Specaility Contacts

• Keratoconus:  A progressive eye condition where the cornea (the eye's clear, dome-shaped front surface) becomes thin and bulges outward into a cone shape instead of remaining round.

  • Impact: This irregular shape causes distorted vision, light sensitivity, and night vision difficulty. Standard glasses or contact lenses cannot adequately correct the distortion in advanced cases.

• Astigmatism: A common refractive error that occurs when the cornea or lens is irregular, causing light to focus unevenly on the retina.

  • Impact: This results in blurred or distorted vision at all distances. Mild astigmatism can often be corrected with glasses, but more severe cases may require specialty lenses like toric or hybrid lenses.

• Severe Dry Eye Syndrome is a chronic condition in which the eyes do not produce enough tears or evaporate too quickly, leading to inflammation and discomfort.

  • Impact: Severe dry eye can cause a gritty or burning sensation, blurred vision, redness, and sensitivity to light. Scleral lenses are often prescribed as they form a protective reservoir of fluid that keeps the cornea hydrated.

• Myopia (Nearsightedness):  A refractive error in which distant objects appear blurry while near objects remain clear. It occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it.

  • Impact: Myopia can lead to headaches, eye strain, and difficulty seeing far-away objects like road signs or classroom boards. Specialty lenses like Ortho-K are used to slow myopia progression in children.

• Presbyopia: An age-related condition that occurs when the eye's lens loses its flexibility, making it difficult to focus on close objects.

  • Impact: Presbyopia usually starts in people over 40, causing the need to hold reading material farther away. Multifocal contact lenses are often used to correct both near and distant vision.

• Post-Surgical Corneas: The corneal shape can become irregular after eye surgeries like LASIK, PRK, or transplants. These procedures can lead to irregular astigmatism or scarring that regular lenses cannot correct.

  • Impact: Specialty lenses, such as scleral or hybrid lenses, can provide clear vision by creating a new, smooth optical surface over the irregular cornea.

• Corneal Scarring: Scar tissue on the cornea caused by trauma, infections, or ulcers that disrupt the cornea’s transparency and smooth surface.

  • Impact: Corneal scarring can result in blurry vision, glare, and light sensitivity. Scleral or prosthetic lenses can improve vision by covering the irregular surface and protecting the cornea.

• Aniridia (Iris Defects): A rare congenital condition in which the iris (the coloured part of the eye) is partially or completely missing.

  • Impact: The absence of an iris can cause extreme sensitivity to light and difficulty regulating the amount of light entering the eye. Prosthetic contact lenses can improve appearance, reduce glare, and enhance light control.

• Iris Coloboma (Iris Defect): A condition where a part of the iris is missing due to incomplete closure during fetal development.

  • Impact: Iris coloboma causes irregular light entry into the eye, leading to blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light. Prosthetic contact lenses can mask the defect and improve light control.

• High Refractive Errors (Severe Myopia, Hyperopia, and Astigmatism): Severe forms of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism where conventional glasses or contact lenses cannot fully correct vision.

  • Impact: High refractive errors can result in extreme blurriness at certain distances. Specialty lenses such as RGP, hybrid, or custom soft lenses correct these extreme prescriptions precisely.

• Irregular Corneas: The cornea has an uneven or abnormal shape due to conditions like keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, or post-surgical changes.

  • Impact: Irregular corneas distort light as it enters the eye, causing blurry and distorted vision. Scleral lenses and hybrid lenses are often used to provide a smooth refractive surface.

• Pellucid Marginal Degeneration (PMD): A degenerative corneal disorder where the lower peripheral cornea becomes thin, causing it to bulge outward.

  • Impact: PMD causes irregular astigmatism and severe vision distortion, often requiring rigid or scleral lenses to restore vision.

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Why Specialty Lenses Are Used for These Conditions:

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These conditions often cause distorted or blurry vision that cannot be corrected with regular glasses or soft contact lenses. Specialty lenses, such as scleral, RGP, or hybrid lenses, reshape the light entering the eye and provide a smoother surface, improving vision and comfort.