Contact Lenses
Modern contact lenses are so simple and convenient it’s easy to take them for granted. But lots of people’s lives are transformed every day by the freedom and flexibility they offer. You can wear contacts most of the time, with sunglasses, or simply when you prefer to leave your glasses at home.
Contact lenses are fantastic for today’s active lifestyles. Our contact lens patients include everyone from kids to people well past retirement age. A lot of wearers choose to use them almost all the time. Today’s contact lenses cater for a range of prescriptions, so you are not limited to only wearing prescription glasses – they can help you see just as well as while wearing your glasses. Contact lenses can also provide a full field of unobstructed vision, which is great for sports.
Disposable Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are made from gel-like, water-containing plastics called hydrogels, and cover the entire cornea. Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are an advanced type of soft lens that transmit more oxygen to the eye than regular hydrogel soft lenses. The beauty of these lenses is that they can be worn and then disposed of when the wearing time is complete. There are daily, fortnightly and monthly lenses available depending on which suits your needs best.
Hard Contact Lenses
Hard Contact Lenses are more inflexible, but sometimes are necessary because of the eye’s particular condition. That being the case we are experienced in the fitting of these lenses and have the latest technology to custom design each lens to every eye. It is simply amazing how that little rigid gas permeable lens can be so comfortable. It just has to be the right fit for the right eye.
Ortho K Lenses
Used in the treatment and correction of short-sightedness, ortho k lenses are worn at night so that good vision is achieved through the daytime. The overnight contact lenses work by gently reshaping the cornea while the wearer sleeps to bring about eyesight correction without the need of glasses or contact lenses during the day.
MiSight ® Contact Lenses – Treatment for Myopia in Children
An exciting new contact lens therapy from CoopervVision, called MiSight ®, has been proven to slow down the progress of myopia (short-sighted vision) among children. MiSight® lenses allow children with myopia to participate in daily activities, especially sports, without having to wear glasses.
MiSight ® lenses can be used by children aged 8 and over, however, they are only available from a registered optometrist or contact lens specialist. These lenses for short sighted children are easy-to-use daily disposables, meaning that a new set of lenses is inserted every morning and disposed of at the end of the day. This not only means that the contact lenses are very comfortable to wear, but also extremely hygienic and convenient.
As well as correcting daily vision, MiSight® short sighted contact lenses work to reduce the rate at which the child’s myopia develops with age. The cost of these special lenses that can help prevent your child’s eye prescription from increasing every year is comparable to the cost of regular daily disposable lenses.
MiSight® technology uses a dual-focus lens design which means that they have concentric rings within the contact lens. These rings that have different focal lengths, alternating between distance correction and treatment. This means that the wearer can see clearly in order to focus on distant objects whilst, at the same time, the ring that encourages the eyeball to focus properly is treating their myopia.
The end result is that the wearer’s eyeball does not become elongated as quickly as it would without treatment from the MiSight® contact lens and the progress of their myopia is slowed down.
Charlestown Eyecare are an accredited practice for the supply of MiSight® contact lenses for the control of myopia in children.
We will make sure your child is a suitable candidate for the treatment and introduce them to wearing contact lenses, if they have not done so before. MiSight ® lenses are available for prescriptions from -0.25 D to -6.00 D and most children adapt very well to wearing contact lenses, though younger ones may need parental assistance to insert and remove the lenses at first.
As for all contact lens wearers, users of MiSight ® lenses will need to have regular eye examinations and sight tests as well as special contact lens fitting consultations to ensure the continued health of their eyes.
The longer term results of bifocal contact lenses are already showing a significant reduction in myopia progression and eye elongation compared to regular, single-vision contact lenses.1 With an effectiveness in slowing the progression of your child’s myopia by up to 59%, 2 you need to contact us today for a test fitting of these amazing contact lenses.
For more information about MiSight ® contact lenses for children with myopia, please contact us or book an appointment to see our registered Optometrist.
- Anstice NS, Phillips JR. Effect of dual-focus soft contact lens wear on axial myopia progression in children. Ophthalmology. 2011 Jun;118(6):1152-61.
- Chamberlain P, et al. Clinical evaluation of a dual-focus myopia control 1-day soft contact lens – 2-year results. Presented at: American Academy of Optometry meeting; Anaheim, Calif.; Nov. 8-13, 2016.
3 Point Guide to Contact Lens Problem Management
Minor irritation or minor blurring of vision
Remove the lens, rub, rinse & return lens to eye. If no improvement, try spare lens.
If no improvement Book an appointment or Call us on 02 4943 0744
Moderate discomfort or blurring of vision
Moderate discomfort, ocular discharge, redness or blurred vision.
Remove lenses and Book an appointment or Call us on 02 4943 0744
Pain, severe discomfort, or aversion to bright lights.
Remove lenses.
Contact the Optometrist Immediately / Attend an after hours medical practitioner