eye exam vs contact eye exam

This forum made possible through the generous support of
SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

ooscubaoo

Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
104
Reaction score
0

Members don't see this ad.
What's the difference between a regular eye exam and a contact eye exam? I know for a contact eye exam you get fitting for your contacts, but are the exams to see what your prescription exactly the same? If so, how is it possible that my contact presciptions different from my glasses prescription?
 

Katalio

SDN Angel
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
250
Reaction score
0
I think it has to do with vertex distance..
at a higher power, the distance between your eyes and the contact lens vs your eyes and the lens on your spectacle has a different net power, so you have to calibrate it! =)

(What's what I learn when I took my optician course.. but I dunno for sure ) -=P

Katalio
 

rpames

Optometrist
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
May 1, 2000
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
3
That is basically correct. As the lens is brought closer to the eye, it effectivly gives your eye more MINUS power. That means for myopes the contact needs to be less powerful than the glasses and for hyperopes the contact needs to be more powerful. In reality, you only need to make these adjustments with moderate and high powers. A -0.50 sph would not need to be adjusted.

Since I haven't done a CL exam I will let someone else tell you how they are different.
 

ooscubaoo

Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
what should be higher, the contact lenses or the glasses?

Actually i think my glasses and my contact lenses are the same, but my friend said they shouldn't be the same. I'm not sure because i went to the optometrist yesterday asking for a contact lense exam and my optometrist did not have the astigmatism contact so she told me to come back for the fitting. I come back today to tell her i don't want the fitting and i just wanted to update my glasses instead. The thing is I did not have to go through another exam for my glasses. IS that NORMAL? Wouldn't I have to go through another exam just for my glasses? I just dropped off my glasses and did not think about it, but now i think i should worry about it.
 

rpames

Optometrist
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
May 1, 2000
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
3
In a CL exam they do everything that is done during a regular exam PLUS some more tests. Therefore if a CL exam is done, there is no problem in getting just glasses.

As far as which power should be higher...like a stated above, if you have a lower perscripting there may not be a difference in the two perscriptions. But if you have a higher power (like greater than 2.50, someone correct me if I'm way off), than it depends if your are farsighted (plus lenses) or near sighted (minus lenses). For nearsighted, your glasses will be more powerfull (higher). If you are farsighted, your contacts will be more powerfull.
 

ooscubaoo

Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
my contacts are -3.00 + 1.5 stigmatism left eye, -3.75 right eye according to the CL exam i took yesterday. She told me my glasses would be -3.00, and 3.75 as well. thing is before my glasses were 0.50 difference from my glasses. so having my contacts and glasses at the same degree is normal? IF anything, i'll just go back and ask my optometrist when I come pick up my glasses next week. if you guys have more info about this, please post.
 

cpw

It's a boy !!!
Moderator Emeritus
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2001
Messages
13,392
Reaction score
1
anything under +/- 4.00 you do not have to vertex. It will be the same as your glasses rx.
 

Xalatan1

Member
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
ooscubaoo said:
What's the difference between a regular eye exam and a contact eye exam? I know for a contact eye exam you get fitting for your contacts, but are the exams to see what your prescription exactly the same? If so, how is it possible that my contact presciptions different from my glasses prescription?

they should be the exam, with the contact lens exam consisting of more tests
 
Top