At Chelmer Village Opticians we can provide a vast range of contact lenses to suit almost all individuals, and different equipment to take measurements and check the health of your eyes to ensure we only recommend what is best for you.

Have you thought about contacts?

There has never been a better time to wear contact lenses. New lens designs and materials are available and modern lenses are more comfortable and affordable than ever before.  We have lenses for special occasions and sport, as well as for general wear and extended (overnight) use.

Contact lenses give you the convenience to see all around without annoying rims of spectacle frames spoiling the view. Many people feel that they are more natural and comfortable wearing contact lenses, giving you the chance to just wear normal sunglasses on holiday or not having to worry about the rain when you are outdoors.

Contact lens trial anyone?

At your first appointment we will assess your suitability for lenses and explain your options. If there is a problem that may mean less than 100% success we will tell you about it and explain the consequences. It may be that you need a special lens. We will explain why and clearly explain the costs involved.

After we have fitted the lens, we will arrange when you can come in to be taught how to put them in and take them out. For anything other than daily disposable lenses, you will need to use solutions to disinfect and clean the lenses and a case to store them overnight. We will discuss which the best solution is for you, and give you some to try for a few days.

Am I too young or old for contact lenses?

We have patients who are in there 70’s as well as children as young as 7 years old who we have fitted with lenses. With the newer materials, lenses are far healthier and easier to use, as well as being more cost effective compared to years ago.

Recent research has found that in some cases, Ortho K lenses worn overnight can even slow down the rate the short sightedness (myopia) progresses.

But I need reading glasses, are contact lenses still suitable for me?

There are many modern lenses acting like Varifocals, which allow you to see both reading and distance, also we can try Monovision which involves wearing different power lenses to correct both the distance and near with each differently. Finally, we can also correct just the distance vision, and a lot of people are happy just putting on reading glasses as required.

The more motivated you are, the more likely we are to succeed in correcting your vision satisfactorily.

Are lenses really expensive to use?

We charge a fee for the contact lens trial, but if you decide not to proceed, you are not committed to paying anymore. The fee covers the initial appointment, the follow-up appointments and however many visits required to ensure you are confident with insertion and removal. If we are happy to continue, the fee will also cover any appointment during the year. You only need to pay for the lenses and solutions.

If your are planning on wearing lenses everyday, then it would be more cost effective to spread the costs and pay monthly by standing order. This covers all contact lens fees, solutions, and the lenses which can be delivered to the practice or even to your home address. Prices start from as little as £14 per month although better lenses are available for very little more.

What different types of lenses are available?

Soft lenses

These are the most popular because they are so comfortable to wear. They are easy to adapt to and gentle on your eyes.

They do however; need to be replaced more frequently. Modern lenses allow extended wear and are available for people with astigmatism (an irregular shaped eye) and bifocal wearers. There are even daily disposable bifocals and daily disposable lenses for people with astigmatism. We also have a great range of coloured contact lenses for every day or the occasional special nights out.

Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

The newest of the soft lens materials and possibly the most advanced. These lenses feel like a soft lens, and behave like a soft lens but allow much more oxygen to get to the eye as much as five to six times the standard materials. As well as being used for people who have had problems, they are great for extended wear for up to a month. These lenses are set to re-write the rules on soft lens performance. As time goes by, there are an increasing number of lenses on the market. We now even have a Daily Disposable Silicone Hydrogel lens providing best oxygen and maximum convenience.  Each of these lenses have slightly different properties and we will advise you on which will be best and why. We even have lenses for astigmatism from the leading manufacturers including Bausch and Lomb and Johnson and Johnson, makers of the Acuvue® lens brand. We prefer to fit Silicon Hydrogel lenses as our first choice as they tend to be the healthiest option.

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses (hard)

Far less commonly fitted, but useful if you have a lot of astigmatism. They do take a little longer to get used to, but they can last a lot longer than soft lenses. Bifocals and multi-focal lenses are also available.
 
The problem with old fashioned hard lenses were that they offered poor comfort and manufacturing methods were crude. Modern lenses allow loads of oxygen through to the eye and are far more comfortable and accurate. We can make lenses for astigmatism, Varifocal and bifocals and success rates are far higher than they were. Modern materials are much more comfortable and the advantages of GP lenses are improved vision, better contrast and longer lasting lenses. 

Other Types of lenses

There are now some new types of lenses which combine the properties and benefits of hard and soft lenses. These are useful in some cases where different lenses have been tried in the past without much success, or with certain eye conditions like Kerataconus.