Contact lenses offer many people an alternative to eyeglasses for correcting their vision. Contact lenses are a viable option for active people, athletes,and those people who prefer the freedom from eyeglasses. Your optometrist has the training and qualifications to specify the proper lens material, fitting design, and care regime that would work best for your eye condition.

Soft Contact Lenses

  • Worn by 85% of all contact lens wearers
  • Do not dislodge easily or trap debris under the lens
  • Available in a wide variety of materials, prescriptions, and tints
  • Soft-toric lenses can be used for correction of astigmatism
  • Soft bifocal contact lenses are also available in many designs
  • Can be discarded after a specified length of time
  • Benefits are convenience, reduced cleaning time, and healthier eyes

Rigid Gas-Permeable Contact Lenses

  • Offer excellent vision correction for most eye conditions
  • Especially suitable for correcting higher degrees of astigmatism
  • Available in bifocal designs
  • More durable and longer-lasting than soft contact lenses
  • Care, handling, and maintenance is relatively simple
  • Adaptation takes much longer than soft contact lenses
  • Can become dislodged from the cornea
  • Debris can get underneath the contact lens

Specialty Contact Lenses Designs

  • Advanced lens designs for patients with keratoconus
  • Custom contact lenses for certain cosmetic/therapeutic needs
  • Monovision design with 1 distance and 1 reading contact lens

Contact Lens Do’s & Dont’s

  • Do follow your optometrist’s recommendations with your contact lens wearing/replacement schedule and solutions
  • Do wash your hands before inserting or removing your lenses
  • Do not share or exchange your lenses with anyone else
  • Do not wear a torn or damaged contact lens
  • Do put soft contact lenses on before putting on your make-up
  • Do not use hand cream before inserting contact lenses
  • Do not wear your contact lenses if your eyes are red or sore
  • Do not sleep with your lenses on unless recommended by your optometrist

New To Contact Lenses?

Kanata Optometry Centre offers a complete New Contact Lens Wearers Program to get you into contact lenses safely and quickly.

Our Program Includes:

  • Customized corneal curvature measurements
  • Trial pair(s) of eye doctor recommended contact lenses in your prescription
  • Starter kit of contact lens disinfecting and cleaning solution including case
  • Bottle of contact lens comfort drops
  • One-on-one consultation with our contact lens technician:
    • handling and of contact lenses
    • insertion and removal techniques
    • helpful hints for successful wear
  • Contact lens care and handling written instructions
  • 1 to 2 week follow-up examination with eye doctor

Our new wearers program has helped many patients enjoy the freedom of contact lenses. It’s never too late to try and enjoy the benefits contact lenses have to offer. Let us know when you want to get started.

Our new wearers program has helped many patients enjoy the freedom of contact lenses. It’s never too late to try and enjoy the benefits contact lenses have to offer. Let us know when you want to get started.

Types of Contact Lenses available at Kanata Optometry Centre:

  • Single vision lenses
  • Toric lenses for astigmatism
  • Multifocal lenses for presbyopia
  • Rigid gas permeable lenses
  • Specialty contact lenses

Have a question about contact lenses? Please email us at cls@kanataoptometry.ca 

Contact Lens Solutions

A large percentage of contact lens wearers cannot recall the brand name of the solution they use to disinfect their contacts. They typically purchase whatever brand of solution is on sale. The problem with a random product selection is that all solutions react differently on the contact lens material, leaving the patient susceptible to eye irritation or in rare case corneal ulcers.

All the contact lens solutions on the market today are very effective at killing bacteria and other pathogens on contact lenses. However, some brands of solutions are much better suited for a particular type of contact lens. Contact lens solutions are not considered dangerous but it is the combination of the solution with the contact lens material that causes the problems if the correct ones are not used together.

One thing optometrists look at when assessing compatibility of a contact lens on a patient’s eye is corneal staining. If a patient has a high percentage of corneal staining, then they typically would experience an increase in lens awareness and irritation. The chance of developing a corneal ulcer also increases. Research has shown that some contact lens solutions can yield varying degrees of corneal staining depending on the contact lens brand. These findings stress the importance of using the correct brand of contact lens solution recommended by your optometrist. Of particular concern is the use of private label solutions supplied by larger “Big Box” chain stores. They typically have the worst compatibility with most contact lens brands.

Incompatibility of lenses with solutions could potentially lead to a toxic reaction. The toxic reactions are commonly caused by the preservative in the solution. When this occurs, alternative contact lens solutions or even daily disposable contact lenses should be considered. Toxic reactions can also occur by using expired contact lens solution.

It is always best to consult with your local optometrist to ensure that your contact lens solution is suitable for your contact lens brand.