WHAT TO EXPECT
Current Contact Lens Wearers
During your eye examination, Dr. Trimble will evaluate your current contact lenses by examining the fit and vision. If no change is needed, you’ll receive an updated prescription. If a change in prescription or lens type is needed, Union Eye Works will provide you with diagnostic trial lenses for a new brand and/or prescription. After a trial period, Dr. Trimble will work with you to evaluate the fit and vision before finalizing your new contact prescription.
New or Potential Contact Lens Wearers
Not all eyes are alike, and no one brand or size contact lens is right for everyone. Whether as part of your comprehensive eye exam or as a separate contact lens fitting, Dr. Trimble will evaluate your eyes to determine whether your eye health is appropriate for contact lenses, and which lens is best for your eye based on your corneal curvature and diameter. We’ll discuss lifestyle history, and review what type of lens is best for you. We’ll also teach you how to insert and remove your contact lenses, and instruct you on how to best care for the lenses to get maximum wear time and comfort with the least risk to your eyes. After a trial period, Dr. Trimble will re-evaluate the fit of the lens before finalizing your prescription.
WHAT TYPES OF CONTACTS ARE AVAILABLE?
At Union Eye Works, we carry all the major brand name contact lenses. Types of contact lenses available here include:
- Soft Contact Lenses
- Daily Disposable Lenses
- Multifocal lenses
- Toric Lenses for Astigmatism
- Extended Wear Lenses
- Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses
- Colored/Tinted Lenses
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION AND AN EYEGLASS PRESCRIPTION?
A typical routine eye examination only provides a prescription for eyeglass lenses. An eyeglass prescription usually contains (per eye):
- Spherical Correction: This correction is for myopia (nearsightedness; minus power) or hyperopia (farsightedness; plus power).
- Cylinder Correction: Also known as astigmatism correction. Cylinder corrections always contain a power and an axis
- Add power (optional): Corrects presbyopia, for those (especially over age 40) needing additional power to read.
A contact lens prescription involves all of the above measurements and more, including:
- Base curve: This is a measurement of the exact curvature of your cornea. Different contact lenses come in different base curves, and properly fitted lenses are necessary to provide comfort and clarity.
- Diameter: The diameter of the cornea also affects the fit and wearability of contact lenses.
- Brand: There are many different materials and brands of contact lenses, and each is unique. As such, a contact lens prescription is valid only for the specific lens fitted.
In addition, your eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions may differ in their correction of refractive error. Glasses are positioned in front of the eyes, while contact lenses sit directly on your corneas. This changes the way light refracts, altering its focal point. Because of this, prescriptions for contact lenses are often lower in power than an eyeglass prescription for the same person.