At Griffin & Reed Eye Care we now have an expanded Optical Department, which offers a larger variety of contact lenses, glasses, and excellent service.
We are able to take time with you to make sure your glasses feel comfortable and look stylish. With so many to choose from, it can be a bit overwhelming, and if you would like some guidance from us as to what style or color would suit you best, we’re willing to help.
Unlike many optometrists, we offer several kinds of contact lens fittings and have long experience with every type. Below is some information about two of the less-commonly-done fittings. Dial 916-483-2525 today to reach our Sacramento office for a personalized consultation with our trusted ophthalmologists. Or, you can call us at 916-784-2020 for our Roseville office.
Toric Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error caused by an oval corneal shape instead of a spherical shape. An oval has two curvatures, a steeper one and a flatter one. You can see that if you picture a football. The two curvatures cause light to focus in two places inside the eye, which causes blurriness of vision.
Although toric contact lenses are made of the same materials as regular contact lenses, and can be either soft or hard gas permeable lenses, they have a different design.
They contain two powers – one for treating myopia or hyperopia, and one for treating astigmatism. Each power is created by a curvature at a different angle. Your toric lenses will be designed with your astigmatism in mind, so they will correct for the two particular curvatures of your cornea.
Toric lenses also have a feature that prevents them from rotating on your eye and distorting vision. They are stable when you blink or look in different directions, and give clear vision at all times.
We have extensive experience fitting Toric lenses.
Post-Surgical Contact Lens Fittings
Depending on your particular eye and refractive conditions, you might need to wear contact lenses after a LASIK procedure. We can work with our LASIK surgeons to give you the best-fitted contact lenses and make sure you have the sharpest vision possible.
Reading Your Prescription
When you have your eye exam the resulting prescription can be for either glasses or contact lenses. So you need to let your eye doctor know beforehand which you would like to have. Both types of prescription give the refractive power needed to sharpen your vision. A negative number indicates nearsightedness or myopia and a positive number indicates farsightedness or hyperopia. The larger the number is in either direction, the more severe the eye’s refractive error is.
Both types of prescription give all numbers for the left eye (OS) and right eye (OD) separately, as most people have differences between their two eyes.
Additional Information in a Contact Lens Prescription
- The Base Curve (BC) – information on the curvature of your corneas. A lower number indicates a steeper cornea (that is, more severe myopia).
- The Diameter of your contact lenses – which is another way of expressing how much of your cornea they will cover. This must be very accurate to avoid discomfort.
- The Cylinder – if your eyes are being corrected for astigmatism. This number shows the severity of astigmatism, with a larger number (negative or positive) indicating greater severity.
- The Axis – another measurement related to astigmatism. It indicates the orientation needed in the lens cylinder and is expressed in degrees of a circle.
- The Add Power – if you are having bifocals. This is how much refractive power must be added for near vision.
If you want colored contact lenses, this will also be indicated on the prescription, and the brand name of lens. There may also be instructions on how often the contact lenses must be replaced – once per month, once per week, daily, etc.
Our highly-trained staff will make sure your contact lenses fit your eyes well and cause no discomfort, and that you understand clearly how often to change them. We have competitive prices and can work with you to keep all costs within your budget.
You can read more about Griffin & Reed Eye Care on our Why We Are Clearly Different page, and here is a video showing how the eye works. To learn more about LASIK, please consider our 20 Questions while researching the laser vision correction page.
Call Griffin & Reed Eye Care Today For Your Contact Lenses!
If you would like to know more about the various types of contact lenses, please call (916) 485-2020 or email us. You can also fill out the form in our contact page for your one-on-one contact lense appointment with our knowledgeable team. We will be glad to schedule a personal consultation for you.
