Contact Lens Fitting and Assessment in London

Are you considering contact lenses for the first time, have you been told you are unsuitable for them or had a negative experience in the past? Our contact lens clinic is second to none; we are proud to be recognised as a Centre of Excellence by Johnson & Johnson, have been awarded an ICare accreditation by Bausch & Lomb, and are Alcon’s main partner practice in The City, which allows us to have early, exclusive access to the latest contact lens technology.

Our experienced contact lens practitioners, who have successfully fitted thousands of patients over the years, are here to guide you through our comprehensive contact lens fitting and assessment process from start to finish.

Introduction to Contact Lenses

Contact lenses have come leaps and bounds from their humble beginnings, and are a great alternative to glasses, whether you choose to wear them full time or for specific occasions. Unlike glasses, which sit in front of your eyes, contact lenses are placed directly on them, giving a panoramic, natural field of vision without any frame obstructions or fogging to hinder your vision.

Whether you’re an athlete, someone with an active lifestyle, looking to wear them while on holiday or for social occasions, or simply prefer not to wear glasses, contact lenses can be fitted for virtually any prescription and lifestyle.

Thanks to advancements in lens materials and designs, lenses are more comfortable, breathable and easy to adapt to than ever before.

What Happens During a Contact Lens Consultation?

In order to proceed with your contact lens consultation and fitting, we first need to carry out a comprehensive eye examination if you have not been seen recently for one.

This is important as it will not only check your vision for changes, but also the health of the front and back of your eyes so we can pick up on any abnormalities or signs of eye or general health conditions. This may impact your ability to wear lenses so it’s essential this is carried out first.

Once your eye examination is complete, we can then go ahead with your contact lens consultation. This will include checking your cornea and tear film quality for signs of dry eye, determining your contact lens prescription, measuring the curvature of your eyes for the most precise lens fit, and discussing your lifestyle to get a better understanding of what type of contact lenses are most suitable for your individual needs.

For example, if you spend most of your day in front of screens, a daily disposable lens with superior moisture retention and blue light filtering, may be suitable to help prevent eye strain and dryness, while from an affordability and environmental point of view, you might opt for two-weekly or monthly lenses. Some of you might only want to wear lenses for special occasions or while playing sports, and others will want them as your main form of vision correction everyday instead of wearing glasses.

What to Expect During Your Contact Lens Fitting in London

Our specialists will then narrow down your lens options following the initial consultation during your contact lens fitting and insert them into your eye to evaluate how you find the vision and comfort. It’s important we identify any signs of discomfort or a poor fit at this stage so we can make necessary adjustments to the lens type, correct prescription if required, or order different contact lenses in if required too.

Trial Contact Lens Fitting

Based on our findings and what you find most comfortable and suitable for your vision needs, we will then choose one lens type as part of our process for fitting contact lenses and insert a trial pair to evaluate the initial comfort and vision.

Our contact lens practitioners can then review the fit and vision before finalising your prescription and ordering trial lenses in for you to take away and wear for about a week to see how you get on with them independently.

Contact Lens Handling & Care

If you’re new to contact lenses, we will teach you how to insert and remove them, and provide best practices for care and hygiene.

Our optometrists aren’t here to rush you – they will take however long is needed to ensure you are comfortable and confident with wearing contact lenses and storing them correctly, if they are reusable, before we order a set of trial lenses for you to take away and use.

Even if you are a seasoned contact lens wearer, we will still provide a refresher on contact lens care so we know you are getting the most out of your lenses and remain happy wearing them.

Follow-Up Appointments

We will schedule a follow-up appointment after you take your trial lenses away to discuss how you found wearing them and make any refinements if needed following your feedback.

Once we are finished with fitting contact lenses and you are happy to proceed with your first full supply, we will order them in for you along with any necessary solutions and accessories.

It’s also part of the OPTIX Opticians promise for continuity of care that we will continue to see you regularly for aftercare appointments so we can check your eye health, comfort levels and make sure you are still satisfied with your lenses.

