Contact Lenses Care

I have personally examined many patients who bought “bargain lenses.” A great number of these were wearing poorly fitting contact lenses that caused poor vision and in some cases eye irritation. Not only did they have to discard those lenses and suffer a loss of money, but some had potentially serious eye problems related to those lenses. In the words of one (now) satisfied wearer: “I only paid eighty-nine dollars for my soft lenses, but I had to go back five times with additional cost for refitting before they managed to find a comfortable lens for my right eye. In between visits I was in agony because the lens in that eye didn’t fit right. During each visit I felt as though they really didn’t want to bother with me, and I had the sneaking suspicion that the eye exam wasn’t all it should have been.” Even if you should by chance obtain a pair that fits the shape of your cornea, the prescription may be off, as this bargain hunter discovered: “I went to one of those ninety-nine-dollarspecial storefronts. The contacts seemed comfortable enough, but I ended up wearing my glasses most of the time anyway because I could see better with them . . . a year of sporadic contact lens wear later, I realized this was silly. After a proper examination the eye doctor discovered the contacts had the wrong prescription all along!” Nor should the contact lens wearer take a doctor’s prescription to a storefront operation and expect to get completely satisfactory lenses. The importance of correctly fitted contacts cannot be exaggerated. The eye doctor, or the eye practitioner he recommends, is the person best qualified to supply you with the correct contact lenses.

Of course, there are some patients who have a high tolerance for pain and can accept almost any type of lens, or who don’t mind less-than-perfect vision. Nevertheless, intelligent consumers will demand excellent vision and comfort from their contact lenses. The perfect contact lens requires time, patience, and expertise that you can only find in the hands of an expert professional eye practitioner.

The difference between a pair of cheap lenses and an expensive pair lies not so much in the lenses themselves—it lies in the professional behind the lenses. You “buy” years of experience and professional service along with those little plastic discs. To repeat, an expert practitioner doesn’t attempt to make the eye fit the lens; he fits the lens to the eye! The eye always comes first. This important philosophy among contact lens practitioners can spell the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful contact lens wearer. Not all practitioners, however, are perfect. If you’ve been told “you can’t wear contact lenses” or if you’re not completely happy with the pair you have, consider going elsewhere for a second opinion. Patients have adopted this practice for many other medical matters, and buying a pair of contact lenses should not be any different.

When you consult a private ophthalmologist or optometrist who specializes in contact lenses, you’ll be fitted more accurately and with greater ease. Instead of having a pair (or two!) of ill-fitting, inaccurately prescribed lenses lying dormant in the dresser drawer, you’ll be wearing comfortable lenses that provide excellent vision. Follow-up care will be of high quality as well. Correcting problems of poor fit, discomfort, and faulty vision; maintaining the health of the eyes; replacing damaged or lost lenses; switching to new improved lenses, and so on are the hallmarks of care that only an expert contact lens practitioner can provide. He will never forget the criteria for successful contact lens fitting: long-term, full-time comfortable wear, with good vision and healthy eyes. Remember, you only have one pair of eyes. So please don’t take them for granted. They’re responsible for an estimated 80 percent of the information that your five senses tell you about the world you live in. A durable but sensitive organ, your eyes are irreplaceable. Badly fitted lenses may cause permanent damage, so economize elsewhere.

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