Contact Lenses in Lakeville

Today, we have many contact lens options available that can accommodate a variety of lifestyles and situations where contacts are more convenient than glasses. After assessing your prescription and how you want to use the contact lenses, Dr. Rudser can make specific recommendations for which option(s) will work the best for your individual situation.

Here are some of the most common contact lens types:

• Gas Permeable Contacts – These were some of the original contacts made, and we still use them today for a variety of different situations! The optics are fantastic, and the durability is great with these lenses. They are recommended to be replaced every 1-2 years and use a different contact lens solution than soft contacts. They can correct all of the same prescriptions as soft contact lenses.
• Soft contact lenses – These are a faster acclimation time when you’re first starting out due to the tremendous comfort that happens pretty instantly with these materials. This category of contacts has evolved significantly over the past several years, and there are more parameters available than ever before. The replacement schedule for these varies depending on the lens but can range from single use, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
  Contacts in this category can correct:
  • Far sighted (hyperopia)
  • Near sighted (myopia)
  • Astigmatism (toric contacts)
  • Presbyopia (multifocal contacts)

There are also color contacts for those who are interested in a bolder or different appearing iris color.

• Hybrid Contacts – This is a combination of a gas-permeable center with a soft skirt lens around it that acts as a landing zone on the ocular surface. These lenses are available for a variety of prescriptions, like soft contact lenses, and also as some specialty contact lens options for keratoconus. Replacement schedule for these lenses is every 6 months.
• Scleral Lenses – These are a special type of contact lens that vaults over the entire corneal surface. Most often used for post-cornea transplant patients who can’t get good enough vision with glasses since the ocular surface is irregular. Replacement schedule varies based on the corneal health and how it’s fitting over the irregular corneal surface.

Contact lenses are medical devices, and how you care for them matters as much as which ones you wear. The American Optometric Association recommends washing your hands before handling lenses, replacing them on schedule, avoiding tap water or homemade solutions, and never sleeping in lenses that are not approved for overnight wear. Skipping these steps is one of the most preventable causes of eye infections in contact lens wearers.