Dr. Griffiths and her staff at NewView are professional, warm, and attentive. Her expert laser surgery restored my vision, put me at ease, and I trust her fully for eye care and facial procedures.
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Annual Contact Lens Eye Exams
What Happens During a Contact Lens Exam
A contact lens exam covers everything in a standard eye health evaluation plus several additional steps specific to lens wearers. Understanding what each part of the visit accomplishes can help you get more out of the appointment and ask better questions along the way.
Before any lens-related work begins, your eye doctor examines the overall health of your eye. This includes checking the front surface of the eye, measuring internal eye pressure, and evaluating the back of the eye including the retina and optic nerve. Dilation, which temporarily widens the pupil using eye drops, is sometimes used to get a clearer view of internal structures. Your eye doctor will decide based on your age, health history, and risk factors how often dilation is needed for you.
Refraction is the familiar part of the exam where you compare lens options and identify which makes things look clearest. Your eye doctor combines your responses with readings from an instrument called an autorefractor to arrive at your updated prescription power. It is worth knowing that the power in a contact lens prescription is often slightly different from a glasses prescription, because contacts sit directly on the eye rather than at a distance in a frame.
This is the step that separates a contact lens exam from a standard eye exam. Your eye doctor measures the curvature and shape of your cornea, evaluates your tear film quality, and watches how the lens centers and moves as you blink. A special yellow dye called fluorescein may be used to reveal how the lens rests against the cornea. A lens that feels comfortable to you may still be fitting too tightly or sitting off-center, which over time can cause irritation, redness, or corneal damage.
A contact lens prescription is a separate document from a glasses prescription and includes additional details such as the brand, material, base curve, and diameter of the lens in addition to the corrective power. Federal guidelines require your eye doctor to provide you with a copy of this prescription after your fitting is complete, so you can purchase lenses from any licensed retailer. Keep it somewhere accessible, because most online and in-store sellers will ask for it with each order.
When to Schedule and What to Do Between Visits
Timing your annual exam well prevents gaps in your lens supply and keeps your eye health on a consistent track. What you do between visits matters just as much as showing up for the appointment itself.
Contact lens prescriptions expire on a schedule set by your state, with federal guidelines establishing a default of one year unless your eye doctor has a medical reason to shorten that window. Check the expiration date on your current prescription and schedule your exam about a month in advance. That buffer gives you time to get your appointment without scrambling and avoids any gap in your ability to order lenses.
Certain signs should prompt you to call for an appointment right away rather than waiting for your annual visit. These include red eyes that do not clear after removing your lenses, pain, increased light sensitivity, discharge, or any sudden blurry vision that does not resolve quickly. A small problem caught early is almost always simpler and safer to treat than one that has had time to develop. Do not try to manage these symptoms by resting your eyes or switching to glasses without getting an evaluation first.
Following the wear schedule your eye doctor sets is one of the most protective things you can do for your eye health. Replace lenses on the exact schedule recommended, never stretching a pair to save money. Use only the lens solution your eye doctor approved, swap your storage case regularly to prevent bacterial buildup, and avoid sleeping in lenses unless your eye doctor has explicitly said that is safe for your lens type. Consistent small choices over the course of a year add up to healthier eyes and a smoother exam at the next visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
These answers address the questions our patients ask most often about contact lens exams, with guidance to help you make good decisions throughout the year.
Online and app-based refraction tools can estimate a shift in prescription power, but they cannot evaluate the health of your cornea, the quality of your tear film, or how your lens fits on your eye. They also cannot screen for glaucoma, retinal changes, or other conditions that require a physical examination. An online test does not meet the requirements for a valid contact lens prescription renewal. Use them only as a rough awareness tool, not as a substitute for an in-person visit.
Once your prescription expires, most licensed retailers, including online sellers, are not permitted to fill your order. The right step is to book your exam as soon as possible and switch to your glasses in the meantime. Avoid stretching your last pair of contact lenses past their intended wear cycle to bridge the gap, because overworn lenses significantly increase your risk of infection and corneal damage. Getting the exam scheduled promptly is both the safest and most practical solution.
The exam covers the same steps regardless of whether you wear contacts every day or just on weekends. The corneal and tear film changes that exams are designed to detect depend on time passing, not on the number of hours you spend in lenses. Part-time wearers sometimes assume they can safely skip a year or two, but the annual schedule exists to catch changes that are not tied to frequency of use. Staying on a yearly schedule keeps occasional wearers just as protected as daily wearers.
Wearing your current lenses to the appointment is generally helpful, especially if you have been wearing them for several hours beforehand. This allows your eye doctor to evaluate how the lens sits on your eye after a realistic wear period, which reveals fit issues that a fresh lens would not show. Bring the packaging from your current lenses and your solution bottle as well, so your eye doctor can confirm your care routine is appropriate for your lens type. If you cannot wear the lenses that day, bring a clean pair in your case instead.
Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that can alter corneal thickness and tear production, sometimes making a previously comfortable lens feel wrong or fit differently. New medical diagnoses such as diabetes, thyroid conditions, or autoimmune disorders can also change how your eye responds to lens wear. Let your eye doctor know about any medical changes at check-in so they can factor them into the evaluation. You may be recommended a follow-up visit sooner than your usual yearly schedule to reassess once your condition has stabilized.
In many practices, the contact lens fitting evaluation is billed separately from the standard eye health exam because it involves additional testing steps and time. Your vision insurance may cover the comprehensive eye exam portion but handle the contact lens fitting fee differently depending on your specific plan. Calling ahead to confirm what your plan covers before your visit helps you avoid surprises and plan accordingly. Our team is glad to help you understand what to expect when you schedule your appointment.
Schedule Your Contact Lens Exam at NewView Eye Center
Our eye doctors bring the same level of care and attention to every contact lens exam, combining thorough eye health screening with precise lens fitting to keep your vision and comfort on track all year. We are proud to serve patients throughout Northern Virginia with the personalized, expert care they deserve. Reach out to our team to schedule your annual contact lens exam and start the year with eyes that are healthy, comfortable, and seeing their best.
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