Contact Lenses

Tessa fits all types of contact lenses from one day disposables, fortnightly or monthly replacement lenses including the new Johnson & Johnson Advance Hydraclear lens, which gives unprecedented levels of comfort, to Soft and Gas Permeable bifocal & multi focal lenses. No matter what your visual needs are there is a solution for you. The practice also stocks all contact lens solutions at prices often less expensive than the supermarkets. Tessa is there to offer you expert advice on the best lenses for you, and with free contact lens trials, it couldn't be easier to try.

Today's lenses are made from two general types of materials:*

Soft Contact Lenses

Made from oxygen permeable, water-loving plastics that actually become pliable during manufacturing. Soft contact lenses contain between 30 and 80 per-cent water, depending on the type of lens. Many people enjoy the comfort of soft lenses; they are easy to adapt to and fit both comfortably and securely. There are now soft lenses to correct many types of astigmatism and presbyopia.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP)

Combining some of the properties of both hard and soft lenses. Made of special firmer plastics, which are permeable to oxygen, these lenses are very durable and usually have a longer life span than soft lenses. Many people find them easier to handle than soft lenses. Like soft lenses, RGP lenses fit well and offer excellent visual acuity. RGP lenses are often prescribed for people who have high degrees of astigmatism. They take a little longer than soft lenses to get used to, but regular wearers find them very comfortable.

Most contact lenses are worn on a "daily-wear" basis. They are removed in the evening and put back in the next morning. Extended wear contact lenses are becoming increasingly popular and the introduction of very high oxygen transmission lenses, called Silicone Hydrogels, means that they can be worn for up to one month before removal.

New advances in contact lenses have made it possible to have a fresh pair of lenses at regular intervals at about the same cost as wearing traditional daily-wear lenses. Frequent replacement programmes have become increasingly popular and also allow the contact lens wearer to spread the cost through monthly payments.

"Disposable" soft lenses are just what they say: after a prescribed period of time, the lenses are thrown away and replaced with a new pair.

How Do Contact Lenses Work?

"Perfect vision" occurs when light rays converge at a point directly on the retina (on the back of eyeball). About four in ten people have "perfect" vision. For the rest, clear vision may be achieved by refocusing light rays using corrective lenses.

Contact lenses are delicately crafted, very thin optical discs about the diameter of a shirt button. They are comfortably held in place by the eye's own natural tears, which are always present between the lens and the eye.

The superior quality of today's lenses, combined with professional fitting and aftercare, ensures your lenses will be properly prescribed for ultimate fit and comfort. Your eye care practitioner has many lens options to choose from in determining which one best suits your vision needs and your lifestyle.

Most common vision conditions can be treated with contact lenses, and in the last few years, technological advances have produced many more options for treating each kind of problem. Your eye care practitioner can tell you more about the range of options available for any of these conditions.