During a contact lens exam and fitting at Avon Vision Associates or New Hartford Eye Associates, your eye doctor will evaluate your eye health and vision and consult with you on your lifestyle and hobbies to ensure we recommend the right contact lens for your eyes, vision, and lifestyle. There are many new contact lenses that accommodate astigmatism, presbyopia, and more.  

Contact lens exam 

The contact lens exam is part of a comprehensive eye exam.  

• During the contact lens exam, your eye doctor will evaluate the size and shape of your eyes and will also check for any eye health issues which may affect your comfort while wearing contact lenses.   
• Your eye doctor will measure your cornea to determine the curvature and size of your contact lens and will also measure the size of your pupils. Astigmatism may require you to wear a toric lens (a special type of lens that counteracts flaws on the surface). 
• Your eye doctor may also evaluate your tear film to determine if you have a condition known as dry eye syndrome.   

Once these tests are complete, your eye doctor will prescribe contact lenses based on your eye health and vision needs. They may provide you with trial contact lenses and ask you to wear them for a week or so. You will then come back for a follow-up exam to ensure the contacts fit comfortably and provide you with clear vision.

You will also receive a contact lens prescription that designates the contact lens type, power, base curve (a shape matching the curvature of your eye), and diameter.   

Why do I need an exam for contact lenses?  

If you plan to wear contact lenses, you need a contact lens exam because contact lenses are classified as medical devices, which means you need a prescription to wear them. If you wear contact lenses or plan to wear contact lenses, let us know when you schedule an appointment for your comprehensive eye exam, so we can perform the contact lens exam during your appointment.   

Types of contact lenses   

There are many different types of contact lenses to accommodate most people’s visual needs and eye health, including specialty lenses.  

• Soft, spherical contact lenses are the most common type of contact lens and the most prescribed. Traditional soft contact lenses are made of soft plastic polymers and water, allowing oxygen to pass through to the cornea. There are different wear schedules for soft contact lenses based on your prescription. It’s important to adhere to the wear schedule the doctor prescribes for you so that your eyes remain healthy, and you can continue to wear soft contact lenses comfortably.  Your doctor may recommend daily use contact lenses, which means you only wear a pair of lenses for one day and then discard them, or weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly lenses.    
• Toric contact lenses are made to correct for astigmatism and are available in both soft and gas-permeable designs. These contact lenses have one power that is horizontal and one power that is vertical, and there’s a weight at the bottom so that they remain centered on the eyes.   
• Bifocal contact lenses allow people to see clearly up close and at a distance. These lenses are like bifocal glasses in that they have two separate powers, and they’re available in soft and gas-permeable forms.   
• Monovision contact lenses are one of the options for people who have presbyopia, which is the gradual decline in near vision due to aging. The dominant eye is fit with a contact lens for far vision if needed, and the other eye is fit for near vision.  
• Specialty contact lenses include scleral lenses and rigid gas permeable lenses. Scleral lenses can be part of the recommended treatment and management of corneal and ocular surface disease.  

The eye doctors at Avon Vision Associates and New Hartford Eye Associates have expertise in successfully fitting patients with the right contact lenses for their visual needs, eye health, and lifestyle. Whether you wear contact lenses already or would like to, you need a contact lens exam. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for your comprehensive eye exam and let us know if you’d like to wear contact lenses.