{"id":12613,"date":"2021-06-08T13:51:06","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T13:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=12613"},"modified":"2022-01-04T14:12:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T14:12:08","slug":"why-are-contact-lens-exams-important","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/why-are-contact-lens-exams-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Contact Lens Exams Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Contact lenses that don\u2019t fit properly can cause blurry vision, ocular discomfort and even eye damage.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A contact lens eye exam is vital for anyone interested in wearing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/\">contact lenses<\/a> for the first time, and for all people currently wearing contact lenses.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Are eyeglass prescriptions the same as contact lens prescriptions?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>No, a prescription for glasses <b>cannot<\/b> be used for contact lenses.<\/p>\n<p>A contact lens prescription measures for lenses that sit directly on the surface of the eye, while an eyeglass prescription measures for lenses that are positioned approximately 12 millimeters from the eyes.<\/p>\n<p>The prescription for contact lenses includes the following, which are not part of an eyeglass prescription;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Material or Brand<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lens powers<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lens curvature<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lens diameter<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Cleaning solution (if required)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Wearing instructions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To ensure that your vision with contacts is comfortable, clear and safe, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>contact an eye doctor near you<\/b><\/a> who can provide you with the right lenses for you.<\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>What is a contact lens exam?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>During a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/\">contact lens exam<\/a>, your eye doctor will perform specific tests to evaluate your eyes and vision with contacts;<\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Eye evaluation &#8211; Are you suitable for contact lenses?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Each eye is shaped differently. Therefore, one contact lens size doesn\u2019t fit all eyes. If a contact lens is too flat or too steep for a patient\u2019s corneal shape, they may experience discomfort or even eye damage.<\/p>\n<p>An eye doctor takes certain measurements to determine the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/\">contact lens design<\/a> and fit for their patient\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Corneal curvature &#8211;<\/b> measures the curvature of the eye\u2019s cornea (clear front surface) so the eye doctor can select the optimal diameter and curve for the lenses. If the surface of a patient\u2019s eyes is somewhat irregular because of astigmatism or other conditions, a special lens may be required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pupil and iris size &#8211; <\/b>to determine the best contact lens design, the size of your pupil and iris is also important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tear film evaluation &#8211;<\/b> to determine whether your tears will be able to keep contact lenses and your cornea sufficiently hydrated throughout the day, the quality of your tears is evaluated. If you have dry eye syndrome, standard contact lenses may not be a good fit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>2. Trial lenses &#8211; How do you feel wearing contact lenses?<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p>Following the eye exam, the optometrists will use their experience and analysis to establish which are the best lens options for you.<\/p>\n<p>The optometrist, or the staff, will use trial lenses which are provided to verify that the chosen contact lenses offer comfortable and clear vision. This allows your eye doctor to make any fine adjustments to the many parts of the contact lens prescription.<\/p>\n<p>Wearing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/\">correct contact lenses<\/a> for your eyes allows you to enjoy all of the benefits of wearing contacts while keeping your eyes comfortable and healthy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule an appointment<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you to make sure your contact lenses fit properly.<\/p>\n<p><i>If you&#8217;re already a contact lens wearer, even if you are not experiencing any problems, it\u2019s essential to visit your eye doctor at least once a year to make sure the lenses are still providing you with optimum comfort, vision and eye health.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contact lenses that don\u2019t fit properly can cause blurry vision, ocular discomfort and even eye damage. A contact lens eye exam is vital for anyone<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12614,"parent":12548,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12613","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why are Contact Lens Exams Important? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/optical\/guide-to-contact-lenses\/why-are-contact-lens-exams-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why are Contact Lens Exams Important? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contact lenses that don\u2019t fit properly can cause blurry vision, ocular discomfort and even eye damage. 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