Your eyes change over time as a result of the natural aging process, and things like climate, hormones, pregnancy, medications, and the daily activities you enjoy doing. Visiting your eye doctor for an annual eye exam important for maintaining excellent vision and quality of life. If you haven’t had you annual eye exam yet, call our office today and we will get you scheduled!

Eye Exams For Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are a great alternative to wearing eyeglasses. Depending on your vision and lifestyle needs, contact lenses may be a great option for you! Whether you want to change the color of your eyes or avoid wearing glasses while you workout – we have a solution for you! Ask about a contact lens exam at your appointment.
 

If you decide to opt for contact lens wear, it is very important that the lenses fit properly and comfortably and that you understand contact lens safety and hygiene. A contact lens exam will include both a comprehensive eye exam to check your overall eye health, your general vision prescription and then a contact lens consultation and measurement to determine the proper lens fit.
 

During your contact lens exam, the doctor takes many things into consideration before prescribing the perfect lens for you. Things that need to be considered are:

• lifestyle and health

• replacement frequency preference (monthly, daily)

• soft vs rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses

• contact lens color preferences (clear vs cosmetic color lenses)

• single vision vs astigmatism (toric) vs presbyopic (multifocal) correction

In addition to your prescription, the doctor will need to take so specific measurements to ensure the contacts that are selected for you are the best option. These measurements include:

• Corneal Curvature: measuring the curve of the front surface of the eye is important in ensuring that your contacts are not too tight or loose and move around adequately.

• Pupil/Iris Size: this is an important measurement needed for specialty contact lenses.

• Tear Film Evaluation: having enough moisture on your eyes and in your contacts is a key factor when it comes to comfortable contact lens wear throughout the day.
   

Contact Lens Trial And Prescription

After deciding which pair of lenses could work best with your eyes, the doctor will have you try on a pair of lenses to confirm the fit and comfort before finalizing and ordering your lenses. If after the fitting, the lenses appear to be a good fit, your eye doctor will give you a prescription to order contacts. Your contact lens prescription will be different than your glasses prescription. Your eye doctor will also provide care and hygiene instructions including how to insert and remove your lenses, how long to wear them and how to store them if relevant.
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Follow-Up

Your eye doctor may request that you schedule a follow-up appointment to check that your contact lenses are fitting properly and that your eyes are adjusting properly. If you are experiencing discomfort or dryness in your eyes you should visit your eye doctor as soon as possible. Your eye doctor may decide to try a different lens, a different contact lens disinfecting solution or to try an adjustment in your wearing schedule.

Skip the dilation and get a quick, easy, painless and contactless eye health evalution with the Optomap Retinal Screening!

Early signs of disease can be present in the periphery of your retina and remain undetected for a long time when using traditional methods. The optomap ultra-widefield retinal image is a unique technology that captures more than 80% of your retina in a single image while traditional imaging methods typically only show 15% of your retina at one time.

Early detection means successful treatments can be administered and reduces the risk to your sight and health.
 

Frequently Asked Questions About An Optomap

Why is a retinal exam so important?

Some of the first signs of diseases such as stroke, diabetes and even some cancers can be seen in your retina, often before you have other symptoms. An optomap makes it easier to see them.
 

Is an optomap safe for children?

Yes. In fact, many vision problems begin in early childhood, so it's important for children to receive quality routine eye care.
 

What is an optomap?

The optomap is a digital image of the retina produced by Optos scanning laser technology. It is the only technology that can capture 82% view of your retina at one time.
 

Does it hurt?

No. It is completely comfortable and the scan takes less than a second.
 

How will optomap benefit me?

The ultra-widefield optomap may help your eye doctor detect problems more quickly and easily. Unlike traditional retinal exams, the optomap image can be saved for future comparisons.
 

How often should I have an optomap?

This is a decision that should be made by your doctor. However, it is generally recommended that you have an optomap each time you have an eye exam.
 

