Specialty Contact Lens Fittings

In addition to routinely fitting our patients with soft, toric, monovision and multifocal contacts lenses, at Bensenville Eye Care, our doctors also focus on fitting specialty contacts lenses. Specialty contact lenses include a variety of different lenses that are helpful for a variety of different eye related problems such as:

• Keratoconus
• Pellucid Marginal Degeneration
• Corneal Scars (trauma, infection)
• Post Corneal Transplant Surgery
• Severe Dry Eye
• Discomfort with current contacts
• Large amounts of Astigmatism, Myopia or Hyperopia
• Progressive nearsightedness (young children getting more nearsighted each year)

There are several types of specialty contact lenses available.

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses have been around for a long time and are characterized by their rigid shape. This rigid shape provides a smooth, uniform layer to look through which is helpful for patients who have corneal irregularities or high prescriptions. Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses are best reserved for less severe cases. There is an initial discomfort associated with acclimating to Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses that typically subsides within the first two weeks. Generally, these contact lenses are less expensive than both Hybrids and Sclerals, however, breakage and loss of Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses is more common.
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Hybrid Contact Lenses

Hybrid Contact Lenses are a combination of both soft and rigid gas permeable contact lens materials. The central part of the lens is a firmer gas permeable lens with a surrounding soft lens ‘skirt’. The gas permeable lens provides stable, enhanced clarity while the soft lens skirt offers improved comfort. The best of both worlds, in an easy to care for contact lens.
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Scleral Contact Lenses

Scleral Contact Lenses are made from the same rigid material as rigid gas permeable contact lenses but are much larger in diameter. The large size provides excellent stability and thus clarity of vision. It also allows the lens to vault over the surface of the cornea rather than touching it, leaving a space between the front surface of the eye and the back of the contact lens. This makes scleral contact lenses the best choice for patients with dry eyes and advanced corneal abnormalities.

Corneal Reshaping Therapy

Corneal Reshaping Therapy (CRT), also known as orthokeratology, is a non-surgical treatment method to reduce myopia (nearsightedness) and/or astigmatism. CRT contact lenses have also been shown in numerous studies to reduce the rate of myopic progression in children by 36% to 56%, depending on studies cited. The process involves the use of specialized gas permeable contact lenses that are custom designed to alter the curvature of the cornea. The CRT contact lenses are worn while sleeping at night in order to produce their therapeutic effect. Following removal of the contact lenses, visual acuity improves beyond pre-treatment levels. When CRT is initiated during childhood, the short-term goal is to improve vision to normal eyesight during the day without the use of glasses or traditional contact lenses and the long-term goal is to reduce myopic progression.

​​​​​​​For more information about specialty contact lenses, don’t hesitate to speak to our dedicated eye care team.