Specialized and Primary Optometric Eye Care
Speciality Contact Lenses are used to treat a variety of conditions, including:
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Keratoconus
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Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL) Complications
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Intacs Complications
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Glare, Dry Eyes, Halos, Starbursts and Ghosting
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Complications from LASIK, PRK, and RK
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Pellucid Marginal Degeneration (PMD)
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Sjogren’s Syndrome
Scleral Lenses
Scleral contact lenses are large-diameter lenses that provide clear and comfortable vision because the lenses do not actually touch the cornea. Instead, scleral lenses vault over the entire corneal surface, resting on the “white” portion of the eye known as the “sclera.” The space between the back and front portions of the scleral lens is filled with unpreserved sterile saline solution, which means that the eye always remains in a liquid environment.
These larger lenses also are more stable than conventional gas permeable contact lenses, which move with each blink because they cover only a portion of the cornea. Moreover, scleral lenses do not fall out, bits of grit do not lodge behind them during wear, and they are surprisingly comfortable to wear when fitted properly.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses
These lenses are made of a firm durable plastic that transmits oxygen. The rigid material allows the lens to vault over the cornea, which replaces the cornea’s irregular shape with a smoother and more uniform surface that improves vision.
Hybrid Contact Lenses
Hybrid contact lenses, which were specifically designed to treat keratoconus, combine a rigid center that is highly oxygen-permeable with a soft “skirt” on the peripheral. These lenses were designed specifically for keratoconus and irregular astigmatism, and the central gas permeable zone of the lens vaults over the cone-shaped cornea for increased comfort. Hybrid contact lenses provide the crisp optics of a gas permeable contact lens and wearing comfort that rivals that of soft lenses.
Custom Soft Contact Lenses
Contact lens manufacturers recently introduced custom soft contact lenses that are specifically designed to correct mild-to-moderate keratoconus, high refractive errors and irregular astigmatism. The design of the lenses is based on precise measurements of your eye. These lenses are often more comfortable to wear than gas permeable lenses.