About Contact Lens Designs
There are multiple contact lens designs available to correct a wide variety of vision problems. To find out which contact lens design is best for you, schedule an eye exam at our office in Santa Rosa. Our eye doctor will evaluate your eyes to determine which lens is best for your vision needs.
Toric Contact Lenses
Toric contact lenses correct for astigmatism, a condition in which the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) curves more in one direction than in the other — like a football. A normal cornea is round, like a basketball Because the back surface of the contact lens matches the curvature of the eye, this type of lens allows for much clearer vision and the surface changes are not detectable to the wearer.
Spherical Contact Lenses
Spherical contact lenses (rounded design) are a good choice for myopic (nearsighted) eyes or hyperopic (farsighted) eyes.
Bifocal And Multifocal Contact Lenses
Bifocal lenses are commonly prescribed for patients with presbyopia, an age-related condition in which the crystalline lens that focuses light inside the eye loses elasticity. This condition limits the lens’s ability to “accommodate” or focus on near objects. Bifocal lenses come in both soft and rigid gas permeable materials. Bifocal contact lenses have two or more prescriptions in the same lens, allowing for distance and near vision. Multifocal lenses have a range of powers that blend together to provide a more natural and youthful vision. Today’s bifocal and multifocal lens technology has produced a wider variety of successful designs. Your eye doctor will help you determine which design will best fit your visual needs.
Other Contact Lens Options For Presbyopia
Another choice for presbyopic eyes is monovision. This involves prescribing one lens for near objects and the other for distance. The brain “computes” a clear image from the two signals. Most people who try monovision are able to adjust to it.
A very popular option for long-term contact lens wearers is to wear reading glasses over their contact lenses when reading or doing close-up tasks. This option allows them to have excellent distance vision with their contacts and improved near vision when necessary.
Orthokeratology
These lenses are specially designed to temporarily reshape the cornea during sleep, providing lens-free wear during waking hours.
Schedule An Eye Exam
For more information on the different designs of contact lenses or to schedule an appointment today with Eye Care Institute, call us today at 707.546.9800 or contact us online. Our practice serves Santa Rosa, and the surrounding areas of California.