Contact lens services: Our recommendations are individually tailored to each patient and are based on many factors including your glasses prescription, visual needs, overall health and eye health.

The following outlines our three step procedure:
-a comprehensive eye examination
-the contact lens fitting
-finally, a contact lens prescription

Comprehensive Eye Examination: Most patients have good eye health for safe contact lens wear.  However, a comprehensive exam (within the past 12 months) is needed where the ocular health and focusing abilities of the eyes have been evaluated in order to prescribe the best contact lenses for you.  At this exam, you may receive a glasses prescription which will serve as a starting point for your doctor to prescribe contact lenses.

Contact Lens Fitting: A contact lens visit is a separate part of a comprehensive eye examination that requires additional testing for people who wish to wear contact lenses.  New contact lens patients will have an initial evaluation, fitting and training on the care and use of contact lenses.  Most patients will receive a trial pair on their first visit to take home.  If your prescription is more specialized, a diagnostic lens or two may be needed to find the best correction for you.  After your initial pair of lenses, Dr. Shah will have you return for a follow-up visit to ensure good eye health and that your lenses are performing optimally for daily use.

Please arrive to your follow-up visits wearing the contact lenses for a minimum of two hours.  You can order contact lenses after your follow-up visit has been completed. Afterward, continue with your annual eye examination with a contact lens evaluation to keep your contact lens prescription current.

Contact Lens Prescription: Contact lenses are FDA Class II medical devices that can only be dispensed by a prescription.  This applies to contact lenses that help you see better or simply worn to change the color of your eyes.  They must be regarded with the same caution you would use for prescription drugs, which include prescription expiration dates and follow-up visits with your eye doctor. 

A contact lens prescription is different and separate from a glasses prescription.  Since contact lenses touch the eye, the numbers may be different due to optical mathematics.  Your eyes go through gradual changes in size, shape and physiological requirements (such as for oxygen) while wearing contact lenses.  These changes can affect the health of the cornea and need to be monitored on a regular basis.  For these reasons, contact lens prescriptions expire after one year (or sooner if the doctor determines a medical reason for a shorter expiration date).