Am I a Candidate for Specialty Lenses?

Published on August 17, 2022 ​​​​​​​

Most people prefer wearing contact lenses to eyeglasses. Contacts correct vision, are less bulky, and are hard for people to notice. But even with their many pros, they cannot fit everyone like eyeglasses. Not every contact lens can fit the eye comfortably. But if you cannot get the vision correction you need from conventional contacts, specialty lenses can help.

What Are Specialty Lenses?

Specialty lenses are contacts for people with unique conditions affecting their eyes. For example, individuals who have had corneal transplants cannot wear conventional contact lenses. The discomfort or impossibility of putting them on is often unbearable.
 

The cornea shape can change due to various conditions or situations. Consequently, conventional contact lenses cannot sit on the eye surface. Thus, specialized lenses are individually customized for each cornea.

Are You a Candidate for Specialty Lenses?

You are a specialty lens candidate if conventional contact lenses cannot give you the vision correction. The specialty lenses you will wear depend on your needs. Different individuals have varying needs.

One may want lenses that fit their cornea. Another may need a pair that can relieve their dry eye problem. Ideally, your eye doctor can give the perfect solution when they determine your need.
 

Individuals with the following conditions benefit from wearing specialty lenses:

• Sensitive or damaged eyes.
• Corneal trauma or infection.
• Corneal diseases.
• Severe diseases.
• Previous eye surgery.

Scleral Lenses

Scleral lenses are different from conventional contact lenses due to their large diameter. They vault over the eye surface instead of sitting directly on it. As a result, they leave a gap between the lens and the cornea.

Scleral lenses practically solve issues that make wearing conventional contacts impossible or impractical. The space between the lens and the cornea help patients with surgical scarring or corneal abnormalities. They benefit from wearing contact lenses. The room keeps the eye surface moisturized as it acts as a reservoir for conserving produced tears. As a result, this alleviates dry eye symptoms.

Hybrid Lenses

Hybrid contacts have the comfort of soft contact lenses from the outer ring materials. They also have a hard GP center that brings the crisp vision you can get from hard contact lenses. Hybrid lenses can fit on both normal and irregularly shaped contact corneas.

Rigid Gas-permeable Lenses

Specialists recommend gas-permeable contact lenses for patients suffering from dry eyes. The material of the lenses allows the passing of adequate oxygen to the cornea. As a result, the eyes do not dry out fast, and they can retain their moisture. The rigidity of the gas permeable lenses also helps maintain the cornea shape, which aids with corneal abnormalities.

Orthokeratology Lenses

Orthokeratology or ortho-k lenses resolve refractive errors. They temporarily change the shape of the cornea. You wear them at night when you sleep and take them off when you wake up in the morning. As a result, you enjoy clear vision during the day without the need to wear prescription contact lenses or eyeglasses.

For more about specialty lenses, visit Dau Family Eye Care at our office in St. John’s, Florida. Call (904) 713-2020 to book an appointment today.