JAMES T. VAN CAMP, O.D.
Academy Vision Science Clinic
5955 Lehman Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80918

(719) 598-6000 | Email

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We offer only the best in
contact lens technology.

We often are one of the first to receive the latest in Contact Lenses. We have contacts available to target specific eye problems like dry eyes, astigmatism, difficulty reading, and eye diseases like keratoconus. We are focused on giving you the best comfort and vision, not just adequate comfort and vision. Contacts are constantly being improved for more comfort and better vision.

We are focused on giving you the best comfort and vision, not just adequate comfort and vision. Contacts are constantly being improved for more comfort and better vision.

Contact lens exams, like all regular eye exams, allow your optometrist to take a thorough look at the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. Doing this regularly, about once a year, also lets your optometrist keep a close eye on any changes to your vision before they become serious. Contact lenses are medical devices, so you need a contact lens prescription in order to buy them, and your optometrist is required to make sure that your vision examination for your contact lens prescription involves finding the right fit for your lenses.

If you’re a contact lens wearer, it’s important to make sure that your lenses fit both your eyes and your vision properly. In addition to a comprehensive eye exam, a contact lens exam will also involve a contact lens fitting. Your optometrist will need to gather several measurements. The most common is the curvature of your cornea, your eye’s clear front surface. In some cases, your pupil and iris size will also be measured. If you tend to have dry eyes, your optometrist may also perform a tear film evaluation to make sure you’re prescribed contact lenses that keep your eyes sufficiently moist.

Remember, your eye doctor is your ally in making sure your eyes
get what they need to stay healthy and perform at their best.

A thorough comprehensive eye exam will
determine the best lens, vision and fit for you!

Soft Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses are made of soft, flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Soft contact lenses may be easier to adjust to and are more comfortable than rigid gas permeable lenses. Newer soft lens materials include silicone-hydrogels to provide more oxygen to your eye while you wear your lenses.

RGP Contact Lenses

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGPs) are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft lenses.

They are easier to handle and less likely to tear. However, they are not as comfortable initially as soft contacts and it may take a few weeks to get used to wearing RGPs, compared to several days for soft contacts.

Continuous Wear Contact Lenses

Continuous wear contact lenses are available for overnight or continuous wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days. Continuous wear contact lenses are usually soft contact lenses. They are made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. There are also a very few rigid gas permeable lenses that are designed and approved for overnight wear.

Length of continuous wear depends on lens type and your eye care professional's evaluation of your tolerance for overnight wear. It is important for the eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal.

Disposable Contact Lenses

The majority of soft contact lens wearers are prescribed some type of frequent replacement schedule. "Disposable," as defined by the FDA, means used once and discarded. With a true daily wear disposable schedule, a brand new pair of lenses is used each day. Some soft contact lenses are referred to as "disposable" by contact lens sellers, but actually, they are for frequent/planned replacement (for example, 7 days to 30 days) and then thrown away.

Decorative (Plano) Contact Lenses

Some contact lenses do not correct vision and are intended solely to change the appearance of the eye. These are sometimes called plano, zero-powered or non-corrective lenses. For example, they can temporarily change a brown-eyed person's eye color to blue, or make a person's eyes look weird by portraying Halloween themes. Even though these decorative lenses don't correct vision, they're regulated by the FDA, just like corrective contact lenses.

Scleral Contact Lenses

Scleral lenses are larger lenses made of gas permeable material used to correct vision in a number of conditions such as keratoconus, post-refractive surgery corneal issues, ocular surface disease, dry eye, and normal refractive errors.

They are called "scleral" lenses because, these lenses cover the "white" of the eye (the sclera). Because of this type of fit, they are less likely to accidentally dislodge from the eye compared to conventional GP lenses.

Ortho-K Contact Lenses

Ortho-K is a process where the patient wears concentrated contact lenses while they sleep. These contacts gently reshape the eye temporarily, allowing the patient to go glasses and contact lens free during the day time. The contacts are designed based on a digital map of your eye which allows for an exact fit. The contact lenses are highly breathable GP contacts which allows for maximum comfort for the wearer during the night.