At Cunningham Vision Care, we specialize in contact lenses. This includes many hard-to-fit prescriptions such as bifocals, gas permeable lenses, and toric lenses for astigmatism. If you are considering contact lenses for the first time, here is some general information including frequently asked questions.

Contact Lens Material Types

• Soft

• Gas permeable.

Wear Schedules

• Daily wear: Lenses that are taken out at night

• Extended wear: Lenses that can be slept in over nightóup to 30 days of continuous wear with a silicone hydrogel lens material.

Replacement Schedules

• Disposable soft contacts: Last from one day to two weeks. 

• Frequent or planned replacement soft contacts: last from one to several months.

• Conventional lenses: Soft conventional lenses last about a year. Gas permeable conventional lenses can last several years.

Care and Handling

Disposable soft contacts:

• Require the least amount of care (i.e. cleaning).

• The most convenient. 

• You usually have back up lenses (tearing or losing a lens is not as much of a problem.)

• Great for new contact lens wearers.

Frequent or planned replacement soft contacts:

• Require a little more care and cleaning than disposable lens.

• You still usually have spare lenses on hand.

Conventional lenses:

• These require the greatest amount of care. 

• They must be cleaned and disinfected including a separate protein removal system. 

• Usually no ìspare lensesî as with the disposable or frequent replacement lenses (tearing or breaking a lens is inconvenient since they are individually more expensive and sometimes must be specially ordered) 

Specialty Contact Lenses

We also fit many specialty contact lenses such as:

• Toric lenses (for higher astigmatism)

• Bifocal lenses (disposable, frequent replacement, and conventional lenses)

• Colored lenses (to change or just enhance your natural eye color)

• Special effect lenses (including theatrical & costume contact lenses)

• Keratoconic gas permeable lenses

• Ortho-K lenses (gas permeable lenses worn at night to correct your vision while you sleep) Also known as orthokeratology.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Can I get the lenses the same day?

   Most patients are able to leave the initial examination wearing the lenses home.

2. How long does it take to get used to the new contact lenses if you have never worn them before?

   Depending on the type of lenses (soft or gas permeable) and your eye sensitivity, your eyes could adjust to wearing the lenses from one day to two weeks. Some people find that their eyes never adjust, but this is uncommon.

3. Do you think I am old enough to wear contact lenses?

   This depends on how responsible you are. This decision is best made jointly between you, your parents, and your eye doctor.

4. Can a contact get lost behind my eye?

   No. You may have trouble finding it under your eyelid. If you canít see the lens, most likely, it is rolled up under your eye lid (or it is not in your eye). If necessary, you can have your eye doctor help get it out.

5. Is there really a big difference between daily and extended wear lenses?

   Yes. Extended wear contact lenses allow more oxygen to reach your eye, thus are safer to sleep in than daily wear contact lenses. The best extended wear lens is a silicone hydrogel lens which can be worn continuously for up to 30 days.

6. Can I wear contacts if I have bifocal glasses?

   Yes. There have been many recent advances in bifocal contact lenses. Bifocal contacts come in both soft and gas permeable materials. They are even available in a disposable or frequent replacement regimen.

7. Why did my doctor ask me to come back in a week after he already fit me with the lenses?

   The true test of a contact lens is taking it out and wearing it in the ìreal worldî. We want you to make sure the prescription is adequate for your everyday activities. All of the lenses perform differently on each individualís eyes, so we want to see how well the lens is holding up after a week of wear. Once it is considered a ìgood fitî, the contact lens prescription becomes valid. If you are wearing disposable lenses, this is when we will order your supply of lenses (or just give them to you if we have them in stock).

8. How long is a contact lens prescription valid?

   Contact lenses are a medical device, and therefore prescriptions expire. Most prescriptions are valid for one year. Each year, you must have a new examination and contact lens fitting to make sure the prescription and fit is adequate for your eyes. Since your prescription can change over time, it is highly recommended that you receive a yearly eye examination and contact lens evaluation to determine if the current lens parameters are still adequate.

9. I need to re-order my contact lenses. How do I order?

   We can take your order over the phone and even have the lenses shipped to your home. We carry a large inventory of lenses, so we may have them in stock at one of our three offices. If they must be ordered, they usually arrive within 3-7 business days.

Click here for $20.00 Coupon off a complete contact lens package.

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