Contact Lens Exams and Fittings

The purpose of the exam is to determine if you have any eye conditions that may affect your ability to wear contact lenses. Once we are sure that contact lenses are a suitable option for you, we will calculate your contact lens prescription and then begin the fitting.

Please note that your eyeglass prescription and your contact lens prescription are not the same.

Contact lenses come in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and sizes, so the purpose of the fitting is to find the right pair for you. To do this, we will take incredibly accurate measurements of your eyes, ensuring the contacts we prescribe are suitable, based on your cornea’s size and shape. Properly fitted contact lenses are critical for clear vision, healthy corneas, and comfort.

At Associates in Eyecare – Oakton, we use advanced techniques such as corneal topography, to measure your eyes.

Now that we have determined which style of contact lenses is best suited to your eyes, we will send you home with a trial pair. The trial period allows you to test out your new contact lenses and make sure they are providing you with clear, comfortable vision.

We will meet with you again about a week after the trial period to check that you are happy with your contacts and ensure your eyes are adjusting appropriately. If you are satisfied with your new lenses, we will order a supply for you and provide you with a copy of your prescription.

If your trial pair isn’t meeting your expectations, we will work with you, trying different powers, styles, and brands until we find the perfect pair for you.

Toric contact lenses are designed specifically for individuals with astigmatism. Standard, spherical contact lenses typically only feature one prescription, while toric lenses are made with two different prescriptions mapped out along the vertical and horizontal axes.

To ensure the prescriptions correspond to your eye correctly, toric lenses need to remain rotationally stable throughout the day. This is achieved using a weighted portion of each lens, which prevents the lens from rotating.

Multifocal contact lenses, like multifocal glasses, are generally prescribed to individuals with presbyopia. Presbyopia is a common vision condition that many of us will experience as we age. It impacts our ability to focus our gaze on near objects.

Multifocal contact lenses feature two or more prescriptions and allow you to easily change your focus from near objects to distant objects and vice versa, without the need for multiple pairs of contacts or eyeglasses. Multifocal contact lenses can be made using either concentric rings of alternating powers, or feature a smooth transition between multiple prescriptions (called aspheric contact lenses).

Scleral contact lenses are designed to vault over your cornea and rest on your sclera (the white portion of your eye). They are made of a rigid, gas-permeable material. Scleral contact lenses are generally prescribed to patients with irregularly shaped corneas (such as those with astigmatism or keratoconus), or who have very dry eyes.

Scleral lenses are also used as bandages for patients who have recently undergone corneal transplants, protecting the eye while it heals.

Orthokeratology lenses (also called Ortho-K lenses) are rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses designed for overnight wear. Ortho-K lenses gently reshape your cornea as you sleep, temporarily correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. This ensures you have clear, crisp vision the next day without having to wear contacts or glasses.

However, because your cornea is only temporarily reshaped, you need to wear your Ortho-K lenses every night in order to continue to enjoy un corrected clear vision each day.

Hybrid contact lenses combine the crisp, clear vision of rigid, gas-permeable contacts with the comfort of soft hydrogel lenses. To achieve this, hybrid contact lenses feature a rigid central zone surrounded by a soft, hydrogel, or silicone hydrogel skirt.
Hybrid contact lenses are a popular choice among athletes because their thin edges and large diameter makes them more stable during high-impact activities such as sports.

Are you considering trading in your glasses for contacts occasionally or on a regular basis, or are you already a contact lens wearer looking to try a new style or brand? Book your contact lens exam and fitting today.