Are You a Candidate for Hard-to-fit Contacts?

Being a candidate for hard-to-fit contacts means you have trouble wearing regular contact lenses. That usually happens when the lenses do not adhere to your eye’s curve. Additionally, certain eye conditions or side effects of eye surgery can make standard contact lenses hard to fit.

Hard-to-fit patients who like contact lenses better than eyeglasses may find hard contact lenses comfier and more effective. They will need a detailed contact lens exam with an eye doctor who knows their condition and the most suitable contact lenses for their situation.

Your eye doctor may consider you a candidate for hard-to-fit contact lenses if you have the following:

Dry Eyes

Dry eyes cause your eyes to feel dry, itchy, sore, and irritated. Besides, some regular contact lenses can make your eyes feel drier.

Eye doctors have designed special soft contact lenses for dry eye patients that hold moisture. The lenses help keep the eyes moist, reducing dry eye discomfort. Gas permeable (GP) or rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses can also preserve moisture to keep the eyes lubricated.

Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)

GPC is an eye condition where the inner part of the eyelid (conjunctiva) swells. It usually happens when protein residue accumulates on your contact lenses, making them uncomfortable and causing eyesight problems.

Your eye doctor may either recommend GP or daily disposable contact lenses. Protein residue does not cling to GP lenses, unlike regular contact lenses. Daily disposables may also work because you throw them away after just one day of wear. They leave little time for protein deposits to accumulate.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism affects how the eyes bend light due to an irregular eye curve, causing blurry vision or sometimes double vision. That makes it difficult for regular contact lenses to fit and thus requires special contact lenses like RGP lenses or toric lenses.

RGP lenses can correct mild to moderate astigmatism, but toric contact lenses may be necessary for severe astigmatism.

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is an eye condition where the cornea thins out and protrudes outward into a cone shape. Regular contact lenses can cause eye discomfort with keratoconus, and the eyesight may remain blurry.

Your eye doctor may recommend RGP lenses for minor, moderate, or severe keratoconus. The lenses may help stop the eyes from bulging further outward in some cases. That is not usually possible with regular contact lenses or eyeglasses.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is the loss of close vision common in patients aged 40 years or more. Presbyopia impairs your eyes' ability to focus on nearby objects. Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses can help improve your eyes' focus on close images.

Monovision contact lenses are another option if you have presbyopia and need help with distance vision. The treatment involves wearing a contact lens in one eye for near vision and the other lens in your other eye to improve distance vision.

Side Effects From LASIK or Refractive Eye Surgery

LASIK and other refractive eye surgeries are effective treatments. But they can sometimes cause minor complications and symptoms.

For instance, you may experience light sensitivity and glare or see rings around lights at night immediately after LASIK. Your ophthalmologist may recommend wearing RGP contact lenses to help relieve these symptoms and restore clear vision.

Talk to your eye doctor if you find contact lenses hard to wear for any of these or other reasons.

For more about hard-to-fit contacts, visit Eyecare Associates Optometric Group at our office in West Covina, California. Call (626) 415-0274 to book an appointment today.