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LENSES
Soft Lenses
These lenses are comfortable to wear and must be replaced monthly, weekly, or daily depending on the type you choose. Soft lenses are often recommended for sports because they fit closer to the eye and are more difficult to dislodge. They can provide correction for most prescriptions including astigmatism. Today, with the introduction of newer materials like silicone hydrogels, which allow more oxygen to the eye, patients find it easier than ever to wear soft lenses comfortably. Here are soft lens insertion and removal video instructions and step-by-step written instructions.
Gas-Permeable (GP) Lenses
Made of moderately flexible plastics, GP lenses offer sharp vision and correct most vision problems. They are more durable than soft contact lenses and can be easier to handle and care for but require a longer adaptation period and consistent wear to maintain adaptation. Here are video instructions of insertion and removal techniques and a video for proper care of your GP contacts.
Multifocal Lenses
In both soft and GP designs, multifocal lenses offer patients both distance and near vision correction just like a pair of bifocal glasses.
Color Contact Lenses
Enhance your eye color or even change it completely. Colored contact lenses are fun and come in a variety of colors for both light and dark eyes.
Scleral's, Orthokeratology, Hybrids or Theatrical
Distorted irregular corneas found in keratoconus and after injuries may require special designs. Sclerals are large-diameter rigid lenses that go beyond the cornea and bathe it in saline. This is often more comfortable than standard rigid lenses and may help dry eye problems as well. Here is an insertion and care video. It's important to use a pure unpreserved saline on insertion. We carry Lacripure saline ampules in the office
Orthokeratology is the use of special contact lenses to reshape the cornea while sleeping so no lenses or glasses are needed during waking hours. Many studies have confirmed that this technique reduces the progression of myopia so it is especially useful for children who are starting to show nearsighted changes. Orthokeratology was first popularized in the 1960s with hard contact lenses but was very unpredictable. Newer techniques and designs allow us to achieve much more reliable and rapid control of the cornea and it became FDA approved in 2002. We use several different designs depending on the eye shape and degree of correction needed. It is generally best used for patients with under 6 diopters of myopia although it is much preferred to start well before the correction reaches that level. We’ve fit patients as young as 7 years old with good success. The lenses must be worn consistently because the cornea will tend to return to its original shape if the lenses are discontinued.
Theatrical or prosthetic lenses are colored lenses used to completely replace your natural eye color. If you ever wanted zombie whites or devil red eyes they are available. It is also used for injured and disfigured eyes that want a more normal appearance.