Many factors weigh on the eye doctor choosing a contact lens, including:
Always use the contact lens solution recommended by your eye doctor. The type of solution used is often dependent on the material of the lens and the qualities of your eye. Generic solutions usually fail to provide patients with the same comfort, visual clarity of a name-brand. Using a recommended solution will help you avoid getting an eye infection. Here are just some examples of solutions Iowa EyeCare recommends:
Most contact lenses are only designed to be worn for a specific length of time. Commonly, soft disposable contact lenses are intended for a 2 week or 1 month time frame. Extending this period places the contact lens wearer at a very high risk for developing an infection. Some corneal infections associated with contact lens wear can cause permanent vision loss.
All contact lens wear schedules are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Daily wear lenses are intended to be worn during the day and removed before sleeping. Extended wear contact lenses contain a special silicone material that allows more oxygen to move through the lens and is approved to wear continuously for multiple days in a row.
The fundamental difference between hard and soft lenses is the material used in the lens. Rigid gas-permeable lenses are flexible, but maintain their bowl-like shape all the time. Soft lenses are can be manipulated out of their original form, but easily "bounce back" to their bowl-like shape without being damaged. Because of their rigid nature, gas-permeable lenses may initially feel slightly uncomfortable and take more time to get used to than soft lenses. Depending on an individual's eye shape, they may get better vision through a rigid lens than a soft lens. Rigid contact lenses are typically smaller than soft lenses. Furthermore, soft and rigid lenses each have a unique care system.
Contact lens technology now allows us to fit most individuals for contact lenses. Astigmatism simply means that more prescription power is needed on some parts of the eye, but not others, in order to create a clear image. Contact lens spin or rotation is unacceptable for individuals with astigmatism and, therefore, special lenses are required.
If you need bifocals you know that your prescription for distance and your prescription for up-close is different. In other words, going from far to near requires "additional" lens power. Some modern contact lens designs include both a prescription for distance and a prescription for near within the same contact lens. Other options do exist, such as wearing readers over the top of contact lenses designed for distance only or using one eye for distance and one eye for up-close. The eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare are experts at fitting contact lenses and can help you decide which option is best.
No. Occasionally a contact lens will become dislodged underneath the upper eyelid. Usually displacement is the result of excessive eye-rubbing or a poorly fitting lens. Most of these dislocated lenses can easily be re-located quickly. When in doubt schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors. We can help.
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