Do you need assistance with vision correction? Our optometrists Dr. Mital Patel, OD, and Dr. Sela Hothersall, OD, at Classic Vision Care in Kennesaw and East Cobb / Marietta, Georgia, look forward to helping you see the world more clearly via glasses or contact lenses. Decide whether contact lenses might be the perfect solution to correct your vision.
Why wear contacts?
Perhaps you want people to see your beautiful peepers. Or you’re looking for something easier to wear while playing sports, exercising, or jogging. Maybe you keep breaking or misplacing your glasses. Whatever the reason, let us help.
Contact lenses provide superior vision to glasses for several reasons. Contacts:
- Offer a full range of vision
- Won’t fog up
- Don’t have frames that partially block your vision
Dr. Patel and our team help you choose the perfect lenses.
Contacts myths busted
We’ll address your concerns about making the leap from glasses to contacts, that may include:
Lenses need too much care
Have no fear. Disinfecting your contacts is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Clean one lens at a time by placing it in the palm of your hand and gently rubbing.
- Rinse the lens with the solution.
- Place the lens in the holder with fresh solution.
If your eyes feel dry in lenses, ask us for a dry eye evaluation; only drops labeled for use with contact lenses should go in over a lens. We also recommend preservative-free cleaning solutions for those with allergies.
Contacts feel uncomfortable
Dr. Patel and her team ensure you find the best fitting lenses for your eyes. Once you get used to wearing them, you shouldn’t notice them at all. If you have dry eyes, daily disposable lenses or scleral lenses are often the better fit, and the lens material matters more than its thickness.
They’ll get stuck in your eye
Our eyelids contain a moist lining known as the conjunctiva, which makes it impossible for a lens to become embedded behind your eye.
They’re too expensive
Cost depends on the lens type, the replacement schedule and your vision benefits; we go over the real numbers at your fitting.
Who can wear contacts?
The short answer is nearly everyone. These include people with such vision issues as:
- Astigmatism, a curvature of the cornea or lens of your eye
- Myopia, nearsightedness
- Hyperopia, farsightedness
- Eye diseases, such as Keratoconus, which thins the cornea and bulges it into a cone-like shape; scleral lenses are the usual fit for keratoconus today
We also fit multifocal contact lenses that correct distance and near vision in one lens.
Contraindications for wearing contacts
Although the majority of our patients can wear contacts, some would be better off sticking with eyeglasses to correct their vision. This includes those sporting:
- Blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelid
- Extensive eye allergies
- A propensity for eye infections
Once we judge your eyes suitable for contacts, we’ll offer simple instructions for cleaning and storage to help you avoid infections and other eye injuries.
Daily or disposable lenses
Once you decide contacts are the way to go, we’ll help you choose the best type:
- Daily wear must be removed, cleaned, and stored each day.
- Daily disposable lenses never need cleaning, since you put on a new pair every day.
- Extended wear lenses allow more oxygen to pass through. Only sleep in lenses if your eye doctor specifically approves it; most wearers should remove their lenses every night.
We’ll help you see all your options clearly
Dr. Patel and our team help you choose your ideal contact lenses from a variety of options, including tinted, bifocal, trifocal types, and UV protection. If you want a deeper look before your visit, read our guide to the different kinds of contact lenses and our tips for preventing dry eyes when you wear contacts. Simply call us or book an appointment online with Classic Vision Care today.
What should contact lens candidates know now that was not covered above?
The question "am I a candidate for contact lenses" has a better answer today than it did a few years ago. Lens materials and designs have widened the pool. Patients with astigmatism, presbyopia, keratoconus and even significant dry eye can often wear contact lenses with the right fit. A contact lens exam at our Kennesaw or East Cobb office includes corneal measurements and a tear film check. You try trial lenses before any order is placed.
Three safety points deserve more weight than the original post gave them.
First, sleeping in contact lenses is not a casual choice. The CDC advises against sleeping in lenses unless your eye care provider directs it [1]. Some lenses are approved for overnight wear, but that decision belongs in the exam room.
Second, water and contact lenses do not mix. Remove lenses before swimming or showering, and never rinse or store them in water [1]. The FDA warns that tap and distilled water have been linked to a rare but serious infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis [3]. Use fresh solution every time and replace your lens case at least every three months [1].
Third, know the stop signs. If an eye becomes very red, painful, watery or light sensitive, remove the lens and call your eye doctor right away [2]. The same applies to blurry vision or discharge [2]. An early call usually means a simpler fix.
What about the "contraindications" listed above? Blepharitis, allergies and past infections are reasons for a careful contact lens fitting, not automatic disqualifiers. Daily disposable contact lenses give allergy sufferers a clean lens each morning. Treating blepharitis or dry eye first often makes contact lens wear comfortable again.
Specialty contact lenses have also moved forward. Scleral lenses vault over the cornea and rest on the white of the eye. They help patients with keratoconus, irregular corneas and dry eye who were once told contacts were not an option. Our doctors fit scleral and other specialty contact lenses at both offices, and the optical showroom at each office stocks solutions and cases.
One last update: a contact lens prescription is not permanent. Plan on a contact lens exam every year so the fit, the prescription and the health of the cornea are checked together [2]. Our post on yearly contact lens checkups in Cobb County explains what that visit covers.
Related reading: contact lens exams and fittings, yearly contact lens checkups in Cobb County, scleral lenses for keratoconus and irregular corneas.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contact lens care and infection prevention
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, "How to Take Care of Contact Lenses"
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Contact Lens Risks"
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