Do I Need to Remove My Contact Lenses Before an Eye Exam?

Transitioning from wearing eyeglasses to contact lenses can be difficult. One way to maintain your eye health is by scheduling regular eye exams. Read on as the Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry explains whether you should remove your contact lenses for your scheduled eye exam.

Understanding the Impact of Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are often worn to correct vision impairments such as myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism. However, they may temporarily alter corneal curvature, affect tear film stability, and impact the results of your eye exam.

Before Your Eye Exam

Your eye care professional should instruct you on whether or not to wear your contact lenses to the appointment. If you haven’t been given any specific instructions, it’s generally advisable to arrive at your eye examination wearing your contact lenses. This usually allows eye care specialists to determine if there are any ongoing issues directly related to contact lens wear.

During Your Eye Exam

During the examination, an eye care specialist may ask you to remove your contacts. This helps ensure accurate measurements and a comprehensive assessment of the cornea, ocular surface, and overall health of your eyes.

In particular, you’ll need to remove your contact lenses for the following tests:

• Refraction Test. This test determines your accurate eyeglass prescription. Contact lenses could interfere with the results, leading to an incorrect prescription.
• Corneal Topography. This imaging test maps out the curvature of your cornea. As such, the contact lenses need to be removed so they won’t distort corneal surface measurements.
• Slit Lamp Examination. The slit lamp provides your eye doctor with a magnified look at the structures at the front of your eye. The presence of contact lenses obstructs a precise observation of these structures.

After Removing Contact Lenses

Following removal, some eye care specialists might ask you to refrain from wearing lenses for a certain period before additional tests or your annual exam. The duration can be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the type of contacts you wear and the health of your eyes.

Let Our Eye Care Team Take Care of Your Vision

Whether you should wear contacts to an eye exam depends on the type of test being conducted. In any case, it’s crucial to follow your doctor’s instructions and always ensure your contacts are kept clean. If you have other questions prior to your eye exam, you can always reach out to the eye care specialists at Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry!

Our team offers a wide range of eye care services, including low vision therapy and pediatric eye care. For a consultation, call (703) 660-9494 (Alexandria, VA), (703) 413-1400 (Crystal City, VA), (703) 522-7676 (Clarendon, VA), (703) 573-1200 (Falls Church, VA), or (703) 467-9080 (Reston, VA). You can also visit our contact page.