Contact Lenses Overview and Management

Contact lenses provide good vision in wet environments and are great for playing sports.They are also ideal for patients with keratoconus or high myopia who may see better with contact lenses than glasses.

Contact lenses correct refractive errors and improve vision. They are less likely to fog up and can't be knocked off like glasses.

Contact lenses are made of a material that allows oxygen to pass through, so they are considered 'gas permeable'. They sit on the cornea and act as a replacement for the front surface of the eye.

Hard contact lenses can correct a wider range of vision problems, including keratoconus & scarring on the cornea.

Soft contact lenses are more comfortable and easier to wear.

Soft contact lenses wrap themselves onto the cornea. They are less likely to provide as sharp vision as hard lenses, especially for patients with irregular corneas or high astigmatism.

Hard lenses are more brittle and unsuitable for contact sports.

Soft lenses are more susceptible to allergen buildup, leading to eye irritation.

A scratch on the cornea, often caused by contact lens insertion or removal, or trauma.

Inflammation of the cornea, often caused by contact lens wear.

A rare but serious infection of the cornea caused by a type of amoeba, often from using contaminated solutions.

Contact lenses can worsen or cause dry eye symptoms.

A reaction to contact lens solutions, causing redness and irritation.

A contact lens that is not properly centered on the eye.

The outer layer of the cornea, responsible for healing after abrasions.

A common type of corneal ulcer that occurs in contact lens wearers.

The act of repositioning a contact lens that has become displaced from the cornea.

The outer transparent layer of the eye that covers the iris and pupil.

The process of asking the patient to look in a specific direction to help reposition the contact lens.

A thin layer of lubricating fluid found between the contact lens and the cornea.

Small scratches or abrasions on the surface of the cornea.

Positioning the contact lens directly over the center of the cornea.

The process of using a light source to locate a displaced contact lens.

The ability of the cornea to change its curvature, allowing the contact lens to reposition itself.

A condition where a contact lens becomes stuck to the eye due to a vacuum forming under it.

When a patient wears contact lenses for an extended period, causing corneal hypoxia and edema, leading to pain.

Damaged contact lenses that can cause corneal injury due to sharp fragments.

Never instilling fluorescein into an eye with a contact lens in place, as the dye can permanently stain and damage the lens.

Using a specimen pottle with saline solution to temporarily store a patient's contact lens.

Gently pressing on the edge of a stuck contact lens to break the vacuum and facilitate removal.

Using a small surgical instrument to carefully lever a contact lens off the eye if other methods fail.

Instilling local anesthetic to enable the patient to remove their lens during acute overwear.