CONTACT LENS EYE EXAMS AND FITTINGS

At Advanced Vision Clinic, we strive to meet all of your eye and vision care needs. Corrective lens evaluations and prescription management are provided by our optometrist in Columbia. After a comprehensive eye and vision evaluation, Dr. Gary White 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.

Evaluation

Prior to prescribing contact lenses, Dr. White determines what level of vision correction you require. Refractive error (commonly known as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism depending on the error) is evaluated by measuring how the eyes focus when a series of different lenses are placed in front of them. An optometrist may use either a phoropter or an automated instrument to take these measurements. To schedule an appointment for a vision evaluation with our Columbia optometrist, call (803) 708-9834​​​​​​​ today.

Corrective Lenses

After determining the level of refractive error, Dr. White works with you to determine whether contact lenses or glasses are best for your lifestyle. If you suffer from certain conditions, such as dry eye or allergies, glasses may be the most comfortable corrective solution. Contact lenses are available in either soft or rigid gas permeable form. Contact lenses need to be changed daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on what type of lens you select. Specialized contact lenses, such as bifocal contact lenses, are also available for patients with special eye conditions. Call us at (803) 708-9834​​​​​​​ if you are interested in learning if contact lenses are a good fit for you.

Cosmetic Lenses

Advances in contact lens technology have created great options for cosmetic and prosthetic lenses. Custom contact lenses can be created to camouflage any color variation or irregularity and produce a natural eye color. Cosmetic lenses are also available to transform your eye color. Call us at (803) 708-9834 and speak to our knowledgeable staff if you are interested in modifying or changing your eye color with contact lenses.

Contact lenses are not an easy solution for every person suffering from vision problems. Some eye conditions make wearing contacts a difficult proposition. However, it does not rule out wearing contact lenses altogether. It just means patients need to discuss options with their eye care provider and obtain specialized hard to fit contacts for their specific vision problems.

Reasons for Hard to Fit Contacts

Finding contact lenses that fit and wearing contact lenses, in general, can be made more challenging when these conditions affect your eyes:

• Astigmatism

• Dry eyes

• Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)

• Keratoconus

• Presbyopia

Astigmatism: Astigmatism develops when the front of the eye curves into a bulge or oval shape. It causes blurred vision and can be difficult to correct because regular contacts cannot account for the bulging.

Dry Eyes: When eyes become excessively dry, it leads to irritation, burning, redness, and blurred vision. Contact lenses can exacerbate these conditions by making it feel like a foreign object is stuck in your eye.

GPC: This form of conjunctivitis is caused by inflammation on the inner surface of the eyelid. Protein buildup on contact lenses can make this condition worse.
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Keratoconus: This is an uncommon condition that causes major discomfort when wearing contacts. Keratoconus happens when the cornea becomes thinner and allows the eye to bulge forward. The bulge forms into a cone shape.

Presbyopia: Eyes tend to have a tougher time focusing on close objects as they age. This condition is known as presbyopia. It typically affects people aged 40 or older.

Solutions for Hard to Fit Contacts

Wearing contacts is not impossible if you suffer from one of the above conditions. You do need to meet with an eye care professional, however, and get prescribed contact lenses that are tailored to deal with your specific vision condition.

Gas permeable lenses are a good solution for patients who suffer from GPC or Keratoconus. A GP lens will limit protein deposits from accumulating which will reduce GPC symptoms. It is also effective in containing corneal bulging and relieving pressure on the tissue for a Keratoconus sufferer.

Toric lenses are useful for correcting astigmatism. Since the lens needs to align with the bulge it is correcting, toric lenses must not rotate in order to fit on the eye. They are typically custom-made to correct specific astigmatism. For that reason, this type of lens takes longer to make and costs more than a traditional contact lens.

Bifocal and multifocal lenses can help remedy presbyopia. Monovision lenses are another option for presbyopia. This type of lenses can have one fitted for distance vision and the other for seeing close objects.

​​​​​​​Medicated eye drops can be an effective solution for dealing with dry eyes. They will lubricate eyes enough to make contact lenses more bearable, although a punctual occlusion also must be done to plug the ducts in some extreme cases. GPC symptoms can also be lessened through medicated eye drops. They flush out protein deposits and reduce inflammation.