Am I old enough to wear contact lenses?
We believe when an individual is mature enough to be responsible for glasses, attend to personal hygiene and understand that caring for contact lenses requires time and effort, is a good time to consider contact lenses. Maturity, however, is very individual. We have fit individuals as young as age 10 but also have seen older patients who are not responsible enough to care for lenses. Often it is up to the parent to determine their child's readiness for contacts.
An examination is performed to determine a patient's refractive error and to evaluate the eyes to make sure they are healthy, making the patient a good candidate for wearing contact lenses. A contact lens evaluation consists of Dr. Dold time, and expertise to determine contact lenses that they predicts will keep the eyes healthy, comfortable, and seeing well. They consider lifestyle, sports, recreation, and convenience when choosing the proper lens type.
There are many different types of contact lenses. Choices for all prescription types, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia (needing bifocals) are available. Most often, Dr. Dold prescribes contact lenses that are disposable. This means that the patient throws contact lenses away on a planned schedule. Daily, every two weeks, monthly, or sometimes quarterly replacement lenses are recommended.
Disposable lenses do not mean extended-wear or overnight-wear lenses. Visit our Sleeping with Contact Lenses FAQs page for more information about this issue.
Once we have determined the final contact lens prescription, ordering the supply of contact lenses is the next step.
Patients new to wearing contact lenses will be scheduled a training session to learn how to properly care for their contact lenses. The class teaches a patient how to insert and remove lenses and how clean and care for the lenses. The instructor will review the replacement regimen, and initial wearing schedule. Dr. Dold will see the patient back for a contact lens check after a week or two to ensure that the contact lenses fit properly and are providing clear, comfortable vision to the patient.
If you are interested in trying contact lenses for the first time, it is an excellent time of the year to start the process because there are some exciting new products to offer as well as excellent pricing and rebates offered by contact lens manufacturers. Call Wimmer Opticians for additional details and to schedule an appointment.