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Hard to Fit Contacts

Hard to Fit Contacts

Contact lenses are not an easy solution for every person suffering with vision problems. Some eye conditions make wearing contacts a difficult proposition. However, it does not rule out wearing contact lenses altogether. It just means patients need to discuss options with their eye care provider and obtain specialized hard to fit contacts for their specific vision problems.

Reasons for Hard to Fit Contacts

Finding contact lenses that fit and wearing contact lenses in general can be made more challenging when these conditions affect your eyes:

  • Astigmatism
  • Dry eyes
  • Presbyopia
  • Keratoconus
  • Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)

Astigmatism: Astigmatism develops when the front of the eye curves into an oval shape. It causes blurred vision and can be difficult to correct because regular contacts cannot account for the oval shape.

Dry Eyes: When eyes become excessively dry, it leads to irritation, burning, redness and blurred vision. Contact lenses can exacerbate these conditions.

Presbyopia: Eyes tend to have a tougher time focusing on close objects as they age. This condition is known as presbyopia. It typically affects people aged 40 or older.

Keratoconus: This is an uncommon condition that causes blurred vision. Keratoconus causes the cornea to become thinner and irregular, which makes wearing soft contact lenses difficult.

GPC: This form of conjunctivitis is caused by inflammation on the inner surface of the eyelid. Protein buildup on contact lenses can make this condition worse.

Solutions for Hard to Fit Contacts

Wearing contacts is not impossible if you suffer from one of the above conditions. You do need to meet with an eye care professional, however, and get prescribed contact lenses that are tailored to deal with your specific vision condition.

Gas permeable lenses are a good solution for patients who suffer from keratoconus. They are effective in containing the corneal irregularity and creating a spherical surface which can improve visual acuity.

Toric lenses are useful for correcting astigmatism. Since the lens needs to align with the oval surface it is correcting, toric lenses must not rotate in order to fit on the eye. They are custom made to correct the specific astigmatism correction needed.  For that reason, they have to be special ordered and are usually more costly.

Multifocal lenses can help remedy presbyopia, and often work well after our in-office fitting by our highly trained staff. Monovision lenses are another option for presbyopia. This type of fit has one lens corrected for distance vision, and the other for seeing close objects.

Rewetting eye drops can be an effective treatment for dry eyes, and can lubricate the eyes enough to make contact lenses more comfortable. Prescription drops for dryness are also available, and puntal occlusion is another option for more extreme cases. GPC symptoms can be lessened by medicated eye drops or by switching to daily disposable lenses.