Contact Lens Exams at DelMar Surgical and Cosmetic Treatment Center
Contact lenses remain one of the most popular forms of vision correction among people of all ages. Like glasses, getting contacts requires a trip to the eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam. As a part of your exam, one of our optometrists in Newark or Elkton can provide contact lens fitting to ensure that you get the brand and size of lenses that work best for your eyes.
Eye Exam and Contact Lens Fitting
During a comprehensive eye exam, your optometrist performs a visual acuity test in which you’ll be asked to read letters from a standard distance. Placing lenses of varying powers in front of your eyes helps the eye doctor determine what prescription you need. Information collected during the exam is used to diagnose farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, and other eye conditions.
Another important part of the examination is the contact lens fitting. Just as you need a particular shoe size for comfortable feet, your contacts must fit just right to promote good vision. At our clinic, your optometrist will take several measurements to ensure that the contact lenses fit correctly. First, the eye doctor may use a keratometer, a special instrument that shines light onto the cornea of the eye. By analyzing the reflection of light from the cornea, your optometrist can measure the curvature of the cornea’s surface. This information is used to order contact lenses with an appropriate size and curvature.
The size of your pupils may also be important when fitting contact lenses to your eyes. Pupil measurements may be taken by simply using a ruler or by employing precise instruments to measure the horizontal and vertical diameter of the pupil. Your eye doctor will synthesize all of this information to find contact lenses that fit you best.
Types of Contact Lenses Available
Choice of contact lenses depends on a number of factors, including lifestyle preferences, vision correction needs, eye conditions, and other health variables. Your optometrists can help you weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each type of contact lens.
Soft contact lenses are flexible and adhere to the surface of the eye. The benefit of these lenses are that they are simple to clean and available for most vision correction prescriptions. Soft contact lenses are available in a variety of types, including extended wear (which may be worn overnight), daily disposable lenses, or two-week disposable lenses. In contrast, rigid gas permeable lenses are sometimes called “hard contacts.” Because they allow better flow of oxygen to the eye, they may be appropriate for people with certain eye or medical conditions. Although rigid gas permeable lenses cause eye irritation for some people, patients typically acclimate to their use relatively quickly and find them easy to use.
To determine what contacts are best for you, contact our clinic today to schedule an appointment with an optometrist. After a comprehensive eye exam and contact lens fitting, we'll find the best lenses for you!