Contact Lens Exam

If you’ve never worn contact lenses before, it can seem a bit intimidating. After all, you’re inserting something into your eye! Let’s ease your mind about the first step – your contact lens exam. This post will walk you through what’s involved in a contact lens exam and what you can expect every step of the way.

It begins with a comprehensive eye exam

Your eye doctor will first determine your overall eye health and vision. This includes a discussion of your health history and then a series of standard eye tests. These tests will evaluate eye focusing, eye teaming, depth perception, color vision, peripheral vision, and the response of your pupils to light. The doctor will also measure your eye’s fluid pressure to check for glaucoma, evaluate your retina and optic nerve, and test your vision with different lenses to assess whether contact lenses can improve your vision.

Then, a discussion about your contact lens preferences

If contact lenses are appropriate for you, the next step is to discuss your preferences. For instance, do you plan to wear contact lenses every day or just for sports or date night? Would you prefer daily disposables or contact lenses that must be removed, disinfected and then re-worn? If you're over 40, your eye care professional will likely address age-related vision changes and explore how contact lenses can help manage these concerns. Be sure to ask about the benefits and potential drawbacks of each type to make an informed decision.

Next, the eye doctor will conduct eye surface measurements

Contact lenses require precise measurements of your eyes to fit properly. Using an instrument called a keratometer, your doctor will measure the curvature of your eye's cornea, the clear front surface of your eye.
 

You may also need a tear film evaluation

If you have dry eyes, your eye doctor will perform a tear film evaluation to measure the amount of tear film on the surface of your eye. If your tear film is insufficient or you have chronic dry eyes, contact lenses may not be a good option for you. However, some newer contact lenses deliver moisture to the surface of the eye, making them a better choice for individuals with dry eye issues.

It's time for the contact lens fitting

The final step is to fit you with a trial pair of contact lenses. Once inserted, your eye doctor will examine the lenses in your eyes to ensure a good fit. He/she will check the alignment and movement of the lenses on the surface of your eye and if the fit looks good, the last step is to ensure the prescription is correct with a few more tests.

Now it’s your turn to test it out

Your contact lens exam is over! If you have never worn contact lenses before, we will train you how to put the lenses in and take them out. Once you are able to do this on your own (Be patient! This part can be tricky!), we will send you home with trial lenses to take this new vision on a test drive. If the vision is clear and the contact lenses are comfortable with the trial lenses, the contact lens prescription can be finalized and then you can order a supply of lenses. We are happy to help with this, and can also utilize any vision benefits you may have through VSP or Eyemed.