Choose the Best Specialty Contact Lenses for You

Most individuals prefer wearing contact lenses to avoid wearing prescription glasses. But unlike eyeglasses, contact lenses are not comfortable for everyone. Some individuals do not get the vision correction they need by wearing conventional contacts. They eventually get the help they need when using specialty contact lenses.

What Are Specialty Contact Lenses? 

Specialty contact lenses are for individuals with special conditions that affect their eyes. For example, a person with keratoconus may find it impossible or uncomfortable to wear regular contact lenses.

Contact lenses work by sitting on the surface of your eye to help correct your vision. But if you have a cornea with a unique shape, contacts may not fit the shape of each of your corneas. Thus, you will need specialty contact lenses to correct the problem. 

How to Choose the Best for You

The needs of the wearer determine the specialty contact lenses they need. One person may need contacts that fit their cornea, while another may need a pair for their dry eye condition. It is essential to have your eye doctor at Tri-City Optometry diagnose your problem for the ideal solution.

Soft and Rigid Contact Lens Fittings

When deciding between a soft or rigid contact lens, the main concern should be comfort. Soft contact lenses are unlikely to lead to corneal abrasions or eyelid irritation because of their nature. However, they cannot correct conditions such as astigmatism as rigid contact lenses do.

Rigid contact lenses are made from polymers that are oxygen-permeable. They help your eye get optimum moisture to remain comfortable all day. They can replace your natural cornea shape with their refractive surface. Hence, they give people with distorted corneal or astigmatism a proper degree of vision. However, you may need some time to adapt before you experience comfort.

During fitting, rigid contact lenses are different from soft contact lenses. They are usually smaller than the corneal diameter to facilitate the exchange of tears under the lens. The size also optimizes the alignment of how the lens fits.

Lens movement is essential in the fitting. Soft contact movements do not play a significant role in helping with corneal oxygenation. It has a small tear pump effect compared to rigid contact lenses.

Keratoconus Treatment (Scleral Lenses)

Keratoconus occurs when the cornea becomes thin and bulges outwards to form a cone shape. As a result, you can experience blurry vision and light and glare sensitivity. 

Scleral lenses treat conditions such as keratoconus. They have a diameter larger than the conventional contacts. 

Post-surgical and Multifocal Contact Lenses

Surgery can alter your cornea, making the conventional contacts hard to fit or uncomfortable to wear. Gas permeable contact lenses or hybrid contacts can solve your vision problem. They help if you cannot have a second surgery due to a thin cornea or have other issues that disqualify an enhancement surgery. Gas permeable contact lenses help maintain the shape of the eye due to their rigid nature. On the other hand, hybrid contacts are gas permeable and have soft edges. 

Multifocal contact lenses also help correct various vision problems at once. They work like bifocal eyeglasses to enable your eye to rectify vision issues.

Lens Fittings

A lens fitting entails scheduling an appointment with your eye doctor to discover what specialty contacts suit you. It also helps ensure you get the right fit for the chosen contacts. Your eye doctor will use different technologies to achieve the perfect one for you.

For more on contact lenses, visit Tri-City Optometry at our office in Fremont, California. You can also call (510) 602-2020 to book an appointment today.