Contact lenses are small prescription lenses, worn in “contact” with the eye, floating on the tear film layer on the surface of the cornea, sticking to your eye as they move. Contacts are designed to correct refractive errors and maintain ocular health, but they are considered medical devices and are regulated by the FDA. For this reason, you should not purchase contacts without a valid prescription from an experienced practitioner and never share your contacts with someone else. Our office provides a thorough evaluation and follow-up care to ensure your success in wearing your lenses in a comfortable and healthy manner.

Contact lenses allow for unobstructed peripheral vision, and freedom from glasses and goggles during activities and sports. Many patients simply prefer their appearance with contacts over glasses. With a good fit, proper transmission of oxygen to your cornea will allow you to wear them without discomfort.

There is no minimum age for contacts. The time for contacts is better defined by your child’s needs and traits. Wearing contacts requires responsible wear and care. A new daily routine will need to be adopted. Does your child take instruction well? Does he or she perform their chores regularly? On average, the most common age to start thinking about contacts is twelve years old, but if your child is ready earlier, we are more than happy to provide a fit. Discuss with your doctor if you think your child is ready.

You are also never too old to try contacts either. If you or your child is interested in contacts, one of our technicians will sit with you and instruct you on contact lenses handling. It is important to remember that not everyone is always a good candidate for contacts. Proficiency in insertion and removal must be shown before the doctor can recommend a contact lens prescription. Multiple visits are sometimes necessary.

Toric lenses are contacts that correct for astigmatism. They are shaped in a particular way that creates different refractive powers on the vertical and horizontal orientations. Because of this special fitting relationship, they have to fit your correctly. Manufacturers enhance the stability of this lens type by altering the thickness, weight, or size of the lens. If the lens is not correctly in place, visual clarity will decrease. For this reason, toric contacts will likely require more time to fit.

In the past, many patients who had large amounts of astigmatism were unable to wear contact lenses successfully. Today there are many new products available, and advancements in designs that may make contact lenses an option once again. Please let us know at your exam if you are interested in trying contact lenses or would like to be educated on what is newly available.

Bifocal contacts have come a long way since being first introduced over forty years ago. There are currently two presbyopic options for contact lens wearers. Multifocal lenses are designed to have different prescriptive powers all in one lens, similarly to a progressive lens in your eyeglasses, allowing the wearer to focus both up close and far away. Monovision lenses also correct for both near and far distances, but instead of the having different powers in one lens, monovision contacts have two different, single vision lenses, with one prescribed for near vision and the other for distance.

Some contact lenses are thrown away at the end of each day, others are discarded every two weeks or once a month. There are even some, called Rigid Gas Permeables, or “hard” contacts, that never get thrown away. Adhering to the discard cycle of your brand of contacts will protect your eye health, maintain clear vision, and optimize your contact lens comfort. Your doctor will discuss with you during the fitting to determine the wear schedule appropriate for your lense and needs.

Unless otherwise instructed, you should take your contact lenses out every night to sleep. The lenses are to be stored in a disinfection solution recommended by your doctor. While wearing the lenses, remove your lenses immediately if you develop unusual pain or redness, experience decreased vision or suspect that anything is wrong. Wearing a lens that is uncomfortable or in a manner other than directed increases your risk for infections and inflammation. These complications may lead to scarring of the cornea and possible permanent vision loss.