We mentioned contactology in our article on lenses last week, and it wasn’t for nothing! The COP9 team has been working for several weeks with a contactologist, whom we introduced to you on our social networks (don’t hesitate to join us). Discover in this article this speciality which allows to compensate or correct a vision defect thanks to contact lenses.
What is a contactologist?
As a vision health professional, the contactologist is specialized in the follow up care of patients who are likely to be, or already are, lens wearers. This professional will perform an examination of your vision, will advise and accompany effectively as part of your personalized ocular care.
Contact lenses prescribed by the contactologist may have a purpose:
- Aesthetic, to hide corneal scars.
- Therapeutic, such as healing the cornea after an operation:
- Corrective lenses, for patients with myopia (blurred distance vision), hyperopia (blurred near vision), presbyopia (see our article), cataracts or astigmatism.
Don’t hesitate to discover our article on contact lenses to learn more about soft lenses or rigid lenses!
The contactologist during their training focuses on the subjects of ocular anatomy related to contactology, biomicroscopy, microbiology, eye health, ocular complications, and the question of lens adaptation. They master the methods of lens fitting and care.
By following their patients over several appointments, the contactologist will provide them with solutions to improve their ocular comfort. The constraints related to wearing contact lenses are reduced thanks to a personalized follow-up care where the material is adapted according to the needs. A prescription will be given to you at the end of your ophthalmologic appointment.
The contactologist can work in an optical store as well as in an ophthalmology clinic: find Julie Vidal at Dr. Zwillinger’s COP9 practice. Do not hesitate to make an appointment on our Doctolib.
Why consult a contactologist?
Seeing a contactologist meets the growing needs of people who turn to contact lenses for aesthetic or visual health reasons.
An appointment with a contactologist can be motivated by :
- A need for wider peripheral vision
- Ocular medical history
- A hereditary condition
- A sporting or professional activity incompatible with wearing glasses
- A vision defect (myope, hypermetropic, astigmatic, presbyopia)
- Post-operative care
- An ocular aesthetic need (scar)
Depending on your needs, your ophthalmologist can refer you to a contactologist following your appointment. Don’t hesitate to talk about it during your appointment with your practitioner, if, for example, you wish to stop wearing glasses.
For what type of pathology should I consult a contactologist?
A number of pathologies may lead you to consult a contactologist. We present the main ones:
- Accommodative strabismus with lens adaptation
- Irregular astigmatism
- Keratoconus
- Anisometropia, where the difference between the two eyes is less than 3 diopters
- Myopia greater than -8 diopters
- Treatment of severe dryness of the eyes
- Corneal ulcers
The contactologist will treat classical as well as the most severe pathologies. They will be able to prescribe soft lenses, as well as rigid lenses or scleral lenses for therapeutic purposes.
In the case of myopia or astigmatism, the contactologist can specialize in orthokeratology and prescribe night lenses. These lenses will compress the cornea during sleep to allow the eye to regain clear vision during the day.
How to meet our contactologist?
First of all, you will have to perform an eyesight examination: your field of vision is analyzed with the instruments presented in this article. Any deformation of the surface of the cornea, visual disturbances or visual field problems will be detected during this screening. Do not hesitate to report any visual fatigue, headaches or vision problems to your professional.
Depending on your needs, you will be referred to your contactologist as part of a coordinated treatment plan. During your appointment, you will receive advice on how to care for your lenses in order to effectively decontaminate them. But also, information on the functioning of the eyeball, such as the functioning of the oxygenation of your eyes when wearing contact lenses. At the end of your appointment, your contactologist will prescribe the type of lenses that correspond to the necessary correction(s).
Our contactologist works in collaboration with our ophthalmologist, Dr. Stephanie Zwillinger, to ensure that your visual acuity is effectively corrected. All you will have left to do is to go to your optician to order your lenses.
COP9 practitioners welcome you from Monday to Saturday, so take care of your eye health and remember to make an appointment!
We’ll go into more detail on how a contactology appointment works very soon in a dedicated article. In the meantime, don’t forget to comment on this article, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more news.