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Eye ExaminationADP-EyeCare professionals prescribe a large range of contact lenses (legally they are medically devices so only registered Contact Lens Opticians, optometrists and doctors are allowed to do this). They also provide first-class aftercare services to support your successful wear. Many lens options are available, which can be a little bewildering, they will give you expert guidance.

They may hold specialist qualifications in contact lens practice and teach other practitioners on the subjects of contact lenses and dry eye, the aim is always to find the lens type that suits your lifestyle and gives you the best possible vision and comfort. Every eye is unique, they use exams and tests to identify pre-existing conditions that all too often are the cause of lens wear not being successful – if you have stopped contact lens wear in the past, as many do, it could well be these conditions, which can be improved, were missed.

If you have been told you are not suitable for contact lenses a second opinion could be worthwhile. They particularly welcome the more interesting cases: astigmatism; multifocal; post-ocular surgery; post-LASIK; myopia control, etc.

They like to think they are always looking for steps forward in examinations and care for patients, so not every test, exam, treatment, therapy or product is delivered in the same way by every practitioner at the same time, as they evaluate and constantly look to improve the already excellent results.

Are they for me?

Some people want to wear lenses occasionally, for socialising or sports, while others want to wear them all the time because they may get better vision, for convenience or just to have a different look.
The advances in contact lens materials and designs in recent years have led to

  • Improved quality of vision
  • Ease of use and handling
  • More comfortable wear
  • A wider range of prescriptions

Many people who thought, or have been told, that they were unsuitable for contact lenses may now have this option open to them.

ADP-EyeCare practitioners may choose not prescribe lenses to be slept in – studies have shown the risk of serious eye infections is six times higher with these lenses. They like to provide full contact lens care for their patients, so do not prescribe or provide after-care related to lenses obtained other than from the practice itself. The supply of lenses is legally restricted, rather like medicines, for good reasons, some companies providing lenses choose not to observe the letter, or even the spirit, of the law and provide ‘substitutes’ or even fake labelled lenses. Your eyes, and your practitioner's ability to sleep well, is too precious to take these risks!

Prescribed contact lenses and given up before?

ADP-EyeCare practitioners especially welcome patients who have dropped out of contact lens wear previously. They belive every eye is unique, they use exams and tests to identify pre-existing conditions that all too often are the cause of lens wear not being successful – if you have stopped contact lens wear in the past, as many do, it could well be these conditions that can be improved were missed.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms causing patients to stop contact lens wear can be varied in nature and degree, they can occur more in some environments and when doing certain tasks.

Common contact lens symptoms can include:
  • Burning/stinging
  • Grittiness
  • Light sensitivity
  • Eye redness
  • Variable vision/eye tiredness
  • Contact lens discomfort
  • Excessive watery eyes!
Healty Tears

Sometimes these symptoms only occur, or are worse in warm, dry, air conditioned environments, in the office or on aircraft. Certain tasks such as reading, using a computer or driving can also exacerbate the problems. If this sounds familiar ADP-EyeCare practitioners can almost certainly help.

What is causing the symptoms?

The eye’s surface and lids need to be at an optimum for successful contact les wear, in many patients it isn’t; there may be an insufficiency of quantity of tears, a reduction in the quality of tears or a combination of both. Recent research has shown the quality of tears to be the most common factor. The good news is once the specific problem is identified simple treatments can help in the vast majority of cases. For these people replacing one type of lens with another, without identifying the underlying cause rarely helps significantly.

How am I prescribed contact lenses?

Contact Lense: Eye ExaminationA starting point is a recent ‘general eye exam’ or ‘sight-test’ and then as Eye Care Professionals who like to specialise in contact lenes they will see you for a consultation.  Unless you are currently wearing contact lenses it may be preferable to evaluate your contact lens wear first. They will carry out a detailed examination. Before your appointment you may complete a clinical questionnaire. The various lens options that are appropriate to you will be discussed and the surface of your eye and lids examined and test your tears. Next an in-depth discussion on how best to proceed. If you wish, provided you are suitable, an order will be placed for initial assessment lenses.

At your next appointment you will be assessed wearing the lenses and again reviewed around a week later – at this point if all is well they will then place an order for further lenses.

