Contact Lenses

Iron Horse Optometric Group in Dublin offers many options for contact lenses.

There are a number of reasons why you might prefer contact lenses to standard eyewear: a glasses-free look, hassle-free vision correction, wearing non-prescription sunwear and goggles, or the convenience of not having to worry about misplacing your glasses. If you have a high prescription or astigmatism, contact lenses may provide more enhanced vision correction than glasses. Today, you can even replace your bifocal glasses with bifocal contact lenses.

Your eye care provider can recommend the best contact lenses for you based on a complete eye examination and a review of your visual needs both at work and play. Since most people can wear more than one type of lens, it’s important to know what the choices are and the advantages and disadvantages to each.

Soft Lenses

These lenses are comfortable to wear and must be replaced monthly, weekly or daily depending on the type best fits your lifestyle. Soft lenses are often recommended for sports because they fit closer to the eye and are very difficult to dislodge. They can provide correction for most prescriptions including astigmatism. Today, with the introduction of newer materials like silicone hydrogels, which allow more oxygen to the eye, patients find it easier than ever to wear soft lenses comfortably.

Gas-Permeable (GP) Lenses

Made of moderately flexible plastics, GP lenses offer sharp vision and correct most vision problems. They are more durable than soft contact lenses and can be easier to handle and care for but require a longer adaptation period and consistent wear to maintain adaptation.

Multifocal Lenses

In both soft and GP designs, multifocal contact lenses offer patients over the age of 40 with both distance and near vision correction similar to a pair of multifocal glasses.

Color Contact Lenses

Enhance your eye color or even change it completely. Colored contact lenses are fun and come in a variety of colors for both light and dark eyes.

Lenses for Myopia Management

Nighttime or daytime contact lenses, when fit appropriately, can dramatically reduce the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) during a child’s growing years. Learn more on our myopia management page.

Scleral Lenses

Scleral contact lenses do not rest on the cornea as all other contact lenses do, but rather rest on the white sclera around the cornea in order to fully bridge over the cornea. These special lenses are a godsend for patients with irregular corneas that are misshapen due to prior corneal surgeries, conditions such as keratoconus, or high astigmatism. Scleral lenses can also be the best therapy for certain corneal conditions such as dystrophies and dry eye syndrome, as they bathe the entire cornea in fluid for the full duration of wear each day.

Regardless of the type of contact lenses you wear, an annual eye exam is recommended to ensure the continued good health of your eyes. Schedule an appointment for an assessment and advice at Iron Horse Optometric Group in Dublin, and we will be in touch with you shortly.