Specialty Contact Lenses
We provide our patients with custom designed contact lenses, both for daily use and to correct medical conditions. Specialty lenses come in a variety of different forms. They are used to improve vision beyond the capabilities of glasses, compensate for irregular corneas, and even reduce the symptoms of dryness, pain, blurred vision, and light sensitivity.
Specialty lenses might also be a good fit for you if you have corneal scarring, opaque corneas, or iris deformities.
Specialty lens categories include: scleral, hybrid, and orthokeratology or corneal refractive therapy (CRT)
Scleral Lenses
Standard scleral
Scleral lenses are large diameter rigid gas permeable lenses that completely cover the cornea. The cornea is bathed all day long with fluid to rejuvenate the ocular surface. Scleral lenses are used to treat a great number of ocular diseases and conditions. And because scleral lenses never actually touch the cornea, they are both soothing and extremely comfortable. Lens life is approximately 4-5 years.
EyePrint Pro elevation specific scleral
The EyePrintPRO is a type of scleral lens that is specifically used for patients with diseased corneas and various corneal conditions. This transparent prosthetic scleral device is designed to match the exact contours of an individual eye by taking a “mold” of the cornea. EyePrint then fabricates an exact duplicate of the scleral lenses, giving you the best vision and comfort possible. Lens life is approximately 4-5 years.
hybrid (synergeyes) lenses
A hybrid contact lens combines a rigid center and a soft skirt to provide crisp vision of a rigid lens and the comfort of a soft lens. For astigmatic patients who struggle with frequent soft contact lens rotation and resultant vision blur, hybrid contact lenses might be the best choice! However, hybrid lenses can only correct for astigmatism that exists on the cornea and cannot correct for astigmatism of the intraocular lens. Hybrid lenses are especially good for patients with corneal astigmatism who want to become less dependent on reading glasses! Lens life is approximately 6 months.
Check out the videos below for more information.
Corneal Refractive Therapy
Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT), also called orthokeratology or ortho-k, involves wearing specially designed contact lenses that gently alter the curvature of the cornea. This corneal reshaping temporarily corrects myopia, or nearsightedness. CRT has shown to slow the progression of childhood myopia.
CRT works by reshaping the normal cornea to focus light sharply on the retina. The reshaping process displaces fluid from the central cornea outward to create a thickened ring of tissue around the pupil. The central cornea only needs to be flattened by about 1/5 the thickness of a human hair to correct one diopter of nearsightedness!
CRT lenses are generally worn 6-8 hours at night while asleep. Vision should continue to improve throughout the first two weeks of wear. Disposable contact lenses will be issued for daily wear until vision is stabilized. If you miss a night, no problem! Just wear the CRT lenses again the next night. After the treatment stabilizes it should last approximately two days following lens removal. However, it is recommended that the lenses are to be worn each night for good measure. The lens life is approximately 1-2 years.
Schedule Your Eye Exam Today!
In addition to ocular exams, Dakota Vision Center offers an entire spectrum of eye care services, including medical eye care, contact lens evaluations, specialty contact lenses, pediatric and InfantSEE exams, and vision therapy for the whole family. Simply stop in to either of our convenient locations or make an appointment with an eye care specialist today.
Have questions? Contact our friendly and knowledgeable optical staff.