Astigmatism is a very common condition where the curvature of the front of the eye isn't round, but is instead shaped more like a football or an egg. Astigmatism won't keep you from wearing contact lenses – it just means you need a different type of lens.
Lenses specially designed to correct astigmatism are called "toric" lenses. Most toric lenses are soft lenses. Toric soft lenses have different corrective powers. and design elements to keep the lens from rotating on the eye.
In some cases, toric soft lenses may rotate too much on the eye, causing blur. If soft lens rotation continues to be a problem, gas permeable (GP) lenses can also correct astigmatism.
Dry eyes can make contact lens wear difficult and cause a number of symptoms, including:
If you have dry eyes, the first step is to treat the condition. This can be done a number of ways, including artificial tears, medicated eye drops, nutritional supplements, and a doctor-performed procedure called punctal occlusion to close ducts in your eyelids that drain tears away from your eyes.
Once the dry eye condition is treated and symptoms are reduced or eliminated, contact lenses can be tried. Certain soft contact lens materials work better than others for dry eyes.
Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) is an inflammatory reaction on the inner surface of the eyelids. One cause of GPC is protein deposits on soft contact lenses. (These deposits are from components of your tear film that stick to your lenses and become chemically altered.)
Changing to a one-day disposable soft lens will solve this problem, since you just throw these lenses away at the end of the day before protein deposits can accumulate on them.
In some cases of GPC, a medicated eye drop may be required to reduce the inflammation before you can resume wearing contact lenses.
Presbyopia is the normal loss of focusing ability up close when you reach your 40s.
Today, there are many designs of bifocal and multifocal contact lenses to correct presbyopia. Another option for presbyopia is monovision. This is wearing a contact lens in one eye for distance vision and a lens in the other eye that has a modified power for near vision.
During your contact lens fitting we can help you decide whether bifocal/multifocal contact lenses or monovision is best for you.
Keratoconus is a relatively uncommon eye condition where the cornea becomes thinner and bulges forward.
Gas permeable contact lenses are the treatment option of choice for mild and moderate keratoconus. Because they are rigid, GP lenses can help contain the shape of the cornea to prevent further bulging of the cornea. They also can correct vision problems caused by keratoconus that cannot be corrected with eyeglasses or soft contacts.
Fitting contact lenses to correct or treat any of the above conditions will generally take much more time than a regular contact lens fitting. These "hard-to-fit" cases usually require a few office visits and multiple pairs of trial lenses before the final contact lens prescription can be determined. Also, the lenses required for these conditions are usually more costly than regular soft contact lenses. Therefore, fees for these fittings are higher than fees for regular contact lens fittings. Call our office for details.
If you are interested in wearing contact lenses, call our office to schedule a contact lens fitting appointment. 905-991-1515
If you have one or more of the following conditions, contact lens wear may be more difficult:
But "difficult" doesn't mean impossible. Often, people with these conditions can wear contacts quite successfully.