Are there side effects?

optomap images are created by non-invasive, low-intensity scanning lasers. No adverse health effects have been reported in over 150 million sessions.

Every patient is different and so are their eyes. This means that there need to be different types of contact lenses to suit each individual. Some patients have corneal abnormalities which mean that conventional lenses won’t sit comfortably on the surface of their eyes, while others suffer from eye conditions that mean normal contact lenses won’t be comfortable or could irritate their eyes. 

As you may have guessed from the name, specialty contact lenses are unconventional contacts that are designed for patients that regular contacts might not be suitable. Here are some of the main types of speciality contact lenses and who they are recommended for. 
 

Who Might Be A Good Patient For Specialty Contact Lenses?

Some of the patients that might benefit from specialty contact lenses include those who:

• have been diagnosed with dry eye syndrome

• have corneal scarring

• have been diagnosed with keratoconus, a condition characterized by the bulging of the cornea

• suffer from strabismus, a condition where the patient has an eye that turns in or out relative to the other

• have suffered an injury to the eye

• suffer from a peripheral corneal thinning disorder

• are intolerant to other types of lenses

Your eye doctor or contact lens provider will be able to tell you if you need specialty contact lenses and if so, which lenses would be best based on your individual requirements. 
 

Rigid Gas-Permeable Lenses

Also known as RGP lenses, these are made from a special material that allows oxygen to pass through them and reach the surface of the eyes. This helps to keep the eyes hydrated and comfortable, making these lenses easier to wear, especially for patients who suffer from dry eyes. Dry eyes aren’t just a symptom, but a very real condition, characterized by dry, stiff, and uncomfortable eyes, blurred vision, and eye fatigue. RGP lenses are more rigid than soft lenses, and this helps to keep them stable and secure on the eyes so that patients can enjoy sharper vision. They also help the cornea to maintain its shape, which helps to minimize the effects of some corneal abnormalities. 
 

Scleral Contact Lenses

Scleral contact lenses are very different to standard contact lenses. This is because scleral lenses are much larger in diameter, with three different sizes available depending on your specific needs. This size difference means that the edges of the contact lens fall on a white part of the eye, called the sclera rather than the cornea. Scleral lenses are also different in that they vault over the surface of the cornea rather than touching it, leaving a space between the front surface of the eye and the back of the contact lens. This makes scleral lenses a good choice for patients with dry eyes and corneal abnormalities. Space can trap tear film which keeps the eyes hydrated, while space also accommodates many corneal abnormalities, such as the bulge associated with keratoconus. 
 

Limbal Fit Contact Lenses

Limbal contact lenses are another type of specialty lens that falls between rigid gas-permeable lenses and scleral varieties in terms of their size. Their larger overall diameter helps to increase their stability on the surface of your eyes. They also offer minimal interference with the eyelids, which helps to ensure comfort and clarity of your vision.
 

Hybrid Contact Lenses

Hybrid contact lenses are a combination of both soft and gas-permeable contact lenses, giving patients the opportunity to enjoy the best parts of both designs. The middle part of hybrid lenses is made from gas-permeable material that lets oxygen pass through to the eyes. However, the gas-permeable part of the lens is more rigid, and this firmer center gives the lens greater stability and the patient enhanced clarity. The RGP portion of the lens also helps to trap a tear film between the cornea and the lens so that the eye remains hydrated. Meanwhile, the outer edge of hybrid lenses is a soft lens skirt. This means that patients don’t have to deal with the hard edges associated with RGP lenses that may be uncomfortable. Instead, the comfort levels that patients experience are more like wearing fully soft lenses. 

For more information about specialty contact lenses, don’t hesitate to speak to our dedicated eye care team. 

With myopia becoming a bigger global concern, especially for children, myopia management is becoming more important to minimize worry for the future.
 

Children are developing myopia at early ages, and myopia progressively worsens with time. Worsening myopia can contribute to more severe complications in adulthood, including retinal detachment, myopic maculopathy, glaucoma, or cataracts.
 

