CONTACT LENS

DID YOU KNOW THAT A CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION IS NOT THE SAME AS YOUR GLASSES PRESCRIPTION?

A CONTACT LENS EXAM is recommended for patients who wish to have the option to be glasses-free. Because contact lenses are medical devices that you wear directly on your eyes they require a special assessment by your doctor. Your eye doctor will choose contacts that are best fit to your eyes, that match your lifestyle and that are clear & comfortable. All the while ensuring that they are safe and non-damaging to your ocular surface.

CONTACT LENS OPTIONS

Daily Disposable

Dailies are the cleanest, safest and most convenient contact lenses on the market. You get the feeling of fresh new contacts every morning and don’t have to worry about cleaning or storing them in solution. Concerned about the environment? Did you know that the packaging from daily disposables is recyclable?! In fact, more plastic is created making solution bottles than from the individual daily packages.

Bi-Weekly Disposable

Bi-weekly disposable actually means you throw out the lens every 2 weeks. This modality is no being replaced by daily or monthly disposable, however, you may have heard of Acuvue Oasys which are the most commonly used bi-weekly lens.

Monthly Disposable

Monthly disposable contact lenses are kept for 30 days before throwing them out. Every night, you will take off your contacts and store them in a disinfectant solution.

CONTACT LENS HEALTH EXAM

Annually a contact lens eye health evaluation is done to check for complications associated with contact lens usage. Contact lenses are a Class A Medical device as defined by the FDA. As a result, improper usage of contact lenses can lead to increased risks for eye infections and inflammations. Our office manages complications associated with contact lenses like those listed below. However, a lot of these problems can be prevented through proper maintenance and evaluations on a regular annual and sometimes bi-annual basis. We believe that prevention is the best way to practice medicine.

Top Seven Reasons for Red Eyes Associated with Contact Lenses

1. Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis
2. Contact lens associated red eye
3. Eye Allergies
4. Corneal Ulcers
5. Improper contact lens solution usage
6. Poorly fit or defective lenses
7. Dry Eye Syndrome

SCLERAL CONTACT LENSES

A scleral prosthetic corneal lens is indicated when there are irregularities within the front surface of the eye or the cornea. By utilizing an oxygen permeable material and a large diameter lens, our doctors are able to create an artificial surface that is smooth. This lens mounts over the cornea sitting on the white part of your eye called the sclera. In the process, it creates a pocket where a fluid lens fills the irregularities left from any degenerative or surgical condition on the cornea.

Reasons you'd be in a scleral lens:
    - Decreased best corrected visual acuity below 20/40 due to
      corneal irregularities
    - Corneal scarring causing haloing or glare
    - Keratoconus - degenerative corneal disease
    - Pellucid Marginal Degeneration
    - Post radial keratotomy (RK) surgery
    - Post refractive surgery corneal irregularities
- Ocular host versus graft disease

HOW IT WORKS:
Fitting a scleral prosthetic lens requires a high level of expertise. Our trained doctors will diagnosing the type of corneal irregularity you have with corneal topography. Then, they will fit you with an initial diagnostic lens to determine the best fit and best vision at your initial visit. The contact lens parameters and prescriptions will then be ordered to tailor it to your eye specifically. When the scleral lens arrives, the lens would be placed on the eye to ensure proper fit. Then, you will be trained on the insertion and removal of the lens. A follow up visit will be scheduled one week after you first receive your lenses to assess health and vision. Additional adjustments may be made after that visit. Despite the size of the lenses, these prosthetics are comparable to comfort with the majority of soft contact lenses.