Contact Lens Fitting Appointment: What Should You Expect?

A comprehensive eye exam can detect refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. You can choose between eyeglasses and contact lenses if you require vision correction. If you don’t prefer wearing glasses, you will benefit from contacts. They are comfortable to wear and don’t usually affect your daily activities. You don’t have to worry about this eyewear not going well with your outfits. 

If you are considering contact lenses, you’ll need to schedule another appointment with your eye doctor for the fitting. Here’s what to expect during your next visit. 

Why Is It Essential to Schedule a Contact Lens Fitting?

Keep Your Prescription Up to Date

Are you switching from eyeglasses to contact lenses? During the contact lens fitting, your eye doctor will know if your prescription has changed. Prescriptions for contacts are also different from the ones for eyeglasses. 

Know Which Lenses Suit Your Lifestyle

How frequently do you intend to wear your contacts? Are you only using them for special occasions or planning to wear them daily? You can get contact lenses in different replacement schedules like daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly and annual. Your optometrist can examine your eyes and determine the ideal replacement schedule for your needs and lifestyle. 

Ensure Clear Vision

Contact lenses must fit your eyes right to sharpen your vision. Your eye doctor will measure your cornea’s curvature using a keratometer. It will help them figure out the best lens size for you. 

Maintain Comfort

You know you have the right contact lenses if you don’t even feel they are resting on your eyes. Comfort is essential to contact lenses as well. However, some lenses might fit your eyes but still cause discomfort. Let your opticians know if you experience trouble wearing your contacts so they can suggest a material or lens type more suitable for your eyes. 

Diagnosis of Eye Conditions That Can Affect Your Lens Options

Do you have an existing eye condition or previously had problems with your eyes? If so, it could affect your contact lens options. Your eye doctors will consider allergies, corneal scars and other conditions. They will know if you need standard contacts or specialty lenses. 

Reduce the Risk of Contact Lens Intolerance

Contact lens intolerance happens when you wear improperly fitted contacts for extended periods. This condition refers to individuals who can no longer use contact lenses without discomfort or pain. Some people might not be able to tolerate contact lens wear for even a few minutes. Specialists often recommend eyeglasses and laser eye surgery to these patients. 

What to Expect During Your Appointment

Discussing Your Options

What’s your daily routine like? Which activities do you usually participate in? When you see your eye doctor for a contact lens fitting, the first thing they will do is ask about your lifestyle. Knowing your habits will help them determine the ideal type of contact lenses for you. 

Your eye care provider might recommend soft contacts, rigid gas-permeable lenses, disposable lenses or extended-wear lenses. If you have presbyopia, astigmatism, dry eyes or keratoconus, your eyes might be considered “hard to fit.” Another thing that could make your eyes difficult to fit is conjunctivitis and previous eye surgery. 

Taking Measurements

After talking about your options, your eye doctor will take measurements of your eyes. This step of the eye examination will ensure you have lenses that fit your unique needs. Expect your eye care provider to measure the curvature of your cornea and the size of your pupil and iris. They will do a tear-film evaluation to check if you have dry eyes.

The measurements of your contacts should be completely accurate because they sit directly on your cornea. If not, you could experience discomfort or not get the sharpest vision possible.  

Explaining Wear and Care Instructions

Following the actual fitting, your eye doctor will tell you which type of contact lenses will work best for you. They will instruct you how to insert and remove them safely. Expect to learn the do’s and don’ts of contact lens care. Taking good care of your contacts is essential to avoid discomfort, irritation and infection. Good habits go a long way in keeping your vision clear and your eyes healthy.  

Scheduling Your Next Visit

Your eye doctors will schedule another appointment with you to see if your lenses feel comfortable. They will see if your vision is clear and if your lenses fit correctly. Once they have confirmed your contact lenses fit properly, they will order your supply of lenses. 

How Do You Know if Your Contacts Don’t Fit Right?

Discomfort

Any discomfort that comes the first time you wear your contacts should disappear within a few minutes. If you continue to feel uneasy, you can try rinsing them with a multipurpose solution before putting them on. Inform your eye doctor if you still feel uncomfortable wearing your new contacts. It could be that they are too tight.  

Reduced Visual Acuity

Contact lenses should improve your visual acuity. Your vision should stay the same for the rest of the day and shouldn’t be affected by the blink cycle. If they don’t, it means the lenses fit your eyes properly. Your eye doctor might ask you to blink to assess the lenses in your eyes. 

Does your vision worsen after blinking? It means the lenses are too flat or a power adjustment is necessary. The contacts could be too steep if your vision improves just after blinking. Some patients see clearly upon wearing their contact lenses, but their vision deteriorates after a few hours. This issue typically happens due to dry eye or when the lenses are too tight. Even if the contacts fit well, unstable rotation can cause a patient’s vision to fluctuate throughout the day. 

Unstable Rotation

Another sign your contact lenses don’t fit your eyes properly is rotation. Significant unstable rotation with too much movement during the blink test signifies that the lenses are too flat. It can also occur if the lenses are very tight. Your eye doctor will know if a lens is too tight by pushing on the lids to rotate it out of place. The lens is too tight if it does not return to its initial position. 

Other Signs

Excessive tearing, a sensation of having something in your eye, dry eyes, redness, light sensitivity and blurred vision are other common signs of poor-fitting contact lenses. If you experience any of these symptoms, discontinue wear immediately. 

Don’t put your lenses back even if the discomfort subsides because they could be damaged. If you notice a foreign object on the lenses and they look intact, clean, rinse and disinfect them before reinsertion. Contact your eye doctor if you still experience discomfort after cleaning your lenses. Sometimes, the mentioned symptoms occur due to a serious condition like iritis, corneal ulcer and infection. 

There’s also the possibility that your contact lenses are inside out. You may not immediately notice it because you still see well. Discomfort, watery eyes and a gritty feeling are usual indications your contacts are not on the right side. You might also feel that they are shifting around your eye. All you have to do to eliminate discomfort is remove them and wear them the other way.