Specialty contacts are a specialty field in optometry requiring many years of hands-on experience and certifications. Fittings aim to provide clear vision and comfort for the most challenging prescriptions and uniquely shaped eyes. Specialty contacts can provide clearer vision than glasses or “off the rack” contacts for some patients, particularly those with ocular pathology or injury, and can be used to reduce the progression of myopia (nearsightedness).
Most specialty contact fittings involve the use of hard contact lenses, however many custom soft and hybrid lens designs are available.
Hard Contacts
Hard contact lenses, typically referred to as rigid gas-permeable lenses if resting on the cornea (clear part of the eye above the iris), or scleral lenses if resting on the sclera (white part of the eye) have come a long way from the conventional polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lenses. Modern lenses are typically made with silicone, making them far more oxygen permeable than the previous PMMA lenses, allowing for more comfortable, snugger fits.
Ocular pathology
Specialty contacts are indicated for the treatment and/or are necessary to achieve functional vision for a variety of conditions such as: Keratoconus, post-surgical corneas, irregular corneas, ocular surface disease, and traumatic injury.
Complex prescriptions
Patients with complicated prescriptions or unable to achieve a stable fit with standard “off the rack” soft contacts may benefit from specialty contacts.
Cosmetic lenses
Colored soft lens designs are available for those who seek prosthetic or cosmetic lenses.
Myopia control
Certain types of contacts have been shown to effectively reduce the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children. These include special therapeutic soft lenses and orthokeratology lenses.
Contact designs
Our eye doctors fit a variety of contact designs including scleral lenses, hybrid lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses, orthokeratology lenses, and custom soft contact lenses. Below is a list of some:
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- cCone, eCone, xCone
- Concise Colors
- Concise Custom Soft
- Definitive
- Duette
- Dyna Z
- Edgelift
- Europa
- ICD Flexfit
- Jupiter
- Kerasoft
- Oxyflow
- Paragon CRT
- Rose K2
- SynergEyes
- UltraHealth
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