More than 40% of people in the United States are affected by myopia, as opposed to 25% in the 1970s. The numbers are alarming and make myopia management essential for patients suffering from this.
 

Myopia is the word for nearsightedness. It can develop over time or suddenly, and it tends to run in families. Myopia makes objects far away harder to see or blurry with up-close and reading vision clear. The eye becomes elongated and curves the shape of the cornea. The distorted shape causes the light coming into the eye to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it.
 

Myopia is diagnosed during a basic eye examination, and the vision is corrected with glasses, contacts, or refractive surgery (such as LASIK).
 

Myopia management is done with regular eye examinations and appropriate vision correction to prevent myopia from advancing.

Come to Patel Vision Group for your myopia management.

Older adults are more prone to developing chronic dry eyes. Dry eyes are caused when the eyes do not produce enough tears to lubricate the eyes properly. Clear vision and healthy eyes are dependent on adequate lubrication.
 

Tears do more than keep the eyes wet. They wash away foreign bodies to keep the eye surface clear and prevent scratches and infections. Tears are produced by glands around the eyelids with excess tears draining away into the nose by ducts in the corner of the eyes. When the balance between tear production and drainage is upset, the eyes will dry out.
 

Several things can create dry eyes, including wind, dry climates, air-conditioning, airplane rides, and prolonged computer use. Certain medications are also known to cause dry eyes.
 

Mild cases of dry eyes or occasional occurrences are usually relieved with over-the-counter eye drops (artificial tears). Severe cases may need medical treatment, but the cause of the dry eye needs to be determined to prescribe the correct course of treatment.

If you are experiencing chronic dry eyes, you do not have to suffer needlessly. Call Patel Vision Group for an assessment.

Optical Coherence Tomography is a non-invasive imaging test that may be performed as a standard part of your regular, comprehensive exams, or you may be able to request this test as an addition to your usual exam.
 

Optical Coherence Tomography uses light waves to take cross-section images of your retina, which is the area of light-sensitive cells at the back of your eye that is responsible for receiving light and transmitting it into messages that are sent up to the brain. The technology behind OCT enables your eye doctor to see each of the different layers that make up the retina. By being able to see these and measure them, they can obtain a much clearer picture of the overall health and condition of your eyes.
 

Why Are Optical Coherence Tomography Scans Important?

When you choose to have an OCT scan at fairly regular intervals, such as during your normal comprehensive eye exams, your eye doctor can compare newer results to previous ones. This helps them to build up a picture of the health of your eyes, and spot any changes which may be concerning, early, before they cause symptoms or have a permanent effect on your vision. 
 

Anyone can have an OCT scan, but they are particularly recommended for patients over the age of 25 who are concerned about the health of their eyes, or who are at risk of or already have diabetes, glaucoma or a family history of eye disease. This is because they can be used to spot the early signs of a range of eye diseases, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, disorders of the optic nerve and more – even before you realize that you are affected.
 

What Happens During An Optical Coherence Tomography Scan?

An OCT scan is a quick, painless experience. To prepare you, your eye doctor may require you to have eyedrops that will dilate your pupils and make it easier to see your retina. This means that the scanner will get clearer, more concise images. You’ll be asked to sit in front of the OCT machine where you will rest your head against a support to help you sit perfectly still. As you stare ahead, the equipment will perform the scan of your eyes. There is no contact with your eyes whatsoever, you will just need to sit still, with your eyes open as much as possible during the process, which usually takes less than 10 minutes. The images will be sent digitally to your eye doctor for them to assess immediately and stored digitally on your personal record.
 

There’s no downtime after an OCT scan, but if you have had your eyes dilated you may find that you are particularly sensitive to light for a few hours afterwards. This occurs because the pupils remain wider and therefore able to let more light in that usual.
 

If you would like to find out more about Optical Coherence Tomography, don’t hesitate to speak to our professional eyecare team.