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A contact lens fitting is the assessment of your eye, fitting of the proper contact lens using trial contacts, and the confirmation that the lens sits appropriately on your eye.
The Optometrist will confirm the general health of your cornea and your tear film. Since a contact lens is a medical device, it is important to make sure it fits to your eye properly. The eye doctor does this in a three different ways. First, the Optometrist measures the corneal curvature of the eye to determine your suitability for contact lens wear. Next, the doctor will discuss your lifestyle and your visual requirements regarding your leisure activities, work needs, and general lifestyle to determine which lenses will serve you best. Finally, the eye doctor will discuss with you the various options of contact lenses based on your needs and will prescribe a particular brand, size and modality for you.
After determining the brand of contact, sizing and modality, the contact lenses are placed onto your eyes and the fit and visual acuity will be assessed. If the visual acuity is less than expected, an alternate lens may be required. The Optometrist will spend approximately 20 minutes discussing hygiene, wearing time, insertion/removal, and all things necessary to safely and comfortably enjoy your new lenses. This will include instructions on how to properly clean and care for your lenses. Check out our blog article on How to Care for Your Contact Lenses: A Guide.
At this point a follow up visit will be scheduled to ensure over the next 3-5 days your contact lenses worked for you as expected and did not cause any adverse effects.
At Tradewinds, we work with you to prescribe a lens that works for your lifestyle and provides optimal vision, comfort, and ocular health. Tried contact lenses before and could not wear them? Had to stop wearing contacts when you needed reading glasses? Maybe you have a medical condition such as severe dry eye or keratoconus, which make getting the perfect fit difficult. A successful contact lens fitting can sometimes be a process, requiring multiple visits and lens trials, but we will work with you to find a solution.
We specialize in soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable or “hard” lenses, multi-focal (for distance and reading prescriptions), and high toric (for astigmatism) fits. Let us work with you in our relaxed environment to get your contact lenses right! Below is chart detailing more information about each type of contact lens.
Single-vision lenses are ideal for patients who need a simple distance prescription. They are available in soft lenses and in various replacement schedules, including one-day disposables, two-week disposables, or monthly planned replacements.
Toric contact lenses correct for astigmatism in your prescription. They come in soft or hard varieties and use prism ballasting technology to keep the lens stable on the unlevel, irregular surface of your cornea.
Patients needing vision correction for both distance and near viewing may be a candidate for multifocal lenses. This is similar to a bifocal or progressive lens in glasses and could eliminate the need for reading glasses worn over contact lenses.
Another option for distance and near viewing is monovision lenses. This is a great option for patients who cannot tolerate multifocal contacts. The visual system is split giving the dominant eye optimal distance prescription and the non-dominant eye your reading correction, eliminating the need for reading glasses in most cases and most activities.
Orthokeratology (or ortho-k) contact lenses are prescribed to fix refractive errors such as nearsightedness and astigmatism. They slow the progression of nearsightedness in children. These gas permeable contact lenses are worn overnight and slowly reshape your corneas so you can see clearly after removing the lenses in the morning. This eliminates the need for glasses or contact lenses during your waking hours. Ortho-k lenses have only a temporary effect and should be worn every night for best results.Having problems with your contacts? We will check for signs of eye damage caused by contact lenses. Your contact lenses can actually cause problems with your cornea and overall eye health if you have been misusing or overwearing the lenses. These problems may only cause irritation or annoying symptoms in the beginning but can quickly develop in something much more serious such as severe pain or vision loss. Schedule an appointment with us if you’re experiencing any discomfort!
This is a scratch on the surface of your cornea resulting from a poorly fitting contact lens, foreign material under the contact lens, or overwear. The treatments include antibiotics and possible patching of your eye. Infection may result from this condition.
This is the most severe complication of contact lens wear. In this condition, trauma or contamination to your cornea from the contact lens results in an infection. This may require hospitalization for treatment and can lead to extensive corneal scarring. Corneal transplant surgery may be required to regain good vision. Although very rare, it is possible that you could lose an eye from a severe corneal ulcer.
Itching, lens intolerance, and redness can be common symptoms while wearing your contact lens. Treatments include discontinuing lens wear for a period of time, switching lens types, switching solutions, and practicing better lid hygiene.
Your eye becomes red and irritated in response to the cleaning and/or storage solution. It is most often seen with soft contact lenses and is usually a reaction to the preservatives in your solution. Treatment includes changing to a different solution and storage method as directed by your eye care professional.
When the eye has a lack of oxygen to the surface, blood vessels may grow into your cornea. This is rare with new highly oxygenated materials. Your doctor will look for this at every visit.Never tried contacts before and not sure how to put them in? Watch this video—and remember, we’ll help you through the process when you come in for your fitting! We allow plenty of time for training you with your new lenses. You will never feel rushed to overcome any anxiety you might feel and we will help you through the learning curve.
Whether you live in Davidson or a nearby area like Cornelius, Huntersville, Mooresville or even Charlotte, our caring team is ready to help you improve your eye health and quality of life. Get started with a contact lens fitting at our office!
