Skip to main content
Home » Your Eye Health » Eye Exams » Eye Exams for Contact Lenses

The Importance of a Comprehensive Eye Exam

Switalski Gold Divider 2020

Whether or not you have vision problems, it is important to check your eyes regularly to ensure they are healthy and that there are no signs of a developing eye condition. A comprehensive eye exam will check the general health of your eyes and the quality of your vision.

During this exam, our eye doctor will determine your prescription for eyeglasses. However, this prescription alone is not sufficient for contact lenses. Our doctors may also check for any eye health issues that could interfere with the comfort and success of contact lens wear.

Doctors & Staff at Switalski

The Contact Lens Consultation

Contact lenses are a great alternative to wearing eyeglasses. An often unknown fact is that not all patients wear contact lenses as their primary source of vision correction. Each patient is different, with some patients wearing contact lenses only on weekends, on special occasions or just for sports. That is the beauty of contact lens wear, the flexibility it gives each patient and their lifestyle.

If you opt for contact lens wear, it is very important that the lenses fit properly and comfortably, and that you understand contact lens safety and hygiene. A contact lens exam involves several steps: First, a comprehensive eye exam assesses your overall eye health. Next, we determine your general vision prescription. Finally, a contact lens consultation and fitting are conducted to find the correct lens size and fit for you.

The contact lens industry is always innovating to make contacts more comfortable, convenient and accessible. Therefore, one of the initial steps in a contact lens consultation is to discuss some lifestyle and health considerations that could impact the type of contacts that suit you best with our eye doctor.

Some of the options to consider are whether you would prefer daily disposables or monthly disposable lenses, as well as soft versus rigid gas permeable (GP) lenses. If you have any particular eye conditions, such as astigmatism or dry eye syndrome, our eye doctor might have specific recommendations for the right type or brand for your optimal comfort and vision needs.

Now is the time to tell the eye doctor if you would like to consider colored contact lenses as well. If you are over 40 and experience problems seeing small print, for which you need bifocals to see close objects, our eye doctor may recommend multifocal lenses or a combination of multifocal and monovision lenses to correct your unique vision needs.

Contact Lens Fitting

One size does not fit all when it comes to contact lenses. Our eye doctor will need to take some measurements to fit your contact lenses properly. Contact lenses that do not fit properly could cause discomfort, blurry vision, or even damage the eye. Here are some of the measurements your eye doctor will take for a contact lens fitting:

Corneal Curvature

To ensure that the curve of the lens properly fits the curve of your eye, the doctor will measure the curvature of the cornea or front surface of the eye. The curvature is measured with an instrument called a keratometer to determine the appropriate curve for your contact lenses. If you have astigmatism, the curvature of your cornea is not perfectly round and therefore, a “toric” lens, which is designed specifically for an eye with astigmatism, would be fit to provide the best vision and lens fit. In certain cases, our eye doctor may decide to measure your cornea in greater detail with a mapping of the corneal surface called corneal topography.

Pupil or Iris Size

Your eye doctor may measure the size of your pupil or your iris (the colored area of your eye) with an instrument called a biomicroscope or slit lamp or manually with a ruler or card. This measurement is especially important if you are considering specialized lenses such as Gas Permeable (GP) contacts.

Tear Film Evaluation

One of the most common problems affecting contact lens wear is dry eyes. If the lenses are not kept adequately hydrated and moist, they will become uncomfortable, and your eyes will feel dry, irritated and itchy. Particularly if you have dry eye syndrome, your doctor will want to make sure that you have a sufficient tear film to keep the lenses moist and comfortable. Otherwise, contact lenses may not be a suitable vision option.

A tear film evaluation is performed by the doctor by putting a drop of liquid dye on your eye and then viewing your tears with a slit lamp or by placing a special strip of paper under the lid to absorb the tears to see how much moisture is produced. If your tear film is weak, your eye doctor may recommend certain contact lenses that are more successful in maintaining moisture.

Contact Lens Trial and Prescription

After deciding which pair of lenses could work best with your eyes, the eye doctor may have you try on a pair of lenses to confirm the fit and comfort before finalizing and ordering your lenses. The doctor or assistant would insert the lenses and keep them in for 15-20 minutes before the doctor examines the fit, movement, and tearing in your eye. If the lenses suit you perfectly after the fitting, our eye doctor will order the lenses for you. They will also provide care and hygiene instructions, including how to insert and remove your lenses, how long to wear them and how to store them if relevant.

Follow-up

Our eye doctor may request that you schedule a follow-up appointment to check that your contact lenses are fitting properly and that your eyes are adjusting properly. If you are experiencing discomfort or dryness in your eyes, you should visit your eye doctor as soon as possible. The eye doctor may try a different lens, a different contact lens disinfecting solution, or adjust your wearing schedule.