Interested in wearing contact lenses but didn’t think you can because your eyes might be too dry, have too much astigmatism/ nearsightedness/farsightedness, over 40 years old, have corneal disease (i.e. Keratoconus, Pellucid Marginal Disease) corneal trauma (Scarring) or some other issue (Corneal Transplant, Post Surgical Issues)? Come visit us at Nevada Eye Care Optometry. We have standard contact lenses for our routine patients and specialty contact lenses for those with more challenging problems. We have colored contacts for those who want to see clearly and enhance or change the color of their eyes. We also have special effects/theatrical lenses for those who just want to have some fun. Below is a list of the types of contact lenses we prescribe. Go to the "Specialty Contact Lens Services" tab heading on our web site for more information about the contact lenses listed below.
- Standard Lenses:
- Clear soft lenses (spheres/torics for astigmatism)
- Colored soft lenses
- Multifocal soft lenses
- Corneal Rigid Gas Permeables
- Specialty Lenses:
- Scleral lenses
- Corneal-Scleral Lenses
- Mini-Scleral lenses
- Special Effects/Theatrical lenses
- Spherical or astigmatic soft lenses for high prescriptions
- Soft contact lenses for keratoconus
- Prosthetic lenses
- Corneal Refractive Therapy lenses
One of the most commonly asked questions about prescribing contact lenses is “What is the contact lens fitting fee?” This is the fee that covers the professional time the doctor spends fitting, evaluating and prescribing the contact lenses, which is in addition to the time it takes to perform the comprehensive eye exam. A comprehensive eye exam includes a thorough eye health evaluation and the refraction for the glasses prescription. People commonly think the contact lens prescription is the same as the glasses prescription but it is not. The contact lens prescription is different from a glasses prescription because the contacts are prescribed and fitted at the surface of the cornea whereas glasses are prescribed and fitted a dozen or more millimeters in front of the cornea. Since the contacts are riding on the surface of the cornea they must be fit properly so they do not interfere with the heatlh of the eye. The curvature on the back of the contact lens must be prescribed so it is not too tight or not so loose that it damages the ocular tissue it comes in contact with as it moves on the surface of the eye. Also the fact the glasses and contacts are located at different distances from the cornea can affect the prescription power causing them to be different.
Patients who have never worn contact lenses must receive personal instruction and training on how to properly and successfully insert and remove their contacts and how to properly clean and disinfect them, which is an additional fee. Patients who already wear contacts do not need this training.
NOTE: According to the Federal Trade Commission ruling in the Contact Len Consumer Act, contact lens prescriptions are mandated to expire annually, unless the doctor determines it medically necessary to indicate an earlier expiration date, because contact lenses are medical devices that can interfere with your eye health if not properly fitted, appropriately worn and cared for. Therefore, whether a patient is renewing a prescription or a first time wearer, they must have an annual contact lens fitting and evaluation in addition to the eye exam and refraction.
