The American Academy of Ophthalmology states that a contact lens exam is different from a standard eye exam. A contact lens exam involves more steps to make sure that your contact lenses give you the excellent vision and first-rate comfort. If you want to start wearing contacts, here’s what you should know about the process of a contact lens exam.
 

Traditional Eye Exam

A contact lens exam cannot start without the basic eye exam. Expect your eye doctor to review your health history and perform eye exams such as a cover test, refraction test, and retinoscopy. After your eye exam, the doctor will start fitting you with the right contact lenses.
 

Lens Preference Confirmation

During this step, you and your eye care provider need to talk about your contact lens expectations and preferences. You may talk about overnight lenses, colored contacts, or disposable lenses. Expect your eye doctor to ask you about eye health issues and your comfort level in each type of contact lens. If ever you have eye conditions such as presbyopia, your eye doctor will tell you how contact lenses can address them.
 

Eye Measurements

Your eye doctor must be sure that your contact lenses will fit your eyes properly. To accomplish this, your eye care provider must take accurate measurements of both your eyes. These include the curvature and surface of your eyes, as well as the sizes of your irises and pupils. The resulting data will help your doctor determine the differences between your eyeglass lenses and your contacts.
 

Tear Film Assessment

Dry eye syndrome is a factor to consider in getting contact lenses. If you have this eye condition, your eye specialist will conduct a tear film evaluation. Your eye doctor needs to see if your eyes can produce enough tear film to support your contact lenses. If you have insufficient tear film, contact lenses may not be the right solution for you. Your eye doctor will then discuss more suitable options for your vision issues.
 

Fitting

After obtaining the necessary information, your doctor will order your trial contact lenses. You will then return to the clinic and try them on. As you wear them, your eye specialist will observe the movement and alignment of the contacts on your eyes. If your contact lenses fit properly, your doctor will perform more tests to see if the prescription has no error. Once your eye doctor confirms the correct prescription, you must wear your trial lenses for a week. A brief follow-up exam will confirm that your contacts are optimal. Your eye doctor can then order your supply of brand-new contact lenses.
 

A contact lens exam is crucial in determining the right contact lenses for your eyes. At Graham Eye Care, we always make sure that our clients get the contact lenses that fit them properly. We believe that great vision should come with optimum comfort. Please visit our clinic in Graham, Texas, for a one-on-one consultation. You can also call us at 940-549-1800 if you want to set an appointment or inquire about our contact lens exam process.