CONTACT LENS EXAMS & FITTING

EXPERTS WITH COMPLEX CASES

A routine eye exam is not the same as a contact lens exam.

For contact lens wearers, a contact lens exam is necessary to ensure the lenses are fitting both eyes properly and that the health of the eyes is not harmed by the contact lenses.

Also, be aware that it's usually more convenient and economical to have your general eye exam and your contact lens exam performed by the same eye care professional. If you have these exams performed by different doctors at different locations, the practitioner performing your contact lens exam may want to repeat certain tests already performed during your general eye exam, and this might entail additional fees.
This is because the second doctor is responsible for the health of your eyes during contact lens wear, and he or she may wish to verify the health of your eyes and the accuracy of your eyeglasses prescription to have the best data possible to perform a safe, successful contact lens fitting.

What is a Contact Lens Exam?
If you wear or want contacts, you need a contact lens exam in addition to a comprehensive eye exam. We will perform special tests during the contact lens exam to evaluate your vision with contacts. The first test will measure your eye surface to determine what size and type of contacts are best for you. We may also do a tear film evaluation to make sure you have enough tears to comfortably wear contacts.
With the results of these tests, we can then provide a contact lens prescription that is the right fit for your eyes. An eyeglass prescription is no substitute for a contact lens exam because the two are very different. An eyeglass prescription measures for lenses that are positioned approximately 12 millimeters from your eyes; whereas a contact lens prescription measures for lenses that sit directly on the surface the eye. An improper fitting or prescription of contacts can damage the health of the eyes.
We will fit you with a trial pair of contacts and have you wear them for a week or so. You'll need a follow-up exam to make sure you have adjusted to your new lenses and that no changes need to be made prior to purchasing your annual supply. If you are new to contact lenses we will teach you proper insertion and removal techniques and how to properly care for your lenses. Patients must have a Contact Lens Exam each year in order to renew their contacts

Contact Lens Options
You may be asked general questions about your lifestyle and preferences regarding contact lenses, such as whether you might want to change your eye color with color contact lenses or if you're interested in options such as daily disposables or overnight wear.
Your eye doctor may also discuss the option of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses, which often provide sharper vision than soft lenses.
Your eye doctor also might ask how you want to correct vision problems related to aging. Some time after age 40, you will develop a condition known as presbyopia that decreases your ability to read small print and focus on near objects.
To correct presbyopia, your eye doctor may offer you the choice of multifocal or bifocal contact lenses. Another option is monovision, which is a special contact lens fitting technique where one eye is corrected for distance vision and the other eye is corrected for near vision.

New advancements in materials are now allowing us to comfortably wear contact lenses longer and in this dry Colorado climate! We offer all major brands of contact lenses. Most patients will receive trial contact lenses on the day of their exam.

We have been able to successfully fit patients who have previously been unable to wear contact lenses. We routinely fit complex cases including high astigmatism, bifocals, keratoconus, and post-surgical cases.

Comfortable contact lenses can dramatically improve your quality of life, improve work performance, increase self-esteem, and in some cases provide sharper vision than with glasses.

We offer a full line of lenses including:

Daily disposable lenses - used for one day then discarded
Daily wear lenses - contacts are removed nightly and replaced bi-monthly or monthly
Extendable wear lenses - these contacts can be worn continuously for periods up to 1 month
Toric lenses - correct for astigmatism
Multifocal / Bifocal lenses - these lenses correct for both distance and reading
Scleral or hybrid lenses - therapeutic lenses designed to treat Keratoconus and other eye disorders oftentimes deemed medically necessary by insurance companies

Our contact lens technology includes breathable, high oxygen transmissible lenses for patients with corneal dystrophies, severe dry eye, and other corneal diseases.

Contact Lenses for the “Hard-to-Fit” Patient
It is not uncommon for patients to have difficulty wearing contact lenses for a number of reasons. Due to the individual eye shape, certain conditions or impairments or the aftermath of surgery, some patients are considered to be “hard to fit” as contact lens wearers.
For hard to fit patients that prefer to wear contact lenses however, there are options available that can provide comfortable and effective contact lens wear. This will require a specialized fitting with an eye doctor that is an expert that knows your condition and the various products available to find the right match for your specific condition.

You may be considered a hard to fit contact lens candidate if you have one of the following conditions:

Dry Eyes
Astigmatism
Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)
Keratoconus
Pellucid Marginal Degeneration
Post-LASIK or other refractive surgery
Presbyopia (reduced near vision common in individuals aged 40 and over).
Corneal Scarring

If you have one of these conditions or find contact lens wear difficult for another reason, Dr. Bestwina can help. As technology improves there are more and more options for hard to fit contact lens patients to benefit from the comfort and convenience of contact lens use.

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