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Getting your eye exams and purchasing contact lens in Falgarwood is now just a phone call away. Vision problems can affect anyone, anywhere, and any time of the day. Some eyesight problems are genetic and some are not. Genetic eyesight problems start at an early age, while common ocular problems just come because of cellular degradation as we age. They can aid in detecting these problems before they become worse.
An extensive eye examination should at least last an hour if conducted by a licensed optician. Eye examinations differ depending on the optician that you are consulting, although the tests also have a common ground.
Contact lenses are an excellent choice for nearly anyone who needs vision correction but doesn’t want to wear eyeglasses full time or undergo LASIK surgery. Contacts are more popular than ever. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 40.9 million Americans age 18 and older wore contact lenses in 2014 (most recent data available), which was about 17 percent of the U.S. adult population. Also, many children begin wearing contact lenses at age 12 or younger.
Here are the basics you should know about contact lenses before seeing your eye doctor if you are interested in wearing contacts.
The first choice when considering contact lenses is which lens material will best satisfy your needs. There are six types of contact lenses, based the type of lens material they are made of:
Until 1979, everyone who wore contact lenses removed and cleaned them nightly. The introduction of “extended wear” enabled wearers to sleep in their contacts. Now, two types of lenses are classified by wearing time:
Even with proper care, contact lenses (especially soft contacts) should be replaced frequently to prevent the build-up of lens deposits and contamination that increase the risk of eye infections. Soft lenses have these general classifications, based on how frequently they should be discarded. What lens replacement frequency is prescribed most often?
The most frequently prescribed contact lens replacement schedule in the U.S. in 2016 was monthly (44 percent), followed by daily (31 percent), everyone to two weeks (24 percent) and annually (1 percent).
Many lens designs are available to correct various types of vision problems:
All of these lenses can be custom made for hard-to-fit eyes. Many other additional lens designs are available. Typically these are less common and fabricated for use in special situations, such as correcting for keratoconus.
Bifocal contacts for astigmatism. These are advanced soft contacts that correct both presbyopia and astigmatism, so you can remain glasses-free after age 40 even if you have astigmatism. [More about bifocal contact lenses for astigmatism.]
Contacts for dry eyes. Are your contacts uncomfortably dry? Certain soft contact lenses are specially made to reduce the risk of contact lens-related dry eye symptoms.
Colored lenses. Many of the types of lenses described above also come in colors that can enhance the natural color of your eyes — that is, make your green eyes even greener, for example. Other colored lenses can totally change the color of your eyes, as in from brown to blue.
Special-effect lenses. Also called theatrical, novelty, or costume lenses, special-effect contacts take coloration one step further to make you look like a cat, a vampire, or another alter-ego of your choice.
Prosthetic lenses. Colored contact lenses also can be used for more medically oriented purposes. Opaque soft lenses called prosthetic contacts can be custom-designed for an eye that has been disfigured by injury or disease to mask the disfigurement and match the appearance of the other, unaffected eye.
Custom lenses. If conventional contact lenses don’t seem to work for you, you might be a candidate for custom contact lenses that are made-to-order for your individual eye shape and visual needs.
UV-inhibiting lenses. Some soft contact lenses help protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays that can cause cataracts and other eye problems. But because contacts don’t cover your entire eye, you still should wear UV-blocking sunglasses outdoors for the best protection from the sun.
Scleral lenses. Large-diameter gas permeable lenses called scleral contacts are specially designed to treat keratoconus and other corneal irregularities, as well as presbyopia.
Myopia control contacts. Special contact lenses are being developed to slow or stop the progression of nearsightedness in children.
First, your contacts must address the problem that is prompting you to wear lenses in the first place. Your contact lenses must provide good vision by correcting your myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or some combination of those vision problems. Second, the lens must fit your eye. To do that, lenses come in tens of thousands of combinations of diameter and curvature. Of course, not every lens brand comes in every “size.” Your doctor is skilled in evaluating your eye’s physiology, and your eyesight, to determine which lens best satisfies the two criteria above.
Third, you may have another medical need that drives the choice of lens. For example, your ECP might pick a particular lens if your eyes tend to be dry. Finally, consider your “wish list” of contact lens features — colors, for example, or overnight wear.
When you and your optician decide on the right lens for you, you’ll be given a contact lens prescription. You’ll be able to buy a supply of lenses from your optician or from the many other outlets that sell contact lenses.
Caring for your contact lenses — cleaning, disinfecting and storing them — is much easier than it used to be.
A few years ago, you would have needed several bottles of cleaning products, and perhaps enzyme tablets, for proper care. Today, most people can use “multipurpose” solutions — meaning that one product both cleans and disinfects, and is used for storage.
People who are sensitive to the preservatives in multipurpose solutions might need preservative-free systems, such as those containing hydrogen peroxide. These do an excellent job of cleaning contacts, but it’s very important to follow the directions for using them. The solution should not come into contact with your eyes until soaking is complete and the solution is neutralized. Of course, you can avoid lens care altogether by wearing daily disposable contact lenses.
Trial and error often is involved in finding the perfect lens for you. People react differently to various lens materials and cleaning solutions.
Also, the correct “parameters” of your lens — that is, power, diameter, and curvature — can be finalized only after you’ve successfully worn the lens. This is especially true for more complex fits involving extra parameters, such as with bifocals or toric contact lenses for astigmatism.
If you experience discomfort or poor vision when wearing contact lenses, chances are that an adjustment or change of lens can help.
Today, more contact lens choices than ever are available to provide comfort, good vision, and healthy eyes. If your eyes or lenses are uncomfortable or you are not seeing well, remove your lenses and visit your eye care professional to explore available remedies for contact lens discomfort.
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