Contact Lenses are a thin lens placed directly on the surface of the eye. They are worn by 150 million people worldwide, mainly for vision correction but also for cosmetic and therapeutic reasons. Broadly speaking, they are suitable for anyone and at Urquharts, we have children as young as 6 on our Contact Len Care Plan, right through to those in their 70s and beyond.
In addition to age, vision correction is no longer a limiting factor either. Regardless of whether you are long or short sighted, or even have astigmatism, almost everyone who needs eyesight correction can now wear contact lenses. There are also multifocal options for those who need different lens powers for distance and close work or only have reading glasses.
A Monthly Direct Debit or Pay As You Wear
A Monthly Direct Debit or Pay As You Wear
Flexible Wearing Patterns, Occasional, Part-Time & Full-Time
At Urquharts, we provide a comprehensive monthly care plan for all of our Contact Lens Wearers. But why sign up?
Daily disposable Contact Lenses are considered to be the healthiest lens for your eyes and with no solution and no cleaning comes no hassle. Simply put in a new lens each day and recycle the worn and used lens – it couldn’t be easier! Dailies are also a great choice for those who are prone to allergies as they avoid day-to-day build up of dust, pollen and other irritants. They also allow great flexibility with wearing patterns and are ideal for sport and those who love the outdoors.
Monthly contact lenses are a popular choice among patients that want to wear lenses full-time. Monthly disposable contact lenses allow significantly more oxygen into the eye, making them more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. They are worn daily and removed each night for up to one month. Monthly lenses are often more cost effective for full-time wearers but the nightly cleaning can be seen as more inconvenient by some individuals.
Twice monthly contact lenses can be worn daily for up to two weeks. They are removed every night so they can be cleaned and they are also much more cost effective than daily disposables if you wear your lenses frequently as you won’t need to open a new set every day. Our most popular twice monthly lens is AcuvueOasys by Johnson & Johnson and it is considered one of the most comfortable fitting lenses available due to the high levels of Oxygen that reach the eye.
One of the most recent developments in Contact Lenses is the introduction of Daily Multifocal Contact Lenses. These lenses, also known as Varifocal Lenses, allow for Distance, Intermediate and Reading correction all within one lens. This means that no additional pairs of spectacles are required, for example, reading glasses over a pair of distance contact lenses. As we age gracefully, our eyes find it more difficult to focus on objects close up. This is called Presbyopia and means that we’ll start to need different prescriptions for different lifestyle activities.
We’ve all seen spectacle lenses that change in colour depending on the light they are in – most commonly known as Transitions. Well, now you can get contact lenses that also react to the light, enabling you to squint less, and see more! This lens is produced by leading manufacturer Johnson &Johnson and seamlessly changes from Clear to Dark to reduce the impact of light on your eyes. It also provides the highest levels of UV Protection and blue light filter.
Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is a when you can see objects near to you clearly, but objects farther away are blurry. Myopia can start at a young age and therefore at Urquharts, we are one of the few providers of MiSight Contact Lenses (Each Optician must be Trained & Approved) by Coopervision which is a pioneering contact lens which clinical studies demonstrate, slows the progression of myopia in children. Slowing this progression in turn reduces the likelihood of conditions such as Glaucoma and retinal detachments later in life.
As an independent practice, we also specialise in a number of advance and complex contact lens fittings for conditions such as Keratoconus or Cosmetic Lenses. In most cases, RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) lenses are used for such conditions and the fitting of these lenses requires specialist knowledge and equipment to ensure the most accurate vision correction.
Keratoconus is a condition affecting the cornea, the clear part at the front of the eye, which causes it to become softer and thinner than those of normal corneas. Under the influence of internal eye pressure, the cornea then changes shape. Contact lenses are used to restore a better corneal shape and focus. Most people with keratoconus have to rely on contact lenses to regain functional vision.
Book An AppointmentAt Urquharts, one of our core values is ‘Care & Community’ and as part of this we are one of the few eye care providers that recycle all soft contact lenses. This service is delivered in partnership with contact lens manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and lenses can be dropped off in any of our practices in Kilmarnock, Prestwick, Troon, Ayr, Kilwinning, Saltcoats, West Kilbride, Lanark, Eaglesham, Strathaven, Stranraer & Clarkston. We encourage all contact lens wearers – be they patients of ours or not – to make full use of the free service.
The scheme sees recycling specialists Terra Cycle collect and pelletize the used lenses for remoulding into new plastic products, and is designed to provide contact lens wearers with a cost-free, sustainable and convenient alternative to the existing postal return service offered by lens manufacturers.
Book An Appointment