Properly fitted lenses key to maintaining eye health

Many people rely on contact lenses to see clearly and there are many options available, but whatever your reason for wearing contacts, it's important to have a proper fit.

Optician Erin Hensler has seen the difference contact lenses can make in her client's lives.

“We have young people who are able to wear lenses for sports for example and they don't have to worry about fogging up the glasses. We have patients that are in need of reading glasses that, if they're fitted properly with a multi focal lens, all the sudden don't need the reading glasses anymore,” says Hensler.

To get the full benefits of contact lenses, it's important to wear the right ones for your eyes.

Optometrist Dr. Erin Sheppard says there are many different options available.

“The basics would correct your near sightedness or your far sightedness, that would be your basic spherical lens,” says Sheppard.

Toric lenses can be used for those with a stigmatism, while multifocal contact lenses are an option for some people who need progressive lenses for their glasses. In addition to routine contact lenses, there are also highly specialized varieties.

“For example, there's small hard contact lenses made out of a rigid material that doesn't bend that people can actually sleep in overnight to correct their near sightedness,” says Sheppard.

Large hard lenses are also available for special cases.

“They treat really nasty dry eye issues or surface diseases, irregular corneas, and help a lot with people who traditionally have not done well with the routine contact lenses,” says Sheppard.

Sheppard says it's important to get fitted by a professional. Properly fitted lenses are crucial to not only good vision, but maintaining healthy eyes.

“Definitely you could get infections, corneal ulcers, many different problems with the cornea could result from wearing improper lenses,” says Sheppard. “The biggest and the scariest thing is the potential for an infection that can lead to a scar, and if you end up with a scar in your cornea, you are going to be left with some permanent vision loss.”

Cosmetic lenses are popular this time of year with Halloween approaching. Sheppard says they don't have to be dangerous, but cosmetic lenses usually haven't been properly fitted and could lead to problems.

“If they're too tight, if they don't let your eye breathe, if they're used,” says Sheppard. “Some people actually think it's a good idea to get their cosmetic contact lenses on Kijiji, which would be akin to getting your toothbrush used on Kijiji, it's a bad idea all around. That's going to introduce the risk of infection, inflammation, rejection basically of the lens from your eye.”

A private members bill was recently introduced federally to have cosmetic contact lenses classified as the equivalent to prescription lenses. Once local regulations are in place, only licensed eye care providers will be able to sell them.