You are aware of the benefits of contact lenses and have booked in to start your journey. Continue reading to discover what to expect and to pick up some tips for a smooth transition to contact lens wear.
Congratulations on taking your first steps to freedom!
Now you have your trial booked, you’re on the way! To prepare for the appointment, it can be helpful to review the hygiene and handling videos here.
What happens during your contact lens assessment
During your contact lens assessment, your eye care practitioner will discuss the most suitable contact lenses for your vision, your lifestyle and your eye health. It is useful to tell your eye care practitioner about when you feel that you would like to be spectacle free and about your work and leisure vision requirements. It helps to tailor contact lens suggestions to best suit your needs.
During your visit you will have a contact lens placed onto your eye (or you may be shown how to do it yourself) and you will have the opportunity to see how they feel.
Your eye care practitioner will then take another look to see how the lens has worked with your eye and if you are both happy, the in-store team sit with you and teach you how to use them at home – this might be at the same appointment or you might be asked to come in again at a convenient time. When you are both confident you can remove your lenses on your own, you’ll be given trials to take home.
Following your contact lens trial
Your eye care practitioner will contact you or arrange an appointment to see how you are getting along with your contact lenses and be available to answer any questions you may have. If before this appointment you have any questions or need further support with application and removal, your optical practice team will be happy to help.
When you and the eye care practitioner are happy with your contact lenses, the eye care practitioner will confirm your prescription, order your lenses and if desired set up your subscription.
Many contact lens options
Your eye care practitioner has chosen the contact lenses that are most suited to you based on your eye examination, lifestyle and the prescription range available.
If the first lens you are prescribed doesn't feel like the right fit, be sure to discuss it with your eye care practitioner so they can advise you of other options that might work better for you.
What happens next?
Once you have your final prescription, you can start enjoying the freedom that wearing contact lenses can provide.1
You will be asked to come in for a check up again, generally between six months and two years on. Remember that your eye care practitioner is a phone call away and available to provide support and advice if you have any questions in the interim.
How do I apply and remove my lenses?
Starter tips
What might you experience over the first few months?
1
It’s just like riding a bike!
Learning to wear contact lenses is like learning how to ride a bike, it takes concentration and effort in the early days but for most new wearers, contact lenses becomes part of their every day routine without a conscious thought. If you need ongoing help, there are videos and guides here, or your eye care practitioner is available to help.
2
New shoes?
You know that feeling when you wear a new pair of shoes for the first time? You tend to be more aware of them the first few times you wear them while you adjust. After a few wears, that awareness will disappear and you will stop noticing them at all. It’s the same with contact lenses – some first time wearers will be conscious of the lenses while their eyes adjust to the new range of vision and the contact lens material.
If you find that after a week or two you are not fully comfortable with your lenses, speak to your eye care practitioner about alternative materials, lens designs or possibly a slight prescription tweak. As with new shoes, sometimes a small adjustment to the fit can make all the difference!
3
I need more! (or less!)
Your eye care practitioner will prescribe you the best lens option based on the discussions you have prior to your contact lens fitting appointment. You may find that once you start wearing them, you use them more or less than you originally expected to. If this is the case and you have any queries, talk to your eye care practitioner and they may suggest a one-day lens over a one-month lens for example, or change the frequency or volume of your subscription to fit your new requirements
Taking on the myths
People’s understanding of contact lenses are often based on myths so let’s try to address some of these for you now.
“I think it will be uncomfortable to have contact lenses in my eyes.”
With today’s soft contact lenses you can look forward to long-lasting comfort.2
It can be described as a feeling much like a drop of water on the eye.3
“I think contact lenses will be hard to put in and take out.”
Applying and removing lenses takes some practice but will soon be as natural as brushing your teeth. Your contact lens practice will help you get used to handling your lenses and will be on hand to give you advice.3
“I play sports, so I don’t think I can wear contact lenses.”
Contact lenses have many advantages for sport because they provide all-round, natural vision, are more stable than spectacles and are not affected by rain, fog or reflections. They allow protective eyewear or sunglasses to be worn and means a low risk of damage or injury.3
“Contact lenses might slip behind my eye.”
The outer coating of the eye is continuous with the inner coating of the eyelid. If a lens is dislodged from the front of the eye it may settle under the upper or lower lid but cannot go behind the eye.3
“I think contact lenses will be expensive.”
There are lots of contact lenses available to suit all kinds of lifestyles, wearing patterns and budgets.3
“I am likely to lose a contact lens.”
Contact lenses are very unlikely to be dislodged provided you avoid rubbing your eyes. Take care when handling your lenses to ensure they only come into contact with your clean finger and your eye.3
Frequently asked questions
Any questions? Take a look through the answers to some of the most common we hear.
How safe are contact lenses?
+-
Are all contact lenses the same?
+-
If I have monthly contact lenses and don’t wear them every day, can I wear them for longer than a month?
+-
How do I go about getting contact lenses?
+-
What happens when I go for a contact lens fitting?
+-
Are contact lenses comfortable to wear?
+-
How can I check my eyes for problems with my lenses?
+-
Can I store my contact lenses in water?
+-
What precautions should I take with my lenses when travelling?
+-
Can I wear my contact lenses overnight?
+-
I have long fingernails, will I be able to use contact lenses?
+-
Do I need to change my make-up routine?
+-
How can I tell if my soft contact lenses are inside out?
+-
Can I wear any type of eye make-up with my contact lenses?
+-
Can I use any solution with my contact lenses?
+-
I've tried contact lenses before without success. Should I try again?
+-
Do I have to wear my contact lenses every day?
+-
Can I re-use my one-day lenses if they're still comfortable?
+-
There's a time for glasses and a time for contact lenses.
More than 8/10
dual wearers feel that having the option of both forms of vision correction gives them the ‘best of both worlds’.4
Helpful advice
If you feel like you’re in need of some advice or reassurance we’ve put together a collection of tips, FAQ’s and information to broaden your understanding of lenses and bust some common myths.
