Specialty Contact Lenses
What Are Specialty Contact Lenses?
Specialty contact lenses are different than standard contact lenses. Standard contact lenses are the types of lenses that most people wear. Specialty contact lenses are contact lenses that are created and fabricated using custom measurements of your specific eyes. These lenses are used to treat eye disorders, vision problems, and to correct cosmetric issues.
Types of Lenses
Specialty contact lens types typically fall into four categories:
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Soft specialty lenses are comfortable to wear, and can be designed to help with higher prescriptions.
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Rigid GP (gas permeable) specialty contact lenses are made of harder, longer-lasting material, and they are used to correct more advanced conditions.
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Hybrid lenses combine the best of both worlds—a hard lens in the middle to provide superior optics, but soft on the edges to help with comfort and centration.
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Scleral lenses are larger and cover more than just your cornea, extending well over the whites of your eyes-the sclera. Because the edges of the lens are tucked under the eye lids, the lens does not move on the eye, resulting in excellent comfort. Scleral lenses have given us the ability to help even the most severe corneal and ocular conditions.
Benefits of Specialty Contact Lenses: Solving Special Problems
Scleral contact lenses can do more than correct vision. They can be used to treat certain conditions, such as dry eye, graft-vs-host disease, and more. Since the bowl of the scleral lens is filled with liquid rests on the surface of the eye all day, which can help damaged spots on the front surface of the eye. In many cases, they can dramatically improve vision in patients with diseases like keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration. They can correct sight problems causes by injuries and congenital problems. Lastly, they can provide cosmetic benefits for those with damaged eyes.
Who Can Most Benefit from Specialty Contact Lenses?
People dealing with the following conditions are prime candidates for specialty contact lenses:
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Keratoconus: Specialty contact lenses create a smooth optical surface, resulting in excellent vision for keratoconus patients. Many of our patients regain vision that they have not had in 10 or more years!
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Corneal transplant: The surface od the cornea can become irregular after surgery, a condition that specialty contact lenses can alleviate.
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Refractive surgery: After vision correction surgery (such as LASIK, PRK, or RK), specialty contact lenses can help create a smooth optical surface and improve visual acuity as well as fluctuating vision.
Patients who have undergone refractive surgery such as Radial Keratotomy (RK), LASIK, PRK and other forms of vision correction can also be good candidates for specialty contact lenses. Often times, these procedures can develop into different forms of irregular astigmatism. If you have had refractive surgery and suffer from blurred vision with traditional glasses, fluctuating vision throughout the day, double vision, or overall distorted vision, you may be a great candidate for specialty contact lenses. Our equipment will evaluate your specific ocular shape, and recommendations will be tailored to your exact condition.
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Dry Eyes: Specialty contact lenses keep the cornea bathed in tears by providing a barrier between the surface of your eyes and the outside world. Scleral lenses can help repair damaged portions of your cornea and other structures of your eyes.
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Corneal scaring: Scar tissue can develop on your cornea due to diseases, injuries, and surgeries. Custom-fitted and designed lenses can counteract the visual debilitation caused.
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Ocular trauma or aniridia: Damage to the eye can have many causes and can affect the cornea, conjunctiva, iris, lens, and retina. An irregular iris, called aniridia also has functional and cosmetic impacts. Specialty contact lenses can help with both how you see and how you look.
Trauma to the eye can occur at any time in your life, whether from an explosive event, such as a firecracker to the eye, or problems during routine eye surgery, the damaging effects can be similar. Ocular trauma can affect multiple parts of the eye including the cornea, conjunctiva, iris, lens, and retina. If the trauma to your eye has left scar tissue on the front surface of the cornea or resulted in an irregular shape, specialty contact lenses may help you see better and achieve a desirable cosmetic appearance. aniridia, or an irregular iris, can also be a result of trauma or surgery. Cosmetic contact lenses can also assist to control the amount of light entering the eye, as well as achieving a more normal looking eye. At your visit, we will be able to evaluate the entire ocular structure to determine if you are a candidate for cosmetic contact lenses.
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Myopia: Beyond needing to see better, patients with myopia are at risk for eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal detachments. If treated early enough, many of these complications can be prevented. Specialty contact lenses such as orthokeratology, soft multifocal lenses, low dose atropine therapy, and MiSight lenses can help slow down the progression of myopia.
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Irregular astigmatism: for people who cannot be helped by glasses or regular contact lenses, specialty contact lenses are an effective alternative.
Irregular astigmatism is a catch-all phrase indicating the need for special forms of vision correction. Patients with irregular astigmatism will likely not see well with conventional treatment options such as glasses or regular contact lenses. Irregular astigmatism can be a result of many different conditions such as keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal ectasia, post-refractive surgery, corneal scarring, and ocular trauma. Often the best solution for patients suffering from irregular astigmatism include specialty contact lenses such as gas permeable lenses, scleral lenses, and hybrid lenses. If your eye doctor has diagnosed you with irregular astigmatism, you could be a great candidate for custom contacts!
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Pediatric conditions: early intervention can support proper eye development and prevent or delay a wide variety of problems. Among theses are congenital cataracts aphakia, amblyopia, strabismus, and others.
Infants, babies, and children may require specialty contact lenses at a young age. A common condition is called congenital cataracts, a condition which will result in improper eye development, and permanently decreased vision. The only option for theses patients is cataract removal. After cataract removal, the patient is left without a crystalline lens, called aphakia. Babies and children with aphakia must wear high powered spectacles, custom soft lenses, or gas permeable lenses in order to achieve appropriate vision to stimulate proper eye development. Another reason young children require contact lenses is amblyopia. When one eye has a much higher prescription that the other eye, the end result can be permanent decreased vision. If treated early enough with proper glasses or contact lenses (and usually combined with vision therapy), the child’s eye can develop properly, yielding normal vision.
Why Visioncare Associates for Specialty Contact Lenses?
We are highly proficient in managing specialty contact lenses. Our experience spans a wide variety of conditions and applications. We have created customized contact lens solutions for thousands of patients. There is truly no substitute for experience.
We bring you the most innovative contact lens technologies for results that are unattainable with conventional methods. Our doctor is an opinion leader within the field of specialty contact lenses, working with leading specialty contact lens manufacturers in developing advanced emerging technologies. We are proud to offer technology that no other doctors have in the entire state of California.
We know eye care isn’t just about technology, but is about you as a person. Expect one-on-one attention with Dr. Shily at every single visit. We are committed to giving you the highest level of service to create an unparalleled patient experience.