Regular eye exams are crucial for maintaining your eye health. It helps to know what to expect during your appointment, so you can prepare for the tests and have a smooth experience. If you’re wearing contact lenses, it’s important to be aware that you need to take them out before your eye exam. We discuss the main reasons for this in this post.
Whenever you have an eye exam, the goal of the eye doctor is to gauge the natural state of your eyes. Wearing contact lenses can change the shape of your corneas, which may influence your optometrist’s ability to assess your eyes accurately.
If you’re attending an eye examination to get a new prescription, you must remove your contact lenses before the test. This is to ensure your optometrist gives you an accurate prescription for your glasses.
Constant use of contact lenses can sometimes affect your cornea’s integrity, and the optometrist might need to check for any corneal distortions. If your lenses are still in, they could hide these distortions and your eye doctor might miss any underlying issues.
In some eye exams, the optometrist may need to dilate your pupils. Pupil dilation involves using eye drops to give the eye doctor a better look at the internal structures of your eyes. Having your contact lenses out during this process is safer and more practical.
Generally, it’s recommended to remove your contact lenses at least a few hours before your appointment. If you wear soft contact lenses, you might only need to take them out two hours beforehand. However, for hard contact lenses or ortho-K, the recommendation is typically to leave them out for two to three days before the exam. To be sure, check with your eye doctor before your scheduled checkup.
In addition, remember to bring your glasses to the appointment if you have a pair. Your eyes might be light-sensitive or your vision could be blurry after the eye exam.
Alderwood Optical & Canyon Park Vision Clinic has been a trusted eye care provider for several years. Call us at (425) 771-8472 (Lynnwood) or (425) 485-0430 (Bothell) to schedule an appointment. You can also reach us via our contact page. We serve patinets in Lynnwood, Redmond, and Kirkland, WA.