Contact Lens Exams & Fittings

Contacts should deliver clear vision, comfort and convenience. If any of these benefits are not present with your current contacts, let us assess your vision for a different prescription to achieve the vision you deserve. If you’re interested in contacts, a contact lens exam will match your exact vision needs with the appropriate contact lens prescription and help you see better than ever.

Easily schedule an eye exam online with our eye care professionals today.

“Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The doctor is easy to talk to and very helpful. He explained everything and answered all my questions.”
Sandra K.

What to Expect During a Contact Lens Eye Exam

New Contact Wearer

When you come to see one of our eye doctors for contact lenses, he or she will test your vision and your eye health to determine what type of prescription contact lenses are best for you. There are many different types of contacts, from daily disposables to overnight wear, so your eye doctor may also ask you general questions about your lifestyle to find out which of these types you’d benefit from the most.

If the contact lens prescriptions are worn improperly or do not fit, there can be serious consequences. That’s why one of the most important parts of the contact lens eye exam is the contact lens fitting.

Contact lenses are made to fit all eye shapes and sizes. During your contact lens exam, the doctor will measure the curvature of your eyes and possibly the size of your pupils. Most importantly, the eye doctor will test the health of your eyes’ surface.

For those with eye issues such as corneal disease, there are different types of lenses that can support various eye conditions, including:

Hybrid lenses (soft and gas per molded together)
Scleral lens (larger fits to white of eye)
Toric lenses (correct astigmatism)
UV, tinted or transition lenses (help with bright lights)

Learn more about contact lens options, like the different types of lenses, solutions and more. Read the article here.

Follow-up visits after wearing trial lenses is vital so the doctor can check for defects and make sure that wearing contacts is not damaging your eyes. At the end of the exam, you’ll select trial lenses so you can determine if the comfort and vision they provide are right for you. If you’re new to contact lenses, the doctor will teach you how to insert, remove, clean and care for them.

If you’re ready for a new direction with your visual clarity, let our eye doctor for contact lenses help you seamlessly integrate contact lenses into your everyday life.

Current Contact Wearer

Your contact lens exam will be very similar to that of a someone new to contacts, but our doctors can also help you address any eye care concerns or eye conditions you’re experiencing, such as:

Dry eye
Unstable vision
Discomfort or “scratchy” feeling

Let the eye experts at iCare Vision assess your eye health and vision needs to ensure your eyes are receiving the support they need to help you thrive.

What to Expect After a Contact Lens Exam

After wearing the trial prescription contact lenses for a short period of time, you’ll return for a follow-up visit. Together, you and the doctor will ensure that your trial lenses fit properly, are comfortable and provide good vision. The doctor will then give you a contact lens prescription.

“I love iCare Vision. The office staff and Dr. Wineland are awesome. The staff is efficient, always friendly and smiling, and willing to help us patients. Dr. Wineland as a doctor is wonderful. He takes his time with me, answers all my questions, and explains everything fully and in a way I can understand. He treats myself and my husband and we wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
Eleanora F.

FAQs About Appointments for Contacts

Do I need a contact lens fitting every year?

The short answer is yes. Here are the major reasons why:

Most contact lens prescriptions are only valid for one year
This is because your eyes may change within that year
An annual eye exam can check your eyes to ensure that you are using the most accurate prescription powers possible
A new prescription can improve your visual clarity
Additionally, your cornea may have changed and your old contacts may not fit as well as they used to
If the cornea changes its shape (even by fractions of a millimeter), this could affect the fit of your contacts and lead to discomfort, dryness, redness and/or poor corneal health

Is a contact lens fitting required?

Yes. During a contact lens exam, we will perform special tests to evaluate your vision with contacts. These tests will measure the surface of the eye to determine what size and type of contacts are best for you. We may also perform a tear film evaluation to make sure you have enough tears to comfortably wear contacts. The results of these tests, among others, will provide a contact lens prescription that is the right fit for your eyes.

How long does it take to get fitted for contacts?

On average, contact lens fittings take approximately 15-20 minutes. Keep in mind that this timeframe does not account for any necessary eye exams and discussions with the doctor. If your contact lens fitting is on the same day as routine exams, plan for an appointment that is approximately 60 minutes.

Should I wear contacts or glasses to my eye appointment?

If you are having a healthy eye exam (to check your eyesight and the health of your eyes), you will be asked to remove your contacts at some time during examination – please wear them so the doctors and staff can review them while they are on the eye or at least bring them in a case for the staff to check out.

If you are having a contact lens exam (to see how well your prescription is helping your eyes and to check how well the eyes are wearing contact lenses), you’ll need to wear your contact lenses so we can check their fit and prescription effectiveness.

If you also wear glasses, please bring them so we can check their prescription and fit.

Is a prescription for contacts the same as eyeglasses?

No, contact lens prescriptions and eyeglass prescriptions are not the same. Contacts and glasses require two different prescriptions because eyeglass lenses are positioned approximately 12 millimeters from your eyes, and, by contrast, contact lenses rest directly on the surface of your eyes.

Schedule Your Contact Lens Exam & Fitting

At iCare Vision, we have over 100 years combined experience – several staff have been fitting contacts since the early 1970’s. Rest assured, your vision is in good hands here. Call or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wineland or Dr. Sanders (formerly Dr. Kenny), or Dr. Franko in our Mount Vernon office.

Whether you want to change your look, be freed from glasses, or are experiencing one of the symptoms below, we look forward to helping you find the right contacts:

Sudden or gradual changes in vision
Blurred vision
Spotty vision
Eye pain or strain
Recurring headaches

Have questions about vision insurance? We accept most major insurance plans and are happy to further discuss vision insurance, vision plans, and payment options with you. Easily schedule a contact lens eye exam online.

“Dr. Sanders is an excellent doctor. She did a very thorough examination of my eyes. I feel like every time I go to have my eyes examined I am given the best quality exam.”
Gerald S.

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