Specialty Contact Lenses

​​​​​​​What Kinds of Specialty Contact Lenses Are Available?

Specialty contacts help provide hard-to-fit contact patients an option to help them see clearly without the need to wear heavy and bulky eyeglasses. Every person's eyes may be shaped differently, and their vision correction needs vary, requiring special contacts to help ensure every patient's vision needs are met. For example, scleral lenses help with irregularities in the shape of the cornea, resting on the white part of the eye and vaulting over the cornea, allowing the space between the ocular surface.

Rigid gas-permeable lenses have a rigid design and keep their shape, unlike soft contacts, which conform to the shape of the eye. As a result, these contacts are more durable and help with conditions that soft lenses cannot adequately treat.

Finally, for patients who need bifocal glasses, multifocal contacts are available for their vision needs.

Why Do You Need to See an Optometrist?

Contacts require a prescription from an optometrist to ensure the vision correction is the proper strength and the contacts fit the cornea correctly. Additionally, an optometrist can properly diagnose conditions that may require special contacts. Seeing an eye doctor for a contact lens exam can help ensure the proper correction strength, provide any special contacts, and ensure you are an excellent candidate to wear contacts.

Hard to Fit Contacts

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.

Reasons for Hard to Fit Contacts

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
• Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)
• Keratoconus
• Presbyopia

Astigmatism: Astigmatism 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.

GPC: This form of conjunctivitis is caused by inflammation on the inner surface of the eyelid. Protein buildup on contact lenses can make this condition worse.

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.

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.

Solutions for Hard to Fit Contacts

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 GPC or Keratoconus. A GP lens will limit protein deposits from accumulating which will reduce GPC symptoms. It is also effective in containing corneal bulging and relieving pressure on the tissue for a Keratoconus sufferer.

Toric lenses are useful for correcting astigmatism. Since the lens needs to align with the bulge it is correcting, toric lenses must not rotate in order to fit on the eye. They are typically custom made to correct a specific astigmatism. For that reason, this type of lens takes longer to make and costs more than a traditional contact lens.

Bifocal and multifocal lenses can help remedy presbyopia. 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.

Medicated eye drops can be an effective solution for dealing with dry eyes. They will lubricate eyes enough to make contact lenses more bearable, although a punctual occlusion also must be done to plug the ducts in some extreme cases. GPC symptoms can also be lessened through medicated eye drops. They flush out protein deposits and reduce inflammation.

Visit Us for Hard to Fit Contacts

If you struggle with wearing contacts, it might signify that you need special contacts. Schedule an appointment with us at Pflugerville Vision Care in North Austin, TX, and Pflugerville, TX, for an eye exam. During the exam, we can determine if you are a good candidate for contacts and if you need special lenses. We can help many patients who are hard to fit contacts wearers get into a pair of contacts.