Maybe regular contacts feel uncomfortable. Maybe your vision still isn’t as clear as you want it to be. Or maybe you’ve been told you’re simply “hard-to-fit.” At Clear & Company Eye Care, Dr. Taylor Randich offers specialty contact lenses in Harrisburg, including scleral, RGP, and ortho-k lenses.
Specialty Contact Lenses in Harrisburg, NC
When Regular Contact Lenses Aren’t Working
Contact lenses aren’t one-size-fits-all, and conventional soft lenses don’t work for every eye. Keratoconus, an irregular cornea, a complex prescription, or simply a poor fit can make standard contacts less successful. Specialty lenses give our Harrisburg eye doctor more ways to customize your vision and fit instead of asking you to settle for contacts that aren’t working.
What Are You Looking For?
Specialty Lens FAQs
Comfort varies from person to person and depends heavily on fit. Because scleral lenses vault over the cornea and rest on the sclera, many patients can wear them successfully even when conventional contacts have been challenging to wear.
Yes. Scleral lenses are one specialty contact lens option that may be used for patients with keratoconus.
RGP stands for rigid gas permeable. These lenses retain their shape on the eye while allowing oxygen to pass through the lens material.
Soft contacts are flexible and conform more closely to the eye, while RGP lenses are smaller, rigid lenses that retain their shape.
Yes, ortho-k can be an option for appropriate children. We also offer ortho-k as part of our childhood myopia-management program.
Coverage depends on your plan and why the lenses are being prescribed. Medically necessary contact lens benefits may be available through some vision plans when eligibility requirements are met.
What Are Specialty Lenses?
Specialty contact lenses are designed for eyes and vision needs that may not be well served by conventional soft contacts. Depending on your corneal shape, prescription, eye health, and goals, Dr. Randich may recommend a custom lens.
Scleral Contact Lenses
Scleral lenses are larger-diameter, rigid gas-permeable lenses. Instead of resting directly on the cornea, they vault over it and rest on the sclera, the white part of your eye. This unique design makes scleral lenses useful when corneal shape makes conventional contact lens fitting more challenging.
How Are Sclerals Different?
Scleral lenses create a smooth optical surface over the cornea rather than following every irregularity in its shape. The space between the lens and the cornea is filled with sterile saline before the lens is inserted, creating a fluid reservoir beneath it.
Rigid Gas-Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses
Rigid gas-permeable contact lenses, often called RGP or GP lenses, are small rigid lenses made from oxygen-permeable materials. Unlike soft contacts, which conform more closely to the eye's surface, RGP lenses retain their shape. That stable optical surface can provide crisp vision for certain prescriptions and corneal shapes.
Ortho-K: Specialty Lenses You Wear Overnight
Orthokeratology (ortho-k) uses custom rigid contact lenses worn while you sleep. The lenses temporarily reshape the cornea overnight, allowing patients to wake up with clearer vision and go through much of the day without glasses or daytime contacts.
Clear & Company Eye Care also uses ortho-k as an option for childhood myopia management. In addition to correcting vision during the day, ortho-k can be used to help slow myopia progression in children.
Who May Benefit From Specialty Contact Lenses?
A specialty contact lens evaluation may be worth considering if you:
- Have keratoconus or an irregular cornea.
- Haven’t achieved the vision you want with soft contacts.
- Have been told you are difficult or “hard-to-fit” for contacts.
- Need a custom lens because of your prescription or corneal shape.
- Are interested in being evaluated for ortho-k lenses.
- Need medically necessary contact lenses when clinically appropriate.
You don’t need to know which specialty lens you need before scheduling. Dr. Randich can determine which options are worth considering.
Medically Necessary Contact Lenses
For some eye conditions, specialty contact lenses may be considered medically necessary rather than simply an elective alternative to glasses. Clear & Company Eye Care can provide medically necessary contact lens care when appropriate.
Vision-plan benefits for medically necessary contacts vary. Contact our team with your insurance information, and we can help you understand what benefits may be available based on your plan and eligibility.
Don’t Give Up on Contact Lenses
If standard contacts haven’t given you the fit, comfort, or vision you hoped for, there may be another way forward. Schedule a specialty contact lens evaluation with Dr. Randich at Clear & Company Eye Care in Harrisburg. We’ll explain your options and help determine whether a custom lens could give you a better contact lens experience.