We will also use these appointments to discuss any newly launched contact lenses we recommend trying out if we feel they could work well for your specific needs.

Types of Contact Lenses Available at OPTIX Opticians

As independent opticians, we have the freedom to source contact lenses from any supplier to guarantee a tailored fit for you. With recent advances in lens designs, there are now more options than ever to correct complex or high prescriptions, from rigid gas-permeable contact lenses to soft contact lenses.

Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

Ideal for: Occasional and full-time wearers who want hassle-free lens wear and minimal care and maintenance.

Daily disposable lenses are the ultimate in convenience and hygiene. As you only wear them for one day and then throw them away each night before you sleep, the risk of eye infections and irritation is minimal. Thanks to advances in material technology, daily lenses are more breathable than ever before, provide superior comfort and moisture retention.

These lenses are particularly beneficial if you have sensitive eyes, allergies, prefer the convenience and ease of one-time wear without cleaning or storage, or only wear contacts occasionally.

Available for:

• Short-sightedness (Myopia)
• Long-sightedness (Hyperopia)
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia (Multifocal)

2 Weekly and Monthly Reusable Lenses

Ideal for: Full-time wearers looking for a balance between affordability and comfort.

If you wear contact lenses every day and have a consistent daily routine, two-weekly and monthly reusable lenses offer a cost-effective solution, as they only need to be replaced with a new pair every 15 days and 30 days respectively, while maintaining great vision and comfort. These lenses are thicker than dailies, allowing higher moisture retention, and some are designed with materials that allow more oxygen permeability, which helps increase breathability and comfort. They are also considered more environmentally friendly than daily disposables, producing less single plastic waste.

Reusable contact lenses require a good care routine, including daily cleaning and storage in a case, using the recommended contact lens solution when not being worn. They may accommodate a wider range of prescriptions including more complex ones.

Available for:

• Short-sightedness (Myopia)
• Long-sightedness (Hyperopia)
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia (Multifocal)

Toric Lenses for Astigmatism

Ideal for: Those with astigmatism who need stable vision correction.

Astigmatism occurs when the eye is more rugby ball-shaped than spherical, leading to blurred and distorted vision. Toric lenses are specially designed to correct astigmatic prescriptions, providing stability with eye movement to prevent lens rotation, and sharp focus.

Lenses for astigmatism come in daily disposable, monthly reusable, hydrogel, and silicone hydrogel materials, giving you plenty of options for comfort, prescription and lifestyle preferences.

Available for:

• Astigmatism
• Short-sightedness (Myopia)
• Long-sightedness (Hyperopia)
• Presbyopia (Multifocal)

Multifocal Lenses for Presbyopia

Ideal for: Those over 40 who need clear vision for both near and far distances.

As we age, the natural lens inside the eye becomes less flexible, making it harder to adjust focus between near and distant objects—a condition known as presbyopia. Multifocal contact lenses are specially designed to address this issue by incorporating multiple prescription strengths within the same lens in the same way varifocal glasses would, allowing smooth transitions between reading, intermediate, and distance vision.

These lenses are available in daily disposable, two-weekly and monthly reusable options, ensuring flexibility based on your lifestyle. With the latest innovations and technology, they provide sharp vision at all distances with a minimal adjustment phase and the prescription can be tweaked to suit your needs, making them tailored for you.

Available for:

• Presbyopia
• Astigmatism

DID YOU KNOW?

We can fit all makes and types of lenses including:

• Daily Disposable lenses
• Two weekly and monthly lenses
• Multifocal lenses
• Varifocal lenses
• Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses
• Coloured Contact Lenses
• Special contact lenses for keratoconus (a condition where the cornea in front of the pupil progressively thins causing a cone-like bulge to develop. This eventually affects the eye’s ability to focus properly and may not be successfully corrected with standard spectacles or standard contact lenses)