Optometrist vs. Ophthalmologist (contact lens fitting)

[Imzadi]

I asked if they would also cover the contact lens fitting and she said ophthalmologists don't do fittings but if DD already wears contacts (she does) she would not need a fitting unless she was switching brands (she isn't).

I think there is confusion about terminology. When the Ophthalmologist says she wouldn't need a new fitting, they mean she may require a new prescription, but they can just order the right prescription within the same brand of lens. Kind of like exchanging a size 6 for a size 8 of the same dress. IF they know the size 6 fits everywhere but is just too small, they may order the next size (prescription.)

When an optometrist "fits" on a pair of contact lens, he has to figure out the right lens size to fit the eye ball, so the lens isn't too big around beyond the iris, that it contours & lays flat against the curvature of the eye, etc. Different brands are sized differently and lay differently.

It's kind of like size 10 jeans are totally different in cut & fit in different brands. Lee jeans, size 10 may fit like a glove and lay flat in back, while Wranglers gap at the back of the waist. That gap would be there if you tried on a pair of size 6 or size 12 becasue of how the jeans are shaped.

 

[Imzadi]

Oh, and just something to look into but make sure she has the correct contacts in the correct eye. DS14 got new contacts late summer and a month or so into school he was having problems seeing. I had made an appointment to get his eyes looked at again and he put in new contacts that morning and all of the sudden his eyes were better--he had his left contact in his right eye and vice versa .

Also make sure one or both lenses aren't flipped inside out. It is easy to accidentally do while cleaning.

You can tell by; If you hold a lens balanced on your finger, with the cup up, it should have a gentle, natural, soft "U" shape. If it seems more like a pointy "V" shape and the edges look like they would dig into the eye, the lens is flipped inside out. Just push the lens in the middle so it curves in the other direction.

 

[Minnie*J*]

I have worn contacts for the past 20 years and have worn glasses for as long as I can remember. I have always gone to the same eye doctor for glasses and contacts. Even the several times I have switched eye doctors, every one of them have given contacts and glasses. I never knew people had to go to 2 different eye doctors each year. Is it just different parts of the country do different things?

 

[LisaR]

Thanks for all the info and advice. DD has an appointment in March with an optometrist (first available). While she has messed up her contacts in the past (wrong eye, inside out) that isn't the issue. She sits in the front row in her communications class and the teacher uses an overhead projector that DD has a great deal of trouble seeing. She said she can see it fine when there are just one or two facts on it because the font is bigger but when it is a full sheet of info, she struggles. That seems to be the only time she has trouble seeing anything but she said it is really bugging her.