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Contact Lenses There is a contact lens solution for almost every refractive vision problem- high powers, astigmatism and even bifocal contact lenses are available. We provide personal service with careful consideration of your unique needs when selecting and fitting contact lenses. We have provided a list of topics for you to choose from. Simply click on any topic you would like to learn more about. |
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The vast majority
of people requiring vision correction can wear contact lenses without
any problems. New materials and lens care technologies have made today's
contacts more comfortable, safer and easier to wear. Consider the questions
and answers below to help assess whether they're a choice you should consider.
Contact lens wear may be difficult if:
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After a thorough eye examination, your suitability for contact lenses and the specific contact lens option that best meets your requirements will be determined.
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What are the advantages of wearing contact
lenses?
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What
lifestyle do you lead? What kind of work do you do?
For those involved in sports and recreational activities, contact lenses
offer a number of advantages. In addition to providing good peripheral
vision, eliminating the problem of fogged or rain splattered lenses, and
freeing you from worries about broken glasses, contact lenses also mean
you can wear non-prescription protective eye wear. Looking sideways through
the lenses of glasses leads to prismatic effects because you are not looking
through their centers. Your eyes have to coordinate differently to cope
with this. This does not happen with contact lenses because you always
look through the centers of the lenses as they move with your eye movements.
Your occupation and work environment should also be taken into consideration.
People whose work requires good peripheral vision may want to consider
contacts. Those who work in dusty environments or where chemicals are
in heavy use are likely to find spectacles more comfortable.
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Do
you like wearing glasses?
Do you like the way glasses feel? Do you like how you look in them? No
longer is it really necessary to choose between either contacts or glasses.
Some of today's contacts are so easy to wear that you can use them intermittently
-- for special occasions, while participating in sports or to match your
fashions. New single-use, one-day disposable lenses are comfortable and
do not require cleaning. They may be easily interchanged with glasses.
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Contact lenses aren't
just for seeing better! They're for looking better too. In fact, some
people who don't even need vision correction wear tinted contact lenses
as a way to change their look. Today's tinted lenses allow you to enhance
your natural eye color -- making the blue bluer or the green greener --
or change it altogether.
Three categories of tinted contact lenses are available:
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Oh, the
pressure! Get great grades, excel in at least one sport, play a musical
instrument, work part-time, hang out with friends -- and always, always
look cool. If you're a teenager today, much is expected.
But what to do if suddenly you can't make out the writing on the blackboard,
you can't see the ball until it's practically in your hands, or you have
to squint to read the notes? What to do -- and still look cool?
Try contact lenses. Not that glasses can't be fashionable. But for today's
active teenagers, contacts are a perfect fit. What your parents may not
know is that today's lenses are more comfortable and easier to care for
than those of a decade ago. Plus, there are more types of contacts, from
disposables to toric (especially for people with astigmatism), from which
to choose. In other words, there are almost certainly lenses to fit your
individual needs.
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When can you begin wearing contact lenses?
Even pre-teens can handle contacts. A three-year study* conducted by the
Indiana University School of Optometry found children ages 11-13 able
to handle contacts well and understand the use of their care systems to
maintain clean, comfortable lenses. When to begin contact lens wear can
only be determined in conjunction with your eye care practitioner.
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What are the advantages of contact
lenses over eyeglasses?
Glasses can get in the way, especially in sports, cheerleading, dance
or other exercise. Not contact lenses. Nor are there rims to interfere
with your side, or peripheral, vision. When you're active, contact lenses
don't steam up or slide down your nose. Plus, they eliminate that annoying
pressure behind your ears.
*"Will
Young Children Comply and Follow Instructions to Successfully Wear Soft
Contact Lenses?" by P.S. Soni, D.G. Horner, L. Jimenenz, J. Ross,
J. Rounds; CLAO Journal, April 1995.
Fiction or fact? Truths about contact lenses
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Fiction:
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Teen eyes are not "mature enough" for contacts. |
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Fact:
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Most eye care professionals agree that by age 13, even as early as age 11, most eyes are developed enough for contact lenses. An eye exam will confirm whether contacts can be worn or not. |
| Fiction: | Contacts fall out a lot. |
| Fact: | They fell out more often when the only ones available were hard lenses. Soft lenses conform to the shape of the eye, are larger in diameter and are tucked under the eyelids, so they usually don't move out of place or fall out. Plus, they're usually more stable than glasses, especially for sports. |
| Fiction: | Contact lenses are expensive. |
| Fact: | Not! The price of contact lenses is comparable to that of an average pair of eyeglasses. |
| Fiction: | Contact lenses are hard to care for. |
| Fact: | Not at all. Today's lens care systems are easy and quick to use. Contacts can be ready to wear in just five minutes. |
| Fiction: | Contact lenses are not safe to wear for sports. |
| Fact: | Except for water sports, contacts are very safe. They can't be broken or knocked off the face and they provide unobstructed peripheral vision. Ask your parents to make an appointment to assess your ability to wear contacts. If he or she gives thumbs-up, then try a pair. Wearing lenses is the best way to find out if you and contact lenses were made for each other. |
The information below
is intended as a supplement to the training and instruction you receive
as part of a contact lens fitting program.
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How to Insert Your Lenses
How to Remove
Your Lenses
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Are
You Disposing Your Disposables?
Almost immediately after they are inserted, contact lenses begin attracting
deposits of proteins and lipids. Accumulated deposits, even with routine
lens care, begin to erode the performance of your contacts and create
a situation that presents a greater risk to your eye health.
A specific replacement schedule helps to prevent problems before they
might occur. Contact lens wearers, in turn, enjoy the added comfort, convenience
and health benefits of a planned replacement program. Planned replacement
lenses are generally a thinner design or are made of different, more fragile
materials with a higher water content than unplanned replacement or conventional
contact lenses. Based on a complete assessment of your needs, a prescription
for planned replacement lenses may call for replacement:
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Except for daily disposables, planned replacement lenses require cleaning and disinfection after each period of wear unless they are discarded immediately upon removal. Planned replacement lenses can be worn as daily wear -- removed before sleep -- or as extended wear, if recommended by your practitioner.