You will be taught on how to place and remove your lenses. You will be shown how to care for them, what to do and what not to do. Once they are confident in your ability to handle your lenses correctly you will be able to take them away. Most patients are successful at this first ‘teaching’ appointment, but don’t worry if you are not – you will be given as many appointments as you need to achieve this.

What type of lenses?

Good MorningContact lenses are now available in soft, rigid and hybrid materials. They can be made to single vision or multifocal prescriptions and can correct astigmatism. There are pros and cons to every design and these will be explained to you once you have been examined and discussed your needs known.
Regular lens replacement has proven to be the healthiest way to wear lenses that are changed daily, fortnightly or monthly. Rigid lenses should be changed at around twelve months.

What are the charges?

Because there are so many designs, care products and frequency of replacement it is not possible to provide accurate charges in general information such as this. They will be able to give you some indication as more is known about your interest in specific lenses and past eye history, it may be possible to give you some approximate ideas by email and then specific charges at an appointment.

What do I do next?

If you would like to contact us for non-urgent eye care discussions related to dry eyes or contact lenses you can  by email:

  • Andrew D Price (Nantwich, Widnes, Glossop or general enquiries) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  
  • Elizabeth Ralph (East Midlands and South Yorkshire) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Vanessa Uden (Surrey, Hants, Berks) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Mr Ganeshbabu Mahalingam (West Yorkshire) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Mr Mohamed Ayyaz Kasmani BSc(Hons) MCOptom (West London) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Mr Colin Jones FBDO(Hons) CL (Widnes) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Personal portfolios can be found here: 

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Contact Lens FAQs

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Kathyrn Chidwick BSc(Hons) Ophthalmic Dispensing, in a recent article in Re:View the ABDO College journal, discussed the possible interactions between ocular cosmetics and contact lenses. Her critical research analysis found studies revealing eyeliner to migrate into the tear film and interacting with contact lenses. One of the interactions was to decrease the light transmission through the lens, where as another separate interaction caused some lens materials to expand and others to contract! 

Eyeshadow was also found to cause changes in lens hydration and swelling, with a particular material in many lenses absorbing far more pigment than others.

Good practice would be for patients to apply contact lenses before cosmetics and remove them before using cosmetic cleansers.

Even without adverse contact lens effects, her critical research analysis also found studies that revealed high contamination of ocular cosmetic products being used by patients with potential sight-threatening bacteria and fungi. It is strongly advisable for ocular cosmetics not to be shared or used past their expiry date. 

The same research analysis found studies showing eye liner can destabilise the tear film and block the vital meibomian glands in the eye lid. Many skin-care products contain retinoids, these may cause or exacerbate meibomian gland dysfunction, more on this can be found here.

Allergic reactions to the multitude of chemicals found in ocular cosmetics have been known for many years, even leading to a dermatitis condition on the eye lids, from the ocular cosmetics themselves, or hair products

The complete article, kindly granted permission for republication here, can be found in the December 2021 issue of Re:View  

Application

Always apply makeup outside the lash line and apply mascara from the tips rather than the roots of the lashes, preferably to the top lashes only.

Never apply eye makeup over the oil glands that line the very edge of your upper and lower lids, just inside the eyelash line. These are the glands that secrete oils to keep the eye lubricated. If you need to use an eye drop, apply it 15-30 minutes before putting on your makeup.

Removal

It is a must to remove makeup before bed. Sleeping with eye makeup on can lead to clogging of the oil producing glands and eye infections. Try a gel based product that is oil and paraben free. Avoid getting the makeup remover into the eyes as this may irritate them further.
Avoid mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and diazolidinyl urea. While they work well to remove makeup, they are known to cause irritation to the eyes.
A gentle lid scrub with baby shampoo on a clean cotton pad or soft cloth or a store bought lid scrub can help remove excess makeup and unclog the eye’s oil glands.
 

Makeup Hygiene

Keeping makeup applicators clean is critical to keep infection at bay. Make sure to sharpen your makeup pencils before application to remove the top coat of bacteria. Also, wash makeup brushes as well as using a brush cover to keep them clean. Avoid using store samples, but if you must make sure to use a fresh applicator.
Do not use the same applicator on different parts of the face. For example, do not use the same pencil on your lips and your eyes.
Avoid sharing makeup with anyone else and using makeup past its expiration date. As a rule of thumb, dispose of your eye makeup every three to six months. You can keep a marker in your makeup kit to note the date the makeup was opened.
Do not use any type of eye makeup if you have an eye infection and see your optometrist right away. If you do develop an infection, throw away all your eye makeup and buy a new set to start with after your optometrist OKs you wearing it again.
Always wash your hands before applying makeup and avoid using saliva to assist in putting your makeup on as this could lead to an eye infection.
 

