What can be done with contacts?
Contact lenses offer patients the flexibility of being able to see without wearing glasses or having corrective surgery. The contacts available are fairly expansive compared to what they used to be. Today we are able to correct for large amounts of astigmatism, near sightedness, far sightedness, or near reading for the presbyopic patients. Several types of cosmetic lenses are available. There is the ability to change color, support your favorite NFL team with logo, celebrate Halloween and even cover defects or injuries seen on the eye. Hard lenses can be custom fit to help those with specific corneal problems such as keratoconus. Studies have been done on a process called corneal molding to reshape the cornea in an effort to be less dependant on glasses or contact lenses during daily activities and wearing a contact lens retainer at night. This fit requires sequential fitting of lenses and is not for those in a hurry. It has been controversial in the past but is gaining popularity.
What is available?
Lenses are available in several different materials and modes. Soft lenses take the largest percentage of the market and come in several types of material, as do hard lenses. Most wearers are in disposable lenses now. They are healthier for the eye and don’t have the protein build up problem as often. Disposables can be disposed of daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly depending on what your doctor thinks is best for you in conjunction with your lifestyle. New lenses are introduced to the market often allowing us to offer our patients the perfect product with the newest technology available. It is exciting to watch the contact lens business evolve and we work hard to keep abreast of the latest innovation.
What will my doctor do?
When you are examined your doctor will check your ocular health and your vision. Your best visual acuity will be arrived at for a glasses prescription. From that the doctor will make the necessary calculations to convert to a contact lens prescription. Additionally your eyes will be measured for the base curve and diameter that will best suit you. He or she will discuss your needs from lenses and determine what will be best for you.
There are some people who have difficulties with contact lenses. Some individuals just can’t bring themselves to touch their eyes to put them in or take them out. Dryness can be a problem. If an individual has a health problem that affects dryness of the eye or are just naturally dry, contact lenses may irritate the problem and hamper good vision results with contacts. Artificial tears and/or punctum plugs can help.
Additionally, not every contact lens is good for everyone and that is why there are so many alternatives out there. It is very rare that someone cannot be fit. On a small percentage of patients it may take a few visits to work out what is best for someone. Please be patient, it is worth the effort.
How do I get my contacts?
Once you have been successfully fit, a contact lens prescription can be released to you or we can order for you. We can have the lenses delivered directly to your home or to our office for you to pick up, whichever you prefer. Future orders can be handled by phone with a credit card or debit card. We accept cash, credit/debit cards and insurance as they apply.
How often do I have to come back?
After the final successful fit if you have no problems, once annually is when the doctor would recheck you.
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