Contact Lens Fitting

Moorfields Contact Lens Service is the largest of its kind in the UK, with over 11,000 patients seen every year, providing a wide range of contact lens services.

Moorfields private specialises in patients who need contact lenses for a ‘medical reason’. This usually means that the vision cannot be improved with spectacles but can be improved with the fitting of contact lenses. Moorfields private will also provide contact lens consultation for short sighted (myopia), long sighted (hypermetropia), astigmatic and people who need reading glasses (presbyopia).

What is medical contact lens fitting?

Images are focussed on the retina by the cornea which is the front ‘window’ of the eye. The cornea and the lens, situated behind the pupil, determine the focussing power of the eye. If the cornea is damaged or scarred, for example after an injury to the eye, then the focussing power will be affected. Spectacles are not able to correct the focussing fully because of the distortion. However, the fitting of a ‘rigid or hard gas permeable’ contact lens on the affected cornea will normally restore or improve the quality of vision. Other examples of medical contact lens fitting include people with a large difference in spectacle prescription between the two eyes, where spectacles cannot be tolerated; people who need a contact lens for protection or therapeutic reasons; and in people who need a cosmetic or prosthetic lens to cover an unsightly scar on the cornea or iris (colour part of the eye)

Treatment/contact lens fitting options

There are several different types of lenses that can be used for correcting your vision. Your Moorfields Private optometrist will advise you on the most suitable option.

Rigid gas permeable lenses

Rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP) are ‘hard’ contact lenses and they can correct long sight, short sight and astigmatism

Soft lenses

Soft contact lenses (hydrogels) can be divided into daily, 2 weekly, monthly and annual disposable lenses. They are also divided into conventional hydrogels or the newer generation of silicone hydrogels. Silicone hydrogels allow a lot more oxygen through to the eye compared to standard hydrogels. Standard soft contact lenses can correct long sight and short sight but not astigmatism. However, they can be made in a ‘toric’ design that allows the lens to correct astigmatism. Soft contact lenses can also be made in different type of cosmetic designs and colour.

Hybrid lenses

Hybrid lenses are lenses which have a ‘rigid’ centre and ‘soft’ skirt and can correct prescriptions similar to RGP’s

Both the soft and RGP lenses are available in single vision, bifocal or varifocal forms. Single vision is when you have one prescription only for viewing all distances. Bifocal or varifocals is when you need two prescriptions, normally for both distance and reading.

Contact Moorfields Private about contact lens fitting