If you’re tired of wearing glasses and want to try contacts, you’ll need to come into our office, see an optometrist, and find out what the best options are for you. Most people are good candidates for contacts. But there are numerous considerations that the doctor needs to factor in to determine what optimal choices are available.

If you’ve already been wearing contacts and have found them uncomfortable you should schedule an appointment with one of our doctors to determine the cause.

After a thorough examination, the doctor may find a condition that makes it hard to fit you with contact lenses. If you fall into a hard-to-fit group, don’t get discouraged. You’ll require a specialized fitting to determine your best options.

There are several issues with eyes that can make contacts difficult to wear. In some cases, contacts may prove to be too uncomfortable and you’ll go back to your glasses.

Some of the issues that fall into the hard to fit categories are:

• Corneal Scarring from an eye injury. Some corneal scarring heals faster than other injuries. You may need to wait until your cornea is healed before getting contacts. If that isn’t the case the doctor may still be able to fit you with contacts.
• Dry Eyes feel itchy, scratchy and can leave you with blurry vision. Even if you’ve never had dry eyes, this may intensify with the wearing of contact lenses. Eye drops may be prescribed or the doctor may recommend over-the-counter drops. Keeping your eyes lubricated will help keep your eyes comfortable and your vision clear.
• Post-LASIK or other refractive surgery is designed to help you see without glasses.
• Presbyopia is reduced near vision, as in reading glasses.
• Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC) is when the inside of your eyelid gets irritated, swollen, and red.
• Astigmatism is a defect in the eye or a lens caused by a variation from spherical curvature,
• Keratoconus is a condition where the eye is cone-shaped. It’s also called conical cornea.
• Pellucid Marginal Degeneration (PMD) is a degenerative corneal condition.

After a thorough eye exam, the eye doctor will be able to give you your options. There are numerous types of contacts for hard-to-fit eyes.

Depending on your diagnosis, your optometrist may recommend custom soft contact lenses. The wearer may experience dry eyes when that hasn’t been an issue before. Another type of contacts are rigid gas permeable hard contact lenses. These can be difficult to adjust to and some people find them too uncomfortable to wear.

Scleral contact lenses are comfortable and have great optics. However, they do require some careful handling. Hybrid contact lenses (gas permeable lens with a soft skirt/outer ring) also require extra care to prevent breakage.

Some of the contacts for hard-to-fit eyes take longer for the lab to make than others. The prices will vary as well.

Our Boulder, CO eye doctors will discuss the best options that fit you and your lifestyle. Rest assured, if you fall into the hard-to-fit category, you are not alone. We want to help you find the best, most comfortable contacts to suit your needs.