Specialised Lenses for Corneal Diseases

Custom Contact Lenses - These are soft or rigid gas permeable lenses that can be specially made to fit a person's eye and are often the only type of contact lens people who have difficult to fit eyes can wear. They are made by taking detailed measurements of a person's eye and taking into account minute variations in order to create a custom fit for best vision and comfort.

Custom contacts treat irregularly shaped cornea caused by disease or degeneration (keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, etc.) and complications from corneal refractive surgery, such as LASIK, PRK and RK. Trauma, injury and chemical burns as well as eye growths (ptergyium and pinguecula) are also treated with custom contacts, as is high myopia, presbyopia and severe astigmatism.

Stem cell failure or deficiency, dry eye disease and discomfort or visual problems with regular contacts can also be treated with custom contact lens. There are a variety of different types of custom contact lenses from various lens manufacturers. The fitting may employ the use of a specialized device called a corneal topographer that can take thousands of measurements of the cornea curvature to create a custom tailored fit.

Hybrid Contact Lenses - Gas permeable rigid contacts have and outer ring or “skirt” made from soft contact lens material. Because the majority of the contact with the eye is with this soft outer edge, irritation from the rigidity of gas permeable lens is reduced. Due to their hybrid design, these lenses can provide many of the benefits of gas permeable rigid contacts, while still maintaining much of the ease in wear ability that comes with soft contact lenses.