People are often surprised that a contact lens exam costs more than a regular eye exam, and that their glasses prescription cannot be used to buy contacts. Both come down to the same fact: a contact lens sits on your eye, and glasses sit half an inch in front of it.
What a glasses exam includes
A comprehensive eye exam checks your eye health and finds the lens power that gives you the clearest vision through a lens positioned in front of your eye. The result is an eyeglass prescription: sphere, cylinder, axis and sometimes an add for reading.
What a contact lens exam adds
- Corneal measurements. The curve and diameter of the front of your eye determine the base curve and diameter of the lens. Get those wrong and the lens moves, blurs or irritates.
- Power conversion. Because the lens sits on the eye rather than in front of it, the power is adjusted, especially for stronger prescriptions.
- Trial lenses. You wear lenses in the office so the fit, centering and movement can be checked.
- Follow-up. After a short wear period the fit is confirmed and the prescription is finalized, including the specific brand and lens parameters.
- Training for first-time wearers on insertion, removal and care.
Why the fitting fee
The fitting fee covers those extra steps and the trial lenses. It varies with lens type. A simple spherical daily lens is quicker to fit than a toric lens for astigmatism or a multifocal lens, so ask for the total before the exam starts. Georgia rules require your contact lens prescription to be valid for at least one year, so you are not repeating the process every few months.
Do I need both?
If you wear contacts and glasses, you need both prescriptions, and most people get them in the same visit. The glasses exam comes first, then the contact lens fitting builds on it.
At Best Chance Optical the comprehensive exam starts at $45 and the fitting fee is quoted before you begin. Learn about contact lens exams in Forsyth.