision needs.

Now is the time to tell your eye doctor if you would like to think about colored contact lenses too. If you are over 40 and experience problems seeing fine print, for which you require bifocals to see close things, your optometrist may advise multifocal lenses or a mix of multifocal and monovision lenses to correct your unique vision needs.

Contact Lens Fitting

One size does not fit all when it concerns call lenses. Your eye doctor will need to take some measurements to appropriately fit your contact lenses.

Contact lenses that do not fit correctly might trigger discomfort, fuzzy vision, or even harm the eye. Here are some of the measurements your optometrist will take for a contact lens fitting: One size does not fit all when it pertains to getting in touch with lenses. Your eye doctor will require you to take some measurements to appropriately fit your contact lenses. Contact lenses that do not fit properly could trigger discomfort, fuzzy vision, and even damage the eye. Here are some of the measurements your eye doctor will consider for a contact lens fitting:

Corneal Curvature

In order to guarantee that the fitting curve of the lens effectively fits the curve of your eye, your medical professional will determine the curvature of the cornea or front surface of the eye. The curvature is determined with an instrument called a keratometer to determine the suitable curve for your contact lenses.

If you have astigmatism, the curvature of your cornea is not completely round and for that reason, a “toric” lens, which is created particularly for an eye with astigmatism, would be fit to provide the very best vision and lens fit. In particular cases, your eye doctor may decide to determine your cornea in higher information with a mapping of the corneal surface area called corneal topography.

Pupil or Iris Size

Your eye doctor might determine the size of your pupil or your iris (the colored area of your eye) with an instrument called a biomicroscope or slit lamp or manually with a ruler or card. This measurement is especially crucial if you are thinking about specialized lenses such as Gas Permeable (GP) contacts.

Tear Film Evaluation

Among the most typical problems affecting contact lens wear is dry eyes. If the lenses are not kept effectively hydrated and damp, they will become uncomfortable and your eyes will feel dry, irritated, and itchy.

Particularly if you have dry eye syndrome, your medical professional will wish to make certain that you have enough tear film to keep the lenses wet and comfy, otherwise, contact lenses may not be an ideal vision option.

A tear film assessment is performed by the medical professional by putting a drop of liquid color on your eye and then seeing your tears with light or by putting a special strip of paper under the lid to take in the tears to see how much wetness is produced. If your tear movie is weak, your eye doctor may recommend specific kinds of contact lenses that are more effective in preserving moisture.

Contact Lens Trial and Prescription

After deciding which set of lenses could work best with your eyes, the eye physician may have you try out a pair of lenses to verify the fit and comfort before settling and buying your lenses.

The doctor or assistant would insert the lenses and keep them in for 15-20 minutes prior to the physician analyzing the fit, movement, and tearing in your eye. If after the fitting, the lenses appear to be an excellent fit, your optometrist will suggest to you which to buy. Your optometrist will likewise provide care and hygiene guidelines consisting of how to insert and remove your lenses, for how long to use them, and how to keep them if relevant.

Follow-up

Your optometrist may request that you set up a follow-up consultation to examine that your contact lenses are fitting appropriately and that your eyes are changing appropriately. If you are experiencing pain or dryness in your eyes you must visit your eye doctor as quickly as possible. Your optometrist might decide to attempt a different lens, a different contact lens decontaminating solution, or to attempt a change in your using schedule.

Contact us today to schedule your contact lens test and fitting.

  • Hard-to-Fit Contacts
    Obstacles such as astigmatism, presbyopia, keratoconus, and dry eyes need not be a barrier to contact lens wear, however, they do require more time and patience.