While some people enjoy making a fashion statement with eyeglasses, others prefer their appearance without them. Contact lenses can correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Contact lenses don’t get fogged up; they stay in place and provide a full field of unobstructed vision, which is great for sports

If you were told in the past that you couldn't wear contact lenses, odds are that's not true today. Many advancements have allowed just about everyone to wear contact lenses, and there are more convenient and healthy contact lens options than ever.

However, contact lenses are medical devices and can cause permanent damage without proper supervision. At Atrius Health, our job is to provide that supervision to our patients, and we take that responsibility very seriously.  We offer the combination of wide selection, expert fitting and follow-up care by doctors who are experts in contact lenses to make your contact lens experience the best it can possibly be.

If you're new to contact lenses, your first step is to see an eye doctor. In the United States, contact lenses are a prescription item, just like pharmaceuticals. They must be prescribed and properly fitted by an eye doctor.  Your eye doctor will evaluate your visual needs, your eye structure, and your tears to help determine the best type of lens for you.

Although not every person is a candidate for contact lenses, there are more choices than ever before. Today, there are three types of materials used for contact lenses:

• Soft 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.
  • Soft contact lenses are changed regularly (daily, every two weeks or one month).  For many teenagers and kids, one-day disposable lenses can be a great choice.  One-day disposable lenses give parents/guardians peace of mind that the child is getting a fresh new contact every day which lessens the risk of infection.   
• RGP lenses (Rigid Gas Permeable), "oxygen permeable" lenses, are made from rigid, waterless plastics and offer the advantage of excellent vision, durability and high oxygen transmission. They are especially good for presbyopia, and high astigmatism and irregular corneas. RGP lenses are smaller in diameter and often provide sharper vision than soft lenses.
• Also, hybrid contact lenses have an optical center made of a rigid GP lens material, surrounded by a zone of soft lens material for greater wearing comfort.
• Therapeutic uses for contacts: Spectacles cannot correct every patient.  Some patients need to wear contacts for medical conditions like keratoconus (irregularly shaped cornea). We have experts in fitting complex advanced designs.

Your Optometrist will be able to determine which type is right for you.

Contact lenses are medical devices and must be fit and monitored properly for safe use and for maximum comfort and vision.  Contacts must never be used without doctor supervision.   Your Optometrist will be able to determine if you are a good candidate for contact lenses.  Our highly trained technicians will teach you how to properly insert, remove, and care for your contact lenses.