Why Your Glasses Prescription Isn't Enough for Contacts

It is one of the most common questions at the eye doctor: if I already have a glasses prescription, why do I need a separate contact lens exam? The short answer is that a contact lens sits directly on the eye, so it has to fit the eye.

What a contact lens fitting measures

• The curve and diameter of your cornea
• Your tear film and how well it supports a lens
• How the lens moves and centers when you blink
• The right lens power, which is often different from glasses

Signs your lenses don't fit well

• Lenses feel dry or scratchy by afternoon
• Vision blurs when you blink
• Red eyes after wearing contacts
• Lenses pop out or shift often

Options for astigmatism and dry eye

Toric lenses correct astigmatism, and multifocal lenses help with reading up close after 40. If dry eye has made contacts uncomfortable, a daily lens or a different material, combined with dry eye treatment, can help many people wear contacts again.

New to contacts?

First-time wearers at Eye See Eye and Facial Wellness get hands-on training and trial lenses to test at home before ordering a full supply.