THERAPEUTIC CONTACT LENSES

There are many different types of therapeutic contact lenses specially designed for a number of eye conditions that would have been untreatable in years past. These hydrophilic soft contact lenses can now be used in the treatment and care of non-refractive eye disorders, healing eyes, and helping patients improve or retain their vision.

Due to several recent advances in the world of ophthalmology, therapeutic contact lenses can now be used to "deliver" medications directly to the surface of the eye. Some lenses are used as bandages to protect an injured or diseased cornea from further trauma or irritation caused merely by blinking. These therapeutic contact lenses allow time for the eye to heal without the constant rubbing of the eyelid.

In individuals with the progressive disease keratoconus, in which the cornea thins and bulges into the shape of a cone, soft therapeutic contact lenses are used in mild cases to control the disease. However, once the keratoconus progresses, soft contacts or glasses will no longer be effective in correcting or improving the quality of vision. In this case, gas permeable contact lenses that are rigid, but are greatly improved since the "hard contacts" of yesteryear, are used for the condition.

Therapeutic contact lenses are also useful in treating cases of eye herpes where a debridement of the cornea is necessary due to a superficial infection. In the procedure known as a debridement, an eye doctor scrapes away the infected corneal cells with a special cotton swab or corneal instrument. A soft contact lens, with or without the use of a patch, may be used to protect and help the cornea to heal better.

Properly caring for therapeutic contact lenses will largely depend on what the lens is being used for, meaning what illness or condition they are being used to treat. An eye care professional who specializes in ophthalmology or diseases of the eye will be able to give accurate guidance as to the cleaning and care schedule of the particular type of lenses being used.

Therapeutic contact lenses are often confused with corrective contact lenses which are used to temporarily improve vision, and not for actually healing the eye. Conditions requiring the use of corrective contact lenses include near, or short sightedness (myopia), presbyopia, astigmatisms, and far, or long sightedness (hypermetropia).

Another type of contact lenses that are sometimes confused with the therapeutic variety are prosthetic contact lenses. These lenses can be soft or gas permeable and are specially designed to improve the actual appearance of the eye, and mask flaws or disfigurements due to birth defects, disease, or trauma. These lenses can also be used to block out excessive light and keep it fr