Contact Lens Fittings, Including Hard-to-Fit Eyes

Glasses sit at a distance from the eye and contacts sit on it, which is why the numbers do not transfer and why a contact lens prescription includes a base curve, a diameter and a specific lens by design. The fitting appointment is where those get measured and where a trial lens gets checked on the eye. A renewal usually still involves a check of how the current lens is sitting rather than a straight reprint of last year's numbers.

Astigmatism, presbyopia and eyes that have never gotten along with standard soft lenses are all normal fitting conversations — toric lenses, multifocal designs, rigid lenses and scleral lenses all exist for exactly those situations. What varies is which of them a given practice fits regularly. Tell us what has not worked before and ask the practice directly how often they fit the lens type you are asking about.

What this usually involves

• New fittings and renewals for soft daily, biweekly and monthly lenses
• Toric lenses for astigmatism and multifocal designs
• Rigid and scleral lenses for eyes standard soft lenses do not suit
• Trial lenses checked on the eye before the prescription is finalized
• Ask the practice how often they fit the specialty lens you are asking about

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