RGP Fitting troubles

Delores · #1 (**permalink**) 12-17-2008, 02:49 PM

Hello, I am 48 y/o, presbyopia, no astigmatism, trying to go from recent bifocals to contacts.

Tried soft monovision, not even close to working for me.

4-5 years ago I tried soft multi-focals, but they were too foggy (suspect poor fit). I tried with them for several months. Went with glasses.

1 year ago, eye examiner told me my eye measures very steep base curve, 9.0, and soft multifocals don't come that steep and that's probably why they didn't work.

Last May, I contactrd another optometrist, she said she loved a challenge fitting contacts, so I made my appointment for August (insurance reasons).

She put me through the usual trial of soft lenses & mono vision. Not working. I did some research and RGP sounded like a better direction. She tried to discourage me because of the extreme discomfort during adjustment period. I said, if children are doing it, I think I could try. So we started trying RGP. I got used to them, and they feel very natural. We tried 4 different pairs so far, and these last ones are very poor for reading. She told me these are the ones for me, and sent me home like they would be fine.

Problems:
I can see the lower edge of these, like a cresent all along the bottom and sides, indoors and outdoors, day and night.

If I get good reading, the distance is very blurry, if I get clear distance, the reading sucks.

I asked her if she could get them larger to eliminate edges, she said it would not be healthy for my eye. Then she order the next pair larger, but I still see the same amount of edge.

She is very young. Seems to get most of her info from the lens maker. He gives her tips on how to fit me better and what he can do to improve my vision.

She told me my lenses are Boston Essential, the very best ones. I can't find any thing online about such a lens, unless that is what the Boston ES are.

Is there hope for me, I love wearing the RGP's but I would like to see w/o reader glasses and would like to not have distance vision be worse than my actual bare eyes are. Am I asking for too much? is there something else?

Thanks so much

jimmys devoted · #2 (**permalink**) 12-21-2008, 11:57 AM

I have that too. I have learned not to drop my eye and to drop my head so I don't get the rings. After wearing them for a few years I just tuned that out.
I have a high index like you and with the RGP it actually makes your eyes better, it slows progression and changes the eye the longer you wear them. I wear Boston II.
My are tiny and float on the upper cornea to change the shape of the cornea. and if I wear them for long hours I tend to not see the ring. But when fresh while they are settling I do get that ring.

My Doctor explained that RGPs can be shaped to fit so that they have to settle into the right place to work well and correct the vision. He was right. I can still wear the same RX from 20+ years ago!

julie

Delores · #3 (**permalink**) 12-21-2008, 12:40 PM

You are lucky to have a doctor that knows a lot about RGP. Mine ordered a lower add for reading. I wanted to read better. I don't know what she was thinking, she said I wanted better distance so that was what she did to try to make them better. Distance was fine, she made a mistake, then they all tried to charge me and send me home (with poor vision). I hate complaining. But how else can you get the right ones? It's very hard to find the right combination. When will they make multifocals that give you both clear distance and clear reading? There is always a compromise.

I stopped payment and canceled the insurance claim and returned that pair of RGP's. She is ordering me one more pair, should be just right. Also, my 90 day trial period is up, so she is wiggling about that. She want's me to keep the ones I have now, a pair she gave me to try a weeks ago. I said they were smaller diameter, but she said it was minimal. Well, isn't everything pertaining to contacts minimal? They are very small, but when it's on your eyeball, minimal may be just enough to see better. IMHO.

I just don't want to waste my insurance money for 2 years again. If these don't work for me, she wants to get me a pair of glasses.

Wish me luck!

Tigger · #4 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 04:34 AM

Good luck, Delores. I hope your doctor gets the fit figured out for you.

Delores · #5 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 10:57 PM

I feel like a shmuck!! Friday, I went in for my last pair of contacts to try, they were WRONG! I told her I didn't want to mess with the vision part, just get the right size. She lied to me. I honestly think I was the first person she ever fitted with RGP. I am was sent home with the second pair I tried. When she gave me those, she told me to only wear them 8 hrs and no longer. I asked her why, and she said because they are not the right fight and it would be bad to wear an ill fitting hard lens on my eye for longer each day. But when I get the pair that fits, I can wear them for 12 or more hours a day!!! Yippie. Now, her time is up, she needs her money and her story has changed. She told me Friday, these are the right fit. I told her that contradicts what she told me before, she said "I'm sorry". She told me, "You'll never be happy with RGP contacts". I told her I would take these. Now, I feel like a shmuck. They were expensive, too.

Allan Panzer · #6 (**permalink**) 01-11-2009, 01:34 AM

Is this fun or what? Here I sit at 1:10a.m. reading about all of your misery.
I have no idea what part of the country you are in, but perhaps if you told me I might know of someone to help you.
I have been fitting RGP bifocals for well over thirty years.
Here is the "secret". Its called a trial lens set! Amazing!!!!!!
You see most doctors fly by the seat of their pants and the help of a person on the telephone at the lab. They call and say..."this darn lens rides too high"
What do I do..? The lab person says..lets make it a little steeper, that'll bring it down.
What a crock!!!!!
Here is what an intelligent doctor does...He or she owns several fitting sets.
He or she places an appropriate trial lens on the eye to see what it does.
If it rides too high or low, they simply reach into their set and take out another lens. If none works, they call the lab and ask for a more appropriate trial. If none of these work, they try a soft bifocal...there are even soft bifocals for astigmatism. And if none of these things work, they make a special lens using a topographer which is custom and sometimes as big as your eye.

I assure you that there are very few folks who should be experiencing the problems you are having with the appropriate tools to work with. If you are ever in Houston...give me a call and I can probably fix the problem. I know practitioners all over the country and might know one in your area...its a big country though...

Allan J. Panzer, O.D.
Therapeutic Optometrist

Tigger · #7 (**permalink**) 01-11-2009, 01:08 PM

Trial lens sets are great. I don't why I didn't think of it before, but that would have eliminated most of this hassle.

Delores · #8 (**permalink**) 01-11-2009, 08:00 PM

Thanks for responding. I am in Oregon, near the greater Portland area.

I appreciate your expertise. But I guess I've got my RGP's. Don't know what else to do, I took these and paid the bill. I guess they are okay. I can truly see well with them (except seeing a cresent on the lower edge).

I just don't have any idea if they are the right fit. Dr. told me a string of conflicting information. And she got all of her coaching from the lab tech., who she says has 30 years of experience.

This pair is supposed to last me quite awhile. And insurance won't pay for 2 years now.

But I would love to know if there is someone who knows more about fitting RGP's correctly in my area. Send more info!!

Thanks

Allan Panzer · #9 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 07:07 PM

[url=http://www.wavecontactlenses.com/search/]Wave Doctor Search[/url]
I say...go to the site and look for doctors who are in your area.
These are some folks in California...just a lab, but they should know someone in your area that fits their lenses.
If you are really miserable, you have to bite the bullet and pay. This, the insurance only pays every two years should not keep you from seeing for two years.. Imagine if your insurance only paid for diabetes medicine every two days but you needed it...would you say...well, I guess that's just the way it is. I know that everyone is tight for money, but if the vision stinks, I think you just have to decide priorities and go with them.
Maybe eating out less or whatever...but not seeing or being uncomfortable, now I just can't imagine.
Dr. Panzer