Leaving your glasses behind and switching to contact lenses for the first time can be intimidating. All kinds of questions come up. Are lenses a hassle to care for? What do they feel like?
It’s natural to have doubts and concerns – contact lenses are a whole change of lifestyle, after all, and require a serious decision. Before you decide to switch to contact lenses, think about the commitment that you are willing to give them. To use contacts responsibly, you need to determine that you won’t grow your nails on your thumb and your index finger – the fingers that you use to put your lenses on and take them out. You need to be able to commit to a regular disinfection procedure each night, too.
If these requirements seem like a fair price to pay for the freedom from your glasses that contacts give you, it’s time to learn how to go about getting fitted for lenses.
Arrive Prepared for your Appointment
It isn’t a good idea to wear any kind of makeup when you go to your appointment – liner, mascara and eye shadow can make it difficult for your doctor to test you properly. You should also bring your glasses and your old prescription (if you still have it).
The Eye Exam
Doctors don’t just test their patients and send them on their way with a pair of lenses. They talk to them to learn what their lifestyle is like. They also test for a lot more than just near vision and distance vision. They test for many other kinds of vision problems, as well.
Once the doctor determines what kind of medical and practical needs you have, he will recommend the right kind of contact lens – one of several kinds of disposables, rigid lenses or anything else. He will give you a pair to wear right then. Once you have a pair of lenses on, you need to remain at the clinic for a couple of hours so that the doctor can see how well your eyes adjust.
You get to Ask for a Specific kind of Lens
Eye doctors often write out generic lens prescriptions rather than thinking of what would be best for each individual patient. For instance, when doctors check senior citizens for contact lenses, they often neglect to bring up multifocal lenses (they are a recent innovation for people who have hyperopia). Treating young people, doctors often neglect to discuss the possibility of daily disposable lenses.
In truth, though, daily disposables are the best choice for young people who may not often have the patience needed to clean and disinfect their lenses and their lens cases properly each night.
If your doctor neglects to bring up daily disposable lenses, it is usually up to you to ask.
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If you’re getting Colored Lenses
Colored lenses are medical devices just the same as regular prescription lenses. Colored lenses – whether they are prescription strength or not, go on the cornea, too. You need to make sure that you make a doctor’s appointment to get fitted for colored lenses first time. The second time on, you are free to get your lenses at other places.
Buying your Lenses from someone other than your Doctor
Once you use up your set of lenses, you could consider buying your contact lens stocks from a cheaper source – a reputed online store such as Next Day Lenses would be ideal. Not only are these places cheaper, they offer you a very wide range of lens products. A doctor’s clinic could never match these stores for range.
Some People Skip the Doctor’s Appointment Altogether
If making a real doctor’s appointment seems like a hassle, you could try an optical chain or a mass merchandiser. These stores have in-house opticians and a wide variety of lens products, too.
Elizabeth Garvey is an optical technician and eye care consultant. She enjoys blogging about her insights on various health blogs.