Contact lenses are a great alternative to wearing eyeglasses. Not all patients wear contact lenses as their primary source of vision correction. Each patient is different, with some patients wearing contact lenses only on weekends, special occasions or just for sports. That is the beauty of contact lens wear and the flexibility it gives to each patient and their lifestyle.
If you decide to wear a contact lens, the lenses must fit properly and comfortably and understand contact lens safety and hygiene. A contact lens exam will include a comprehensive eye exam to check your overall eye health, your glasses prescription, and a contact lens consultation and Assessment to determine the proper lens fit.
Importance of contact lens exam
Whether or not you have vision problems, it is essential to have your eyes checked regularly to ensure they are healthy and have no signs of a developing eye condition. A comprehensive eye exam will check the general health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. During this exam the eye we will determine your prescription for glasses. However, this prescription alone is not sufficient for contact lenses. We may also check for any eye health issues that could interfere with the comfort and success of contact lens wear.
Consultation
The contact lens industry is constantly developing innovations to make contact lenses more comfortable, convenient and accessible. Therefore, one of the initial steps in a contact lens consultation is to discuss some lifestyle and health considerations that could impact the type of contacts that suit you best.
The options to consider are whether you prefer daily disposables, biweekly disposables or monthly disposable lenses. If you have any particular eye conditions, the optometrist/doctor might have specific recommendations for the right type or brand for your optimal comfort and vision needs.
Suppose you are over 40 and experience problems seeing small print, for which you need bifocals to see close objects. In that case, the optometrist/doctor may recommend multifocal lenses or a combination of multifocal and monovision lenses to correct your unique vision needs.
Contact lens fitting
One size does not fit all when it comes to contact lenses. We will need to take some measurements to fit your contact lenses properly. Contact lenses that do not fit properly could cause discomfort, blurry vision or even damage to the eye.