Contact Lenses
Choosing the Right Contacts
Contact lenses can free you from having to wear eyeglasses, and specialty contact lenses can improve symptoms of certain eye conditions. Our doctors have the technology and experience to provide the best fit and type of contact lens for you. If you have not considered contacts before or have been told that “you can’t wear contacts”, ask your Southern Eye doctor about your contact lens options. We also have certified contact lens technicians that will provide training on inserting and removing your contact lenses.
Contact lenses may be ordered by phone, in our office or online. If you have vision insurance, please let us know when ordering since most plans cover a portion of the contact lenses. We carry all brands and sell at competitive prices.
Soft Contact Lenses
We prescribe soft lenses from all major manufacturers such and Bausch & Lomb, Vistakon, Cooper Vision, and Alcon. All modes of vision correction are offered, such as simple single vision, soft lenses for astigmatism, and bifocal/multifocal lenses. Most lens designs are available in daily, two-week, or monthly disposable schedules. If necessary, we have available labs that can custom manufacture lenses for patients that have high prescriptions for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
Gas permeable lenses can provide excellent vision for patients that have a prescription with higher amount of astigmatism, are critical about the sharpness of their vision, or desire to wear a bifocal/multifocal contact lens. These lenses are custom designed for each individual and require a great deal of precision to achieve a proper fit.
Scleral Lenses
Scleral Contact Lenses are primarily used to treat patients that have diseases or degenerations of their cornea, dry eye, or have an injury to their cornea that results in vision that cannot be well corrected with glasses or other types of contact lenses. These lenses are large rigid lenses that are cushioned against the eye by a pool of saline solution, which provides an extremely comfortable lens wearing experience. Patients with cornea disease and conditions, such as keratoconus, corneal ectasia, irregular astigmatism due to abnormal scarring, or corneal injuries resulting in deformed corneas may be able to achieve improved vision with scleral lenses. Scleral lenses can also be used in patients that suffer severe dry eye from underlying autoimmune disorders which cause a severe decrease in normal tear production. Our Pentacam measuring instrument allows us to provide our patients with the newest technology in achieving the best fit of these complicated lens designs.
In addition to traditional scleral lenses, Dr. Andrew Pickens is the only Optometrist in South Carolina certified in fitting the state of the art EyePrint lenses. Instead of using a series of standardized curvatures, as with scleral lenses, the device is generated to exactly match the unique irregularities of a patient’s eye. It can successfully fit where scleral lenses or PROSE devices have failed. Additionally, this impression fitting system drastically reduces the time needed for fitting.
Call 864-269-0337 to reach the Greenville Contact Lens department, and 864-335-0668 for the Greer Contact Lens department.