Contact lenses are a great solution for many patients, providing them with the freedom to be without glasses and have functional vision. Make sure to ask your doctor if you're a candidate.
If you’ve never worn contact lenses before, it can seem a bit intimidating. After all, you’re inserting something into your eye! Let’s ease your mind about the first step – your contact lens exam. This post will walk you through what’s involved in a contact lens exam and what you can expect every step of the way.
It begins with a comprehensive eye exam
Before we talk about contacts, we check your overall eye health and vision: how your eyes focus and work together, depth perception, peripheral vision, eye pressure, and a look at your retina and optic nerve. Contacts sit on the surface of your eye all day, so healthy eyes come first.
Then we talk about what is your goal for wearing contacts
Daily disposables or monthly lenses? Full-time wear or just weekends? If you're over 40 and reading glasses have entered the picture, we'll go over multifocal lenses and monovision. If you have an irregular cornea, such as keratoconus, or a complicated prescription like high astigmatism, we'll talk through specialty options: rigid gas permeable, hybrid, and scleral lenses.
We measure your eyes
A good fit depends on your eyes, not just your prescription. We use our MYAH corneal topographer to map the curvature of your cornea and measure your pupils, so the lens
matches the shape of your eye.
We check your tear film
Dryness is the most common reason people give up on contacts. We evaluate your tear film, including the oil glands along your eyelids, before recommending lenses. If your eyes run dry, that doesn't necessarily rule contacts out. Some newer lenses are designed to hold moisture, and we'll steer you toward those.
We fit you with trial lenses
The final step is to fit you with a trial pair of contact lenses. Once inserted, your eye doctor will examine the lenses in your eyes to ensure a good fit. He/she will check the alignment
and movement of the lenses on the surface of your eye, and if the fit looks good, the last step is to ensure the prescription is correct with a few more tests.
fit, you can order your supply.
If you're new to contacts, we'll teach you
This is the part most people are nervous about, and it's built into your visit. We'll show you how to insert and remove your lenses, how to clean and store them, and how long to wear them. You won't leave until you can do it comfortably on your own.
A short follow-up
You'll wear your trial lenses for about a week, then come back for a quick check to make
sure they're still comfortable and clear. Once we confirm the fit, you can order your supply
Contacts require a yearly contact lens evaluation in addition to your routine eye exam, to make sure your lenses are still healthy and clear for your eyes. You can do it the same day as
your annual exam or as a separate visit.
Not all vision plans cover this evaluation, and fees depend on the complexity of your prescription. Call us at (714) 962-9377 and we'll walk you through what to expect. Let us know when you book that you're interested in contacts, so we can allow extra time for the testing.
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