A contact lens exam goes beyond your glasses prescription to find a lens that fits your eye and your daily life. Good fit means clear vision and comfortable wear from morning to night.
Contact Lens Exams in Littleton
Why a Contact Lens Exam Is Different
Contact lens prescriptions include the lens brand, base curve, and diameter, not just your power correction. Those extra details determine how the lens sits on your eye and how much oxygen reaches the cornea.
Without a proper fitting, lenses can reduce oxygen to the cornea, slide around, or cause discomfort that makes contact wear hard to stick with. The fitting visit is where we get those details right so your lenses work as well as they should. If you need more unusual designs, our specialty contact lenses page covers the options available for more complex cases.
What a Contact Lens Exam Involves
First, we update your glasses prescription, then we measure your corneal curvature and check the health of the eye surface. Those measurements guide us to the trial lens that is most likely to fit well from the start.
You wear the trial lens in the office so we can assess the fit under the microscope. We look at how the lens centers, moves, and covers the cornea. Every person's eyes are shaped and respond a little differently, so we may try more than one lens before settling on the best match for yours.
The best contact lens isn't always the first one we try. Small adjustments often make a big difference in long-term comfort, and we stay with the process until the fit feels right.
Contact Lens Options We Fit
- Daily disposable soft lenses (most hygienic, best for occasional wearers).
- Biweekly and monthly soft lenses.
- Toric lenses for astigmatism.
- Multifocal lenses for presbyopia.
- Lenses for sensitive or dry eyes.
First-Time Contact Lens Wearers
If you have never worn contacts before, we will walk you through how to insert and remove them safely and how to build up wearing time. Taking it gradually lets your eyes adjust and helps you build confidence with the lens.
Most new wearers are comfortable within a week. We are here for questions between visits as well, so you never have to figure it out alone.
What Your Contact Lens Visit Includes
- Updated glasses (refraction) prescription
- Corneal curvature (keratometry) measurement
- Eye surface health check
- Trial lens selection and fitting
- In-office lens assessment under the microscope
- Insertion and removal training for new wearers
- Follow-up visit to confirm the fit
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Contact lens prescriptions include fitting parameters (base curve and diameter) that glasses prescriptions do not. You need a separate contact lens exam and fitting.
Plan for about 60 to 90 minutes for a first-time fitting. A follow-up exam for an established wearer is usually 30 to 45 minutes.
Discomfort usually has a cause, such as a lens that is too flat or too steep, or a dry eye issue underneath. We work through the options until we find something that works or determine whether contacts are a safe choice for your eyes.
Yes. Toric lenses are designed for astigmatism. Fitting them takes a bit more care because they need to stay properly oriented on the eye, but most patients with astigmatism do very well with contacts.
Contact lens prescriptions are typically valid for one year. An annual exam lets us confirm that your prescription is still accurate and that the lenses are not causing any wear-related changes to your eyes.
Get Fitted for Contacts in Littleton
At Active Eyes, your Littleton eye doctor team fits patients for soft, toric, multifocal, and specialty contact lenses. We serve patients in Littleton and the nearby foothill communities. See our hours and location before booking your exam.