Makeup Type

The tiny particles in glitter and powder based shadows and foundation can get into and aggravate the eyes. Instead sparingly use cream shadows, highlighters and foundations.
Use a thickening mascara instead of lash-lengthening or waterproof ones as they are less likely to flake and get into the eyes.
Stick with hypoallergenic brands to avoid excess irritation. Avoid makeup with arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, carmine, lead, nickel, selenium, and thallium.
 

Find Alternatives

A plastic eyelash curler is a great alternative to mascara. (The metal in regular eyelash curlers can cause irritation and dryness around the eye).
You might also get away with less eyelid makeup if you concentrate on your eyebrows instead.

If you suffer from severe and chronic dry eye and are intolerant of eye makeup try highlighting other aspects of you face, such as your lips and cheeks, which allows you to highlight your natural beauty without ever touching your eyes.

There is a small but real risk of contracting eye infections from water, possibly the most serious infection, but not the only one, is Acanthamoeba Keratitis, it can be sight-threating and life-changing. The wearing of swimming goggles or a mask over contact lenses reduces the risk of infection but doesn't eliminate it.

Therefore to be as risk adverse as possible anyone with a vision correction wanting to partake of water sports should wear prescription goggles, not contact lenses at all. This also has the benefit that should anyone want to fall asleep after their exercise in the water the can do easily!

Yes, certainly this is quite possible. Key to success is recognising these are rather special and perhaps require even more ‘TLC’ in the exam, assessment and prescribing process.

Yes, this is quite possible. The answer almost certainly lies in improving the quantity and quality of the tears in a specific way, something simple dry eye drops can’t do. So as part of the exam, assessment and prescribing process, specific dry eye therapy may be included. As part of the ethos of providing the best care possible we recognise accurate and timely testing in eye care is vital, as it is in medicine generally, we both have available a test that can not only detect dry eye and contact lens discomfort inflammation, but measure its degree as well, no other test in the world does this and we are proud to be pioneers in its use. 

InflammaDry
InflammaDry detects and grades eye surface inflammation helping targeted treatment.

Yes, certainly. Contact lenses for astigmatism have been available for over 40 years. Generally success rates and vision, with an ever expanding range of designs and prescriptions, has never been higher. I have a unique approach to assessing these lenses, so we can gauge probable success in your real world.

Yes, certainly. Multifocal contact lenses have been available for over 40 years. Generally success rates and vision, with an ever expanding range of designs and prescriptions, has never been higher. I have a unique approach to assessing these lenses, so we can gauge probable success in your real world.

Yes, good vision in contact lenses is a combination of factors; the power of the lenses, the way the lens sits on your eyes surface and the influence of your eye lids and tears. All need to work in harmony to give good stable vision.

It is always best to take an individual approach to prescribing contact lenses, looking in detail at all of the influences that contribute to vision in contact lens, especially before you commence wear. Only when all these factors are at their best do you get your optimum contact lens vision.

Yes, while modern contact lenses, especially soft lenses, are inherently comfortable initially, it is true comfort very often reduces later in the day, leaving many wearers wishing they could wear them for longer.

Knowing this is the case for you I would prescribe specific lens designs and materials I know contribute to comfortable wear, while at the same time I would assess your eye’s surface and make it as healthy as possible for lens wear. In my view it is the sub-optimal surface of the eye, very common nowadays, that while not giving problems when not wearing lenses, very often leads to contact lens discomfort. This doesn’t have to remain the case. As part of the ethos of providing the best care possible we recognise accurate and timely testing in eye care is vital, as it is in medicine generally, we both have available a test that can not only detect dry eye and contact lens discomfort inflammation, but measure its degree as well, no other test in the world does this and we are proud to be pioneers in its use. 

InflammaDry
InflammaDry detects and grades eye surface inflammation helping targeted treatment.