Contact Lens Services
Dr. Schied has success fitting many hard to fit contacts, including high or irregular astigmatism, keratoconus, post-surgical, and presbyopic eyes. Our office is stocked with thousands of lenses enabling us to customize your contact lenses to your vision needs and wearing preferences. The many different materials and contact lens designs available often allow us to find solutions for patients who have been unable to wear contacts due to sensitivity, poor vision, dry eyes, discomfort, or allergies.
Corneal Topography
We utilize computerized corneal topography to aid in fitting of contact lenses. The topographer maps the curvature of the front surface of your eyes and enables us to design and choose contact lenses to most appropriately fit your cornea surface. Mapping the cornea also helps the doctor determine if the lenses you have been wearing are adversely affecting the surface of your eyes. Computerized corneal topography is included in all of our contact lens evaluation services.
Types of Contacts
Soft and silicone hydrogel lenses are the most popular options and are available for daily, 2 week, monthly, and planned replacement. The new generation silicone hydrogel lenses are made of highly breathable materials which allow for more oxygen transmissibility than previous lenses. This allows greater comfort and longer wearing intervals for some patients. Soft contacts are the easiest to wear and the most comfortable contact lenses.
Rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) are made from rigid but breathable materials and provide for better vision for some people with corneal surface irregularities including keratoconus or irregular astigmatism. These lenses take longer to adapt to due to initial discomfort, but provide a good longer term solution for those whose vision benefits from the rigid designs.
Scleral contact lenses are larger rigid lenses that cover the entire cornea of the eye, and rest on the sclera (outer white area.) These lenses are another alternative when corneal irregularities occur such as keratoconus, post surgery, or they also can be used in dry eye. Even though the material is more rigid, they are quite comfortable.
Rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) are made from rigid but breathable materials and provide for better vision for some people with corneal surface irregularities including keratoconus or irregular astigmatism. These lenses take longer to adapt to due to initial discomfort, but provide a good longer term solution for those whose vision benefits from the rigid designs.
Scleral contact lenses are larger rigid lenses that cover the entire cornea of the eye, and rest on the sclera (outer white area.) These lenses are another alternative when corneal irregularities occur such as keratoconus, post surgery, or they also can be used in dry eye. Even though the material is more rigid, they are quite comfortable.
Contact lens designs
Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses come in soft or rigid materials. These lenses are designed to aid vision in near and distance when eyes have lost their ability to accommodate due to presbyopia. Several designs are made from different manufacturers that enable our doctors to work with you to find the most appropriate solution for you.
Monovision is actually a fitting alternative to multifocal contacts. Some patients will find that this alternative of correcting one eye for distance and the other eye for near vision is the best solution for their needs.
Toric lenses correct for astigmatism by using a directional lens that positions itself on the eye to correct for the amount of astigmatism in each eye. These lenses can be made of soft or rigid materials and have thicker areas in the lens to orient the lens on your eye to correct for your cornea or lens irregularity.
Colored contact lenses are normally worn for cosmetic reasons when patients want to change or enhance their eye color. For some situations where pupil irregularity exits or other medical reasons, colored lenses may be used to block out or reduce the amount of light entering the eyes. Note: all contact lenses require proper fitting and a prescription to be worn, even if you have no need for corrective lenses.
Monovision is actually a fitting alternative to multifocal contacts. Some patients will find that this alternative of correcting one eye for distance and the other eye for near vision is the best solution for their needs.
Toric lenses correct for astigmatism by using a directional lens that positions itself on the eye to correct for the amount of astigmatism in each eye. These lenses can be made of soft or rigid materials and have thicker areas in the lens to orient the lens on your eye to correct for your cornea or lens irregularity.
Colored contact lenses are normally worn for cosmetic reasons when patients want to change or enhance their eye color. For some situations where pupil irregularity exits or other medical reasons, colored lenses may be used to block out or reduce the amount of light entering the eyes. Note: all contact lenses require proper fitting and a prescription to be worn, even if you have no need for corrective lenses.
Specialty contact lenses
Hybrid contact lenses including the ClearKone from Synergeyes lens are a rigid lens set in a soft lens skirt for comfort with the vision of a gas permeable lens. These lenses are used to correct for keratoconus and irregular astigmatism.
Piggy-Back lenses are actually a fitting technique where a soft contact lens is used in addition to a rigid lens. This combination is used in specialty situations with corneal irregularities like keratoconus.
Post-Surgical contacts for patients with a history of corneal procedures like Radial Keratotomy (RK), Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), Laser-Assisted-In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), or corneal transplant and have need for vision correction. These are lenses custom made for corneas that have been altered by surgical procedures, and are outside the normal available parameters for contact lenses.
Piggy-Back lenses are actually a fitting technique where a soft contact lens is used in addition to a rigid lens. This combination is used in specialty situations with corneal irregularities like keratoconus.
Post-Surgical contacts for patients with a history of corneal procedures like Radial Keratotomy (RK), Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), Laser-Assisted-In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), or corneal transplant and have need for vision correction. These are lenses custom made for corneas that have been altered by surgical procedures, and are outside the normal available parameters for contact lenses.
Dr. Kristi Schied Optometrist
2203 Broadwater Ave, Billings, MT 59102
406) 652-4455
www.theeyedocs.us
2203 Broadwater Ave, Billings, MT 59102
406) 652-4455
www.theeyedocs.us