Contact Lenses

Genstler Eye Center provides the latest in contact lenses to our patients. Our experienced optometrist are dedicated to providing the best in contact lens care

Eight Steps to Protect Your Sight From Contact Lens Infections

1. Replace your contact lens case every three months
2. Clean your case before adding fresh solution
3. Disinfect your lenses before wearing them
4. Don’t use tap water as a cleaning solution
5. Don’t wear contacts in the water, especially swimming
6. Always take contacts out of your eyes before sleeping
7. Give your eyes a “breather” every now and then
8. Only wear contact for the prescribed length of time and then replace

Types Of Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses are cosmetic devices worn on the eye to correct refractive errors. They are made from soft or rigid gas permeable materials. Lenses may be clear, tinted for ease of handling, or colored to enhance one’s appearance. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages of these different lens types. After an initial eye examination, your eye care provider will discuss which lens option is best for you based on your visual needs and ocular condition.

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses (RGP) and Scleral Contact Lenses

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses are made from hard plastics. They offer vision correction for many conditions, including:

• Near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and presbyopia
• Ideal for patients with astigmatism or keratoconus (a corneal disorder).

These contact lenses are smaller than soft lenses. The rigid material of RGP’s provides clearer, crisper vision. These lenses are very durable, easy to care for, and can last for several years. Allergic problems and toxic reactions are rare as RGP’s provide more deposit resistance than soft contact lenses.

Scleral lens are a larger type of rigid lens. This RGP lens vaults over the entire cornea, but rests on the less sensitive white part of the eye, called the sclera. It is very comfortable to wear and corrects astigmatism and irregular topography from corneal disorders, such as:

• Keratoconus
• Pellucid Marginal degeneration
• Corneal transplants
• Ocular injury.
• Used as PROSE devices (Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem) in patients with medically necessary conditions.

Scleral lenses are specialty lenses and need an experienced contact lens fitter for an optimum result.

Fitting and Dispensing Hard Lenses

Initial fitting of RGPs, (both corneal and scleral), requires more time and trial fitting than soft lenses. A “custom” fit is required for each eye. There is also a short adjustment period for corneal lenses during which the wearer will feel the contact in the eye. Most motivated individuals will quickly adapt to the lenses.

Soft Lenses

Soft Contacts are made from hydrogel or silicone hydrogel materials,. They are soft and flexible because both materials “hold water.”

Soft lenses are capable of correcting a variety of refractive errors, including:

• near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

Soft lenses drape over the entire cornea (clear membrane) and extend onto the sclera (white part of the eye). The chief advantage of soft lenses is that they are instantly comfortable from the initial fitting and thus readily accepted by most patients.

Fitting and Dispensing Soft Lenses

Soft lenses are very flexible, and many people find them difficult to handle at first. Because they “hold water” they tend to develop deposits on the lens surface that irritate the eye, so they must be cleaned daily and replaced frequently. Dependent on your lens type, soft lenses may be discarded daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly and exchanged with a fresh pair.

Some soft lenses can be worn while sleeping, although this is known to increase the possibility of complications, including corneal ulcers, and is not recommended by our practice. Daily disposable lenses (discarded after one day of use) are currently one of the healthiest lens options. Inserting a new lens everyday greatly reduces the risk of infection and the build-up of lens deposits. Please contact us at 1 (541) 928-1667 to make an appointment with a contact lens specialist.

Colored Soft Contact Lenses

Contact Lens for Astigmatism

Astigmatism is when the cornea is more oval than round. Astigmatism can be corrected by glasses or contacts.

Soft Toric Contact Lenses vs. Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP):

Either a soft toric lens or a rigid gas permeable lens are used to correct astigmatism. Toric soft contact lenses must remain stable on the eye to produce good vision. If there is too much rotation of a toric soft contact lens, a patient will not have clear vision. Toric soft contact lenses are available in both hydrogel and silicone hydrogel material.

Astigmatism Overview

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lens are usually the best option for correcting high astigmatism.

The stiff RGP material provides the sharpest vision. RGP lenses are less comfortable initially than a soft lenses and usually take some time to adjust to. Your eye care professional can decide which lens choice is the best for your astigmatism.