Contact lens prescription question?!
Question:
Contact lens prescription question?
I always thought that if you have a prescription for contact lenses, you can use that same presription for any type of lens. Recently I have been told that this is wrong, that each type of lens will have different numbers. Does anyone know if this is credible? It seems odd to me, after all, a presciption is a prescription, but it was an eye doctor who told me this. Any ideas would be great!
Answers:
Contact lens prescriptions are different depending on the brand of contacts. Different contact brands have different sizes and parameters. One brand with the same power may fit and another brand with the exact same power may not. They are also made of different materials and depending on your particular eye, one may not be as comfortable. When a doctor writes a prescription, they give your prescription based on how well you see and how well it fits. Is it possible for you to wear another contact? Yes, but the doctor will not take responsibility for what happens to your eye if he/she hasn't confirmed a proper fit.
On a side note, toric lenses (for astigmatism) don't always come in the same prescription. For example, if your eyeglass prescription is -2.00-1.50x95, one brand of contacts may only make -2.00-1.50x90 and another brand may only make -2.00-1.50x100. How would you know which one to use? That's what the doctor's for.