Contact Lenses 

Donner Optometrists are an AcuVue Centre of Excellence

Contact lenses give you the freedom to see clearly and sharply with the ultimate in all round vision. They are convenient and now more comfortable than ever before and are ideal for sport and many leisure activities.

With new lens materials and manufacturing techniques there is now a contact lens suitable for virtually everybody. The old hard lenses have been almost completely replaced by gas permeable lenses because they allow the eye to breathe more and whether you want to wear the lenses full time or occasionally, just for fun to change your eye colour or instead of bifocal or varifocal glasses there is almost always a lens available.

As an independent group Donner Optometrists are able to deal with all manufacturers to provide you with the best lens choices. Both our practices are accredited AcuVue Centres of Excellence.

Types of Contact Lenses

Most people now opt for soft lenses, which are much more comfortable initially.  Cleaning and disinfection used to be a problem but have been made much easier with the advent of disposable lenses.  Monthly or 2-weekly disposable are available to almost every prescription and require just a simple rub with an all-purpose solution to clean them.  Daily disposables require no solution at all as they are thrown away at the end of the day.  They are particularly suitable for those who only want to wear their lenses occasionally.  Monthly lenses cost from just £10 a month, with solutions from £3 per month. Daily disposables cost approximately £1 a pair.

Astigmatism

Most people have a certain amount of astigmatism - a slight distortion of the shape of the eye - but often not enough to affect vision.  For people with significant astigmatism, "toric" soft lenses are used to correct it. Donner Optometrists now offer daily toric lenses.

Presbyopia

As people get older they generally need a different prescription for reading compared with distance. One simple option is just to wear reading glasses over the lenses. Another is to focus one eye for distance and the other for reading. Donner Optometrists offer new multifocal lenses to give people both distance and near in the same lens.

Dry Eyes

Some people have given up wearing lenses because they became dry and uncomfortable after a while.  Donner Optometrists offer a new generation of lenses, called Silicon Hydrogels which retain their water much better, so remain comfortable for longer wearing times.

Silicon Hydrogels allow much more oxygen through to the eye than ever before and can be worn by some people for days at a time.  This is particularly suitable for those who work at night.

Tints

At Donner Optometrists tinted and "crazy" lenses are available to prescription.

Contact Lens Eye Examination

The initial assessment for contact lenses starts with a full eye examination.  There are then specific tests and measurements that are more contact lens related.  These include:

• Keratometry, which measures the shape of the cornea
• Diameter of the cornea
• Distance between the lids
• Pupil size
• A type of microscope known as the slit lamp is used to examine the lids and lashes, tears and cornea.

At Donner Optometrists, we take the time to ensure that you know how to insert and remove your contact lenses and how to look after them. 

All contact lens wearers need to be seen at least once a year.