Contact Lens Exam
If you wear contact lenses or would like to wear contact lenses, then you need a contact lens exam.
During a contact lens exam at Ensight Eyecare, Dr. James Barton will evaluate your eye health and vision and consult with you on your lifestyle and hobbies to ensure we recommend the right contact lens for your eyes, vision, and lifestyle.
There are many new contact lenses which accommodate astigmatism, presbyopia, and more. If you’ve tried wearing contact lenses in the past but stopped wearing them because they were uncomfortable, Dr. James Barton may be able to help you.
What is a contact lens exam?
The contact lens exam is part of a comprehensive eye exam. During the contact lens exam, Dr. Barton will evaluate the size and shape of your eyes and will also check for any eye health issues which may affect your comfort while wearing contact lenses.
Dr. Barton will measure your cornea to determine the curvature and size of your contact lens. Astigmatism may require you wear a toric lens (a special type of lens that counteracts flaws on the surface and will also measure the size of your pupils. We may also evaluate your tear film to determine if you have a condition known as dry eye.
Once these tests are complete, Dr. Barton will prescribe contact lenses based on your eye health and vision needs. He may provide you with trial contact lenses and ask you to wear them for a week or so, then come back in for a follow-up exam to ensure they fit you well, provide you with clear vision, and that you’re comfortable wearing them. He will also provide you with a prescription which designates the contact lens type, power, base curve (a shape matching the curvature of your eye), and diameter.
Why do I need an exam for contact lenses?
If you plan to wear contact lenses, you need a contact lens exam because contact lenses are classified as medical devices, which means you need a contact lens prescription to wear them. If you wear contact lenses or plan to wear contact lenses, let us know when you schedule an appointment for your comprehensive eye exam, so we can perform the contact lens exam during your appointment.
Types of contact lenses
There are many different types of contact lenses to accommodate most people’s visual needs and eye health, including specialty lenses (internal link to specialty contact lenses page). Dr. Barton can prescribe all types of contact lenses, so even if you’ve been told in the past that you are not a suitable candidate to wear regular soft contact lenses, or if you’ve tried them and it was unsuccessful, contact us for an appointment, as you may be a candidate for specialty contact lenses.
- Soft contact lenses are the most common type of contact lens, and the most prescribed. Traditional soft contact lenses are made of soft plastic polymers and water and allow oxygen to permeate to the eyes. There are different wear schedules for soft contact lenses based on your prescription, and it’s important to adhere to the wear schedule the doctor prescribes for you so that your eyes remain healthy, and you can continue to comfortably wear soft contact lenses. Your doctor may recommend daily use contact lenses, which means you only wear a pair of lenses for one day and then discard them, or weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly lenses.
- Tinted or cosmetic contact lenses are soft contact lenses which change the color of the iris (colored part of the eye). These lenses can be used for cosmetic purposes, or for decorative purposes, such as for Halloween.
- Toric contact lenses are made to correct for astigmatism and are available in both soft and gas-permeable designs. These contact lenses have one power that is horizontal and one power that is vertical, and there’s a weight at the bottom so that they remain centered on the eyes.
- Bifocal contact lenses allow people to see clearly up close and in the distance. These lenses are like bifocal glasses in that they have two separate powers, and they’re available in soft and gas-permeable forms.
- Specialty contact lenses include scleral lenses and rigid gas permeable lenses.
There are so many available options, and Dr. James Barton is an expert doctor in fitting contact lenses based on the individual vision and eye health needs for each patient.
Schedule Your Contact Lens Exam at Ensight Eyecare
Whether you wear contact lenses already or would like to, you need a contact lens exam. Contact us today to make an appointment for your comprehensive eye exam and let us know you’d like to wear contact lenses.
