What are Specialty Contact Lenses?

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Specialty contact lenses are contact lenses that are entirely customized for the wearer's unique eye shape and prescription. With traditional contact lenses, we are at the mercy of whatever shapes and powers the large manufacturers have decided to mass-produce. With specialty lenses, any corneal shape or prescription can be accounted for. 

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Specialty lenses come in both soft and hard forms. Custom soft lenses are most often used for very high far or nearsighted prescriptions, or in cases of high astigmatism. Often specialty soft lenses are used for prosthetic purposes, such as after an ocular injury where a prosthetic contact lens is required to reduce glare symptoms or to improve cosmetic appearance. 

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Custom hard lenses are able to correct for virtually any type of prescription or eye shape. Most commonly they are used for very high amounts of nearsightedness or astigmatism, and increasingly are used for a condition called Keratoconus. 

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Keratoconus is a disorder of the cornea where due to mechanical weakening of the cornea, it bulges forward forming a cone shape rather than a sphere shape like normal. This results in unacceptable levels of astigmatism causing blurred vision and debilitating glare even with glasses or soft contact lenses. 

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Dr. Avi has extensive experience with fitting patients with keratoconus and other corneal disorders with specialty contact lenses including Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses, Hybrid Lenses, and Scleral Lenses. 

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If you have been diagnosed with keratoconus, or if you simply have not been able to successfully wear contacts in the past, schedule an appointment today to see if specialty contact lenses are right for you! 

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