Contact Lenses
Getting started right with your contact lenses involves going to an eye care professional who provides comprehensive service. Contact lenses are considered prescription devices, just like pharmaceuticals. Therefore, they must be prescribed and properly fitted by an eye care professional.
The contact lens fitting/evaluation process involves a thorough eye examination and an evaluation of your suitability to wear contact lenses. After the assessment of your ocular health and the measurement of your corneal curvature, your optometrist will evaluate the contact lenses on your eyes for proper fit and alignment. Follow up appointments are necessary to insure of a success fit.
Contact lenses are made of many different materials. They fall into two main categories: soft contact lenses and gas permeable contact lenses (including CRT lenses).
Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
Gas permeable (GP) contact lenses are more rigid and smaller in diameter than soft contact lenses. Advantages of GP lenses include superior optic and oxygen permeability. GP lenses can correct certain vision problems such as high astigmatism more accurately than can soft lenses. GP lenses allow more oxygen to pass through them than do soft lenses, so corneal irritation is less likely. Disadvantages of GP lenses include initial discomfort and adjustment period and possible blurred vision temporarily after lens removal.
Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are most often fit now as they offer conciderable movement & comfort during adaptation.
Most patients adapt to their soft contact lenses within a few days. With advanced technology soft contact lenses can now be fit to correct all refractive errors.
We have spherial lenses to correct myopia and Hyperopia Toric lenses to convert astigmatism and now soft bifocal lenses to correct distance and near vision.
Soft contact lenses come in a variety of wearing models: Dailey disposable lenses which are changed every day after wear. Bi-weekly or monthly disposable contact lenses which are disposed of after 2 week or a month of wear.
Extended wear soft contact lenses are worn overnight and can be disposed of after 2 weeks or a month.
Since everones eyes are different, the proper wearing time and disposal time will be recommended by your eye care professional.
The eye doctors at Seacoast Eye Associates have had over 40 years of contact lense experience and are here to help determine the best contact lense for you.