Professional and courteous team. Attention to detail was excellent, and my expectations were met. I’m delighted with the results and my trust in Dr. Griffiths is absolute.
Gideon Sasson
Contact Lens Prescription Renewals and Exams
Signs You May Need an Exam Before Your Prescription Expires
Your annual re-evaluation is the baseline, but certain changes in comfort or vision may signal that your eyes need attention sooner. Paying attention to these early signs can prevent small problems from becoming bigger ones.
One common early signal is a growing gap between how clearly you see in glasses versus contacts. Your glasses may still feel sharp, but your contacts may seem slightly softer or less crisp than they used to. Corneal shape can shift gradually with age or long-term lens wear, meaning a lens that fit well last year may no longer sit or center the same way today. A re-evaluation can identify that drift and correct it with updated measurements.
If your eyes used to handle a full day of lens wear comfortably but now feel gritty, red, or irritated by afternoon, something has changed. The tear film (the thin layer of moisture that keeps the eye surface healthy) can shift over time. When that happens, a lens material or wear schedule that worked before may no longer be a good match. A different material or a switch to daily disposable lenses often helps once an eye doctor has assessed the current state of the tear film.
Comfortable wear time is one of the most telling things a contact lens wearer can track. If you once wore lenses comfortably for twelve to fourteen hours and now find yourself removing them in the early afternoon, something has shifted. This change often happens slowly enough that wearers adjust without realizing it. An exam can determine whether the cause is lens-related, tear-related, or a combination of both, and help restore a comfortable, full-day wearing schedule.
Certain medications, including antihistamines, some blood pressure drugs, and some antidepressants, can reduce tear flow and change how the eye surface responds to contact lenses. Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause can have the same effect. New or worsening seasonal allergies can turn a previously comfortable lens into a source of daily irritation. When any of these changes occur, it is worth scheduling a prescription check even if your current prescription has not yet expired.
What Happens During a Contact Lens Re-Evaluation
A contact lens re-evaluation is more than a quick power check. It is a comprehensive look at your eye health, the fit of your current lens, and whether your overall contact lens plan still serves you well.
The exam begins with the same health assessment included in any complete eye visit. Your eye doctor examines the cornea for early signs of blood vessel growth, checks the eyelids for irritation caused by long-term lens wear, and evaluates both tear flow and tear quality. Many of the changes that lenses can cause over time produce no discomfort until they are well advanced, making this portion of the visit especially important.
Once the health portion is complete, your eye doctor takes updated measurements of the cornea. The curvature, the diameter of your cornea, and the center position of the current lens on the eye are all reviewed. A lens that centered well last year but now rides slightly high or low can cause lid irritation over time. Small shifts in corneal shape can also change which lens fits most comfortably and safely.
Your eye doctor performs a refraction (a precise measurement of the eye's focusing power) based on your eye as it is today, not as it was a year ago. This is often done by placing a trial lens on the eye and measuring the sharpest possible vision through it, a process called over-refraction. This step catches any gap between your glasses power and your contact lens power, and the result becomes the updated prescription you leave with.
A thorough re-evaluation ends with more than a new piece of paper. Your eye doctor may recommend a lens with higher oxygen permeability if the cornea is showing signs of oxygen stress. A daily disposable lens may be suggested if comfort has declined or if cleaning compliance has become difficult. The plan that results from this visit reflects your eyes and your lifestyle today, not the snapshot from twelve months ago.
When to Seek Urgent Eye Care
Some symptoms during contact lens wear should not wait for a scheduled appointment. Recognizing which signs require same-day attention can make a meaningful difference in outcomes.
Pain, persistent redness, sensitivity to light, and discharge during contact lens wear are warning signs of a possible corneal infection (an infection of the clear front surface of the eye). Corneal infections can progress from a mild complaint to a serious, vision-threatening condition within a single day. These symptoms should not be watched or treated with over-the-counter drops and a plan to call later in the week.
If any of these symptoms appear, remove your lenses immediately and do not put them back in. Call our office the same day, even if the discomfort eases after the lens is removed. Symptoms that improve briefly when the lens comes out do not mean the problem has resolved. Keep the lens and its storage case if possible, as your eye doctor may want to examine them as part of evaluating the cause.
The cornea does not have its own blood supply, which means it has limited ability to fight off infection on its own. Infections on the cornea can scar the tissue rapidly, and corneal scars are often permanent. Early treatment dramatically reduces the risk of lasting vision loss. When pain, worsening redness, or light sensitivity occur during lens wear, same-day care is always the safer choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
These answers address common questions our patients ask about managing their contact lens prescriptions and knowing when to seek care.
No. An expired contact lens prescription cannot be used to place a new order, even for the same brand and power you have worn for years. This rule applies to in-office purchases and online retailers equally. Beyond the legal requirement, the expiration date signals that your eyes have not had a health review lately. Ordering on an expired prescription means skipping a check that could catch a quiet problem before it becomes a serious one.
Yes. The yearly re-evaluation is based on eye health, not on how many hours per week lenses are on the eye. Even occasional wear can gradually cause surface changes, dryness, or fit issues over time. Some eye doctors may adjust the cadence for very light wearers in specific circumstances, but that decision belongs to the examining eye doctor based on a direct assessment of your eyes, not to the wearer alone.
Yes, a new fitting is needed even if the corrective power stays the same. Different lens brands have different shapes, oxygen transmissibility ratings, and interactions with the tear film. A lens that feels comfortable and sits correctly on one person's eye may not perform the same way on yours. The good news is that a brand-switch fitting is often straightforward when a patient is already wearing lenses well and recent measurements are on file.
A contact lens prescription is yours to keep and carry with you. A new eye doctor can honor the current prescription if it is still valid, or perform a fresh evaluation if any concerns exist. Bring a copy of your current prescription along with the packaging from your current lenses to the first visit. That gives the new eye doctor an accurate starting point without needing to guess at your previous lens details.
No. The printed expiration date on a contact lens blister pack is separate from the prescription end date. It marks the date through which the sterile seal is guaranteed. Lenses used past that date may no longer be sterile and could carry a risk of contamination or unpredictable behavior on the eye. Even if the prescription is current, lenses from an expired pack should be discarded rather than worn.
Most vision plans include an annual benefit for contact lens wearers, though the specific coverage varies widely from plan to plan. Our team is happy to check your benefits before the visit so there are no surprises. Patients without vision insurance can ask about contact-lens-specific exam pricing, which is often a more affordable option than a full new-patient workup. Flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts are also commonly used to cover the cost.
Schedule Your Contact Lens Exam at NewView Eye Center
Whether your prescription is nearing its end date, your lenses have started feeling different, or it has simply been a while since your last exam, our eye doctors are here to help. NewView Eye Center offers comprehensive contact lens exams and fittings, with an in-house optical in Reston stocked with a full range of standard contact lens options. We proudly serve patients across Northern Virginia and look forward to helping you see clearly and comfortably for years to come.
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