Contact Lens Exams

     Dr. Owen's specialty is contact lenses and he fits almost every kind of lens available. After a comprehensive eye and vision evaluation, you and the doctor can discuss the variety of contact lens options to select the type that best fits your vision needs and lifestyle. If you suffer from dry eye, allergies, or recurring eye infections, speak with our staff to determine whether contact lenses are right for you.

"Never let an eye doctor tell you that there isn't a contact lens available for you out there.  If they say that, they just aren't trying hard enough."

-Dr. Owen

     Prior to prescribing contact lenses, a vision evaluation will determine what level of vision correction you require. Refractive error (commonly known as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism depending on the error) is evaluated by measuring how the eyes focus when a series of different lenses are placed in front of them. 

     After determining the level of refractive error, Dr. Owen works with you to determine whether contact lenses or glasses are best for your lifestyle. If you suffer from certain conditions, such as dry eye or allergies, glasses or specialty rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP lenses) may be the most comfortable corrective solution. Contact lenses are available in either soft or RGP form. Contact lenses need to be changed daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on what type of soft lens you select. Specialized soft contact lenses, such as bifocal contact lenses or lenses that correct for astigmatism, are also available for our patients.

     Advances in contact lens technology have created great options for cosmetic and prosthetic lenses. Custom contact lenses can be created to camouflage any color variation or irregularity and produce a natural eye color. Cosmetic lenses are also available to transform your eye color. 

      Contact lenses are not an easy solution for every person suffering with vision problems. Some eye conditions make wearing contacts a difficult proposition. However, it does not rule out wearing contact lenses altogether. It just means patients need to discuss options with their eye care provider and obtain specialized hard to fit contacts for their specific vision problems. 

      Finding contact lenses that fit and wearing contact lenses in general can be made more challenging when these conditions affect your eyes:

• Astigmatism
• Dry eyes
• Keratoconus
• Presbyopia

Astigmatism: Astigmatism generally develops when the front of the eye curves into a bulge or oval shape. It causes blurred vision and can be difficult to correct because regular contacts cannot account for the bulging.

Dry Eyes: When eyes become excessively dry, it leads to irritation, burning, redness and blurred vision. Contact lenses can exacerbate these conditions by making it feel like a foreign object is stuck in your eye.

Keratoconus: This is an uncommon condition that causes major discomfort when wearing contacts. Keratoconus happens when the cornea becomes thinner and allows the eye to bulge forward. The bulge forms into a cone shape and can cause major visual distortion.

Presbyopia: Eyes tend to have a tougher time focusing on close objects as they age. This condition is known as presbyopia. It typically affects people aged 40 or older.

     Wearing contacts is not impossible if you suffer from one of the above conditions. You do need to meet with an eye care professional, however, and get prescribed contact lenses that are tailored to deal with your specific vision condition.

     Gas permeable lenses are a good solution for patients who suffer from dry eye or Keratoconus.  We fit normal RGP lenses and specialty lenses such as the Jupiter lens or SynergEyes lenses. Both specialty lenses are effective in vaulting over corneal bulging and relieving pressure on the tissue for a Keratoconus sufferer and keeping tears in front of the cornea throughout the day in a dry eye patient  While these are more expensive initially, they can also last for a long while with proper care..

     Toric lenses are useful for correcting astigmatism. Since the lens needs to align with the curvature it is correcting, toric lenses, once in place, must not rotate in order to fit on the eye. They are typically custom made to correct a specific astigmatism.

     Bifocal and multifocal lenses can help remedy presbyopia. These lenses show your brain a variety of images all at one time.  While it may seem overwhelming at first, it maintains your binocular vision and your brain soon learns to filter out which images it does not need.  Monovision lenses are another option for presbyopia. This type of lenses can have one fitted for distance vision and the other for seeing close objects.