At Coopersville Vision Center, we strive to meet all of your eye and vision care needs. After a comprehensive eye and vision evaluation, Dr. Aimee Bronson will discuss the variety of contact lens options with you to select the type that best fits your vision needs and lifestyle. If you suffer from dry eye, allergies, or recurring eye infections, speak with our staff to determine whether contact lenses are right for you.
The next step for healthy eyes is finding a prescription that gives the patient the best vision. Contact lenses can be prescribed for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia. Special tests are then performed to ensure proper fit and clear vision with the contacts. First, measurements are taken to determine what size and type of contacts are best for you. Next, you will be given a trial pair of lenses to check the fit and visual acuity. You will wear the trial pair home to practice with and ensure good comfort. After about a week, the fit and vision with the contacts will be reassessed and a final lens prescription is determined.
Different Types of Contact Lenses
Many people choose soft contact lenses for their vision correction. Soft contact lenses are light and flexible, and patients often find them very comfortable on their eyes to the point where they do not even notice that they are there. Some soft contact lenses are called daily wear lenses and they are designed to be thrown away each day. Other soft contact lenses come with a replacement schedule that may call for a new pair every month.
Rigid gas permeable lenses are made from a thicker material than soft lenses. They sit on top of the pupil and move with every blink of the eye. Some patients, many with astigmatism, prefer the sharpness of rigid gas permeable lenses to traditional soft contact lenses. Rigid gas permeable lenses can also be helpful for patients who suffer from dry eyes because they allow tears to get underneath them and form a cushioning layer between the lens and the eye.
Multifocals are a single set of lenses with multiple prescriptions in them. A multifocal design is somewhat like progressive eyeglass lenses, with a gradual change in lens power for a natural visual transition from distance to close-up. Multifocal contact lenses are a type of contact lens that can correct both presbyopia and other refractive errors at the same time.
Are Contact and Eyeglass Prescriptions the Same?
No, the two are quite different. An eyeglass prescription measures for lenses that are positioned a distance away from your eyes. A contact lens prescription measures for lenses that sit directly on the surface the eye. It also includes measurements for the size and curvature of the contact that fits properly on your eye. An improper fitting or prescription of contacts can damage the health of the eyes.