Why Advanced Technology Makes a Difference at Your Eye Doctor’s Office

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions when it comes to eye care. Unfortunately, not all optometry offices are able to provide customized treatments needed to give their patients a solution that truly fits their needs. This is especially the case when it comes to contact lens fitting.

There are many people who want to wear contact lenses but have found conventional options aren’t suitable. This could be because they don’t fit properly and are uncomfortable. In some cases, this is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea and requires a specialty contact lens that will help correct their vision and work with any underlying problems affecting their cornea. Other cases may require the use of custom-fit lenses using advanced technology, such as orthokeratology for patients with myopia or other refractive errors.

There are a lot of choices out there for eye care. Opting for a practice that is using advanced technology and treatment options helps ensure you receive the right solution for your eye health. Read on below to learn more about how Factoria Eye Clinic utilizes the latest technology to elevate our eye care services.

Revolutionizing Orthokeratology Treatment with Technology

Orthokeratology is a popular vision treatment used to slow the progression of myopia. Also known as ortho-k, this treatment uses custom contact lenses that are worn overnight to gently reshape the cornea while the patient sleeps. This treatment helps to keep prescriptions from worsening over time and reduces many risks associated with myopia in the future. It can be used by a range of age groups but is particularly effective in children. Ortho-k can be used as a treatment for kids from a fairly young age. While there are several technologies available that can be used in myopia control plans, ortho-k has shown to significantly slow the progression of myopia in children.

The Oculus Pentacam is one of the most advanced technologies used in myopia control. This rotating Scheimpflug camera system for anterior segment analysis is used to create a map of the surface of the eye, which it does by measuring 25,000 different points on the surface of the eye. This enables us to design a truly custom-fit lens for each eye with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring the wearer has optimal comfort and clarity while the lenses work to slow the progression of their myopia.

Each lens is designed using WAVE software – a sophisticated custom contact lens software platform that allows the doctor to custom-design and fit scleral, ortho-k, and gas permeable contact lenses. Unlike other systems, WAVE has the capability to customize every curve in the lens, optimizing it for each individual patient. 

The Oculus Pentacam for Scleral Lenses

It isn’t just orthokeratology where the Oculus Pentacam proves an invaluable piece of technology. Scleral contact lenses are another type of specialty lens and are the key to functional, painless vision for many patients who suffer from corneal injuries or conditions that make wearing traditional contact lenses difficult. Made from gas permeable material, scleral lenses vault over the surface of the cornea to leave a gap between the lens and the surface of the eye, preventing pressure from being placed onto the corneal surface. Again, to ensure optimal fit, scleral lenses need to be custom made for each patient. The Oculus Pentacam can perform scleral topography, creating a highly accurate image of the entire surface of the eye (including the sclera), not just the cornea. This enables us to provide scleral lenses with an even greater level of comfort.  Most offices have topographers that only measure the cornea.  Because a scleral lens actually rests on the sclera—the process of fitting without scleral measurement can be very much trial and error. Most patients’ scleras are not perfectly round.  Having a map of the sclera so the lens can align to the actual topography of the sclera can greatly increase the comfort of the lens.

ScanFit Lenses by EyePrint Prosthetics

ScanFit lenses are specialist scleral contact lenses that are designed to match the exact scleral contours of a patient’s eye. Unlike some other contact lens types, ScanFit lenses are created from an ocular scan rather than an impression. This enables them to be created to suit each individual patient with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring comfort as well as exceptional vision.

Using the latest scanning technology, we can offer contact lens fitting with profilometry, rather than trial fitting. Profilometry is the process whereby topographical data is extracted from the surface of the eye and used to advise the fit of a contact lens, rather than simple trial and error. Profilometry optimizes the fitting process for the patient and ensures the best possible outcome.

We have a  variety of other brands of scleral lenses that we use depending on the patient’s needs, which include BostonSight Scleral, WAVE, ZenLens, Blanchard OneFit, Acculens, and Jupiter.

Above are just a few examples of how our advanced technology makes a difference to our patients. Dr. Kaufman is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control. Her passion, knowledge, and expertise is why many patients choose Factoria Eye Clinic for treatments like orthokeratology as well as other corneal conditions, and why other area eye doctors refer their patients to us for help with specialty contact lenses.

If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your vision, please contact our team at Factoria Eye Clinic in Bellevue, Washington at (425) 641-2020 today.