If you have been wearing glasses for a long while now, you have likely considered switching to contact lenses. Lenses offer virtually the same range of corrective ability as frames, and in some ways, benefits to vision that can’t be provided by glasses.
Contact lenses are simple, effective and ultra-convenient for the majority of modern lifestyles.
Unfortunately, not everyone can use contact lenses (a small minority of Americans are not candidates for contact lenses). Our exam will assess your eye health in remarkable detail, looking for signs of any disease or abnormality which may exclude you from the list of viable contact lens users.
Once given the all-clear, we will take precise measurements of your eye, as well as your contact lens prescription (which is not the same as your prescription for eyeglasses) in order to select the lenses which should fit you best. It’s important not to buy lenses online without a proper prescription and fitting, as they are unlikely to be well-suited to your eyes and could cause significant discomfort.
Don’t worry, we’ll also provide lens removal and insertion training.
There’s a sort-of stigma about contact lenses which says they are more complex to use than glasses; we don’t quite think so. To help you out, here are some of the most common queries about contact lenses.
You’ll need to have an eye exam to see whether or not your eyes are suited to contact lenses. There are various eye health factors which could stop you from using them, but generally speaking if you have healthy eyes, you will be able to wear lenses.
There are different types. So-called “daily disposables” are – you guessed it – removed every evening and thrown in the trash. You open a new packet every morning and pop them in – they are often considered the most convenient type of lens.
On the other end of the spectrum you have lenses which are re-used, and which can last up to a couple of years if treated well. The type of lens you choose will depend on a variety of factors: your preference, prescription, lifestyle…
You could be looking at anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars a year for your lenses. It totally depends on the quality, brand and type of lens chosen. Relative to each other, daily disposable lenses are generally a bit more expensive than monthly lenses. Custom gas-permeable and scleral lenses have the highest cost overall.
We start with a trial pair of lenses that we use for diagnostics. We want to find the most suitable fit (for maximum comfort) while also providing ideal vision correction across a range of situations.
The diagnostic lenses are usually worn for a few days. During this time we ask that you take note of your vision in specific situations (such as when driving at night or looking at your phone).
Your feedback will determine what corrections, if any, we make to your lens selection.
When worn as prescribed, contact lenses rarely cause side effects of their own. The most common conditions associated with contact lens wear include possible allergy to the contact lens material, or the proteins in your own tears which bind to the contact lens over time. Dry eye syndrome may be exacerbated by contact lens wear, with certain lens materials better suited for those with dry eyes. An ill-fitting lens could lead to pain, and improper lens handling may lead to infections and corneal scarring. Having an experienced eye doctor review your medical history and hand-select a lens to suit your individual needs, is the best way to minimize your risks and keep your eyes healthy for years to come.