NOTE: if you are only coming to the office for a contact lens initial fit or annual update, that is likely better off done elsewhere, using your vision insurance (we don’t accept or participate in vision insurance plans). We certainly can fit and update contact lenses, but this will be from a self-pay perspective (i.e. if you don’t have any vision insurance).
The contact lens patients we usually see here at POASF are those having problems with their current contact lenses, or they slept in them and their eye is red and infected, or they notice they can’t wear them for long and the lenses are really irritating their eyes. Those are medical contact lens issues that are covered under your medical insurance.
FOR THOSE ALREADY WEARING CONTACT LENSES:
If you need your contact lenses updated (While most children should have their contact lens prescription updated EVERY year, contact lens prescriptions officially expire every 2 YEARS in Virginia), save your empty contact lens boxes or foil packs and bring them to your appointment, so we can use that info as a “starting point” to make refractive changes from. We cannot emphasize this enough.
If you wear contact lenses, PLEASE BRING YOUR CONTACT LENS BOXES (even if they are empty) BECAUSE THERE IS VITAL RX INFO WRITTEN ON THE BOXES / FOIL PACKS!!!. It is a huge time saver if the child/parent knows the exact brand and model of contact lens worn. Just like there are about 15 different models of Honda cars sold (Civic, Accord, CRV, HRV, Pilot, Odyssey, etc.) each contact lens manufacturer (Alcon, Cooper, Bausch + Lomb…) also have about 15-20 different models of contacts they each make. Hence why we need to know the brand of contact lens you wear AND the model (for example Alcon “Daily Aqua Comfort Plus” or Alcon “Air Optix” or Cooper “Biofinity” or Cooper “MyDay” or Cooper “Clariti” or Bausch+Lomb (B+L) “Ultra” or B+L “Biotrue” or B+L “Soflens” of B+L “Biofinity,” etc) AS WELL AS the power (# sphere, # cyl(cylinder astigmatism), # axis of cylinder. PLEASE REMEMBER that contact lenses have a brand name/model (which determines the shape) and a power. We need to know all of that to refill a contact lens rx or refit you into something different if you are unhappy with your current lens. Contact lenses DO NOT have any imprinting on the individual lenses that let us know what you are wearing, but the foil packs / boxes do, SO BRING THEM!! You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration at your appointment. If we do not know what brand/base curve/diameter parameters of contact lens you are wearing, we cannot renew it; we need this vital information. Otherwise, you will need to start from scratch, which is expensive and likely won’t happen on your time schedule. If you need your contact lenses updated (contact lens prescriptions expire in most states every 365 days, though in Virginia the expiration is 2 YEARS), save your empty contact lens boxes or foil packs and bring them so we can use that info as a “starting point” to make refractive changes from. We cannot emphasize this enough.
For return contact lens wearers, or those that need their contact lens rx renewed (in general, contact lenses need to be checked annually to verify they are still fitting correctly onto the patient’s eyeball). While most states set a “one year” expiration date on all contact lens prescriptions, Virginia has a “two year” drop dead date for contact lens prescriptions to expire. After that, you will not be able to renew your prescription without getting the fit checked by your eye doctor. There are no exceptions to this allowed by Virginia state law. Plan ahead. Know your contact lens prescription expiration date and call well in advance for an eye appointment. If you are just needing your contacts updated and if you have vision insurance (which we do not participate with) you should contact your local eye provider that takes vision insurance, as this is what vision insurance was designed for.
FOR FIRST TIME CONTACT LENS WEARERS / THOSE WHO WANT TO TRY CONTACTS:
We are frequently asked what the best age to begin contact lenses is. There is really no concrete answer, except when both the parent and eye doctor feel that the child is mature enough to handle and insertion/removal of contacts on their own (since they might have to remove/replace them during school hours) as well as handle the responsibilities of contact lens wear, care, and maintenance, including remembering to remove them at night without being nagged nightly by the parent. Indeed, the most important rule of contact lenses is that nobody (other than emergency overnight personnel who have to jump into an ambulance or fire truck immediately) should be sleeping in contact lenses…even lenses that were designed to be slept in. Cigarettes were designed to be smoked, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. The same applies for “overnight” contacts. Don’t sleep in them. We see too many children with eye infections or ocular inflammation from sleeping in their contacts. Don’t do it !
First time wearers will need to go through a contact lens fitting and training session (I & R: insertion/ removal training…this is a separate appointment that lasts between 1-2 hours, solely dependent upon how long it takes your child to insert lenses for the first time) where different sized lenses are placed on the eye and checked for the appropriate “fit.” This I&R (insertion/removal) training has a fee with it that includes some contacts. Remember, a poorly fitting contact is dangerous and uncomfortable. The proper fit is crucial. Different contact lens brands/models have different sizes/shapes. We make some measurements and try our best to pick the appropriately sized lens based on that. Then once the lens is on the eye, we carefully inspect (at the slit lamp) how it fits on the eye and how it moves with each blink. This “shape” is the other half of the contact lens prescription. A contact lens prescription is a “shape” and a “power,” We can calculate “the power” from your eye exam; “the shape” of your contact lens is determined at the I&R session when we find the specific contact lens that exactly fits your child’s eye. We train you on how to insert / remove / care for your contact lenses. The patient and parents then sign a form stating that they have been fitted and trained on contact lens wear and care and insertion / removal. We are occasionally audited by the government to provide copies of these signed forms. AFTER the power and fit have been determined at the I & R session, then we can generate an official contact lens prescription (power and shape parameters) that is valid in Virginia for 2 years, though most children should have a power update/fit check every ONE year. Sometime before your 365 days expires, you will need to be rechecked to make sure the lens is still fitting well and the power will be updated. You will NOT have to go through another I & R session, so the “annual contact lens rx update fee” is less than the first time “I & R fee”. NOTE: if you are only coming to the office for a contact lens initial fit or annual update, that is likely better off done elsewhere, using your vision insurance (we don’t participate in vision insurance plans).
Other considerations to contact lens choice is whether the patient or family desires a “daily,” “weekly,” "biweekly,” or “monthly” lens. All are removed nightly, no exceptions!! The FDA opens contact lenses and measures how long it takes for them to substantially lose their shape / become unsafe to wear (contact lenses don’t ever lose their power, but they do lose their shape). When a lens is no longer its intended shape, it has reached the end of its safe wear life (since it will no longer fit on your eyeball correctly) and must be thrown away. That is how the FDA determines the wear time of particular lenses. These wear schedules are dictated by the “shelf life” of a contact lens in your eye ( as determined by the FDA, not by the doctor). “Yearly replacement” lenses (wear every day, remove/clean every night, same lens all year) fell out of favor and were phased out long ago and are hard to get anymore. Additionally, we no longer fit “hard” or RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses since so few children need them; we will refer you if you have enough astigmatism to warrant RGP contact lenses.
Children & Vision
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Kids Eye Doctors In Fredericksburg, VA
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