Contact lens exams and fittings
The right lens should feel comfortable all day and keep your eyes healthy.
What it is
A contact lens exam is done along with your comprehensive eye exam. Dr. Reising measures the surface of your eye, checks how a trial lens fits and moves, and writes a contact lens prescription, which is different from a glasses prescription.
Who it is for
Anyone who wears contacts or would like to try them. We fit daily, two-week and monthly lenses, toric lenses for astigmatism and multifocal lenses for people who need help seeing up close.
What to expect
- Wear your current contacts to the visit and bring your lens boxes or prescription
- First-time wearers are taught insertion, removal and how to care for the contacts. As a safety precaution, patients must be able to remove and insert lenses on their own.
- A short follow-up visit may be needed to confirm a new lens fits well
Specialty contact lenses
Some eyes can't get clear, comfortable vision from standard soft lenses. For these, Dr. Reising fits specialty lenses that are made to the exact shape of your eye.
- Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses keep their shape on the eye, so they can give sharper vision for strong astigmatism and high prescriptions
- Scleral lenses are larger rigid lenses that vault over the cornea and rest on the white of the eye. The space underneath is filled with saline, which helps with keratoconus, irregular corneas and severe dry eye
- Hybrid lenses have a rigid center for crisp vision and a soft outer skirt for comfort
- Myopia control lenses are specially designed soft lenses for children that can slow how quickly nearsightedness gets worse as they grow
Specialty lenses can help if you have keratoconus, an irregular cornea after surgery or an injury, severe dry eye, or a prescription that regular contacts don't correct well. Myopia control is worth asking about if your child's nearsightedness gets worse each year. A specialty fitting usually takes more than one visit while the lens design is fine-tuned.
Why a yearly contact lens exam?
Contacts sit directly on the eye, so a poor fit or overwear can lead to infections or long-term irritation. Illinois also requires contact lens prescriptions to be renewed each year, so a yearly exam keeps your prescription current and lets your doctor check that your eyes are staying healthy.
Reordering contacts
Call us to order and we can ship directly to you or we'll let you know when your lenses are ready to pick up in the office.
Ready to schedule?
Our team books every appointment by phone, so you talk to a real person who can answer questions about insurance and timing.