Two exams, two different questions
A comprehensive eye exam answers two questions: how clearly do you see, and are your eyes healthy? A contact lens exam asks a third: will a lens sitting directly on your eye fit well, stay comfortable, and give you clear vision? The first two are covered by every comprehensive exam. The third needs extra measurements and a trial with real lenses, which is why it is a separate service.
What happens in a comprehensive eye exam
The doctor reviews your health history and medications, checks how each eye sees at distance and near, and refines your prescription lens by lens. Simple tests look at how your eyes focus, move and work together. The health portion examines the front of the eye, checks eye pressure, and looks at the retina and optic nerve, often with dilating drops for a wider view. You leave with a glasses prescription.
What the contact lens fitting adds
A fitting picks up where the eye exam leaves off:
- Measuring the eye surface. The curvature of the cornea guides which lens shape and size are likely to fit.
- Choosing a lens. The doctor considers your prescription, how dry your eyes feel, how often you want to replace lenses, and whether you need a toric (astigmatism) or multifocal design.
- Trying lenses on. You wear trial lenses while the doctor checks centering, movement and comfort under magnification, then confirms your vision with the lens in place.
- Care and wear. You learn how to insert, remove and clean the lenses, and how long to wear them each day.
- Follow-up. New wearers, and anyone switching lens types, may be asked to return so the doctor can see how the lenses behave after a few days of real use.
Side by side
| Comprehensive eye exam | Contact lens exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Glasses prescription and eye health | Safe, comfortable contact lens fit |
| Eye health check | Yes | Builds on the eye exam’s health check |
| Corneal measurements | Sometimes | Always, to choose lens size and shape |
| Trial lenses | No | Yes |
| What you receive | Glasses prescription | Contact lens prescription |
| Who needs it | Everyone, on a schedule the doctor recommends | Anyone who wears or wants to wear contacts |
Why the contact lens prescription is different
A glasses lens sits a short distance in front of your eye. A contact lens sits on it. For stronger prescriptions, that change in distance means the power you need can be noticeably different. A contact lens prescription also has to state details a glasses prescription never includes. Under Michigan law, a valid contact lens prescription names the lens brand or type, power, material, base curve and diameter as they apply, plus quantity, refills, wearing and disposal instructions, and an expiration date. None of that can be worked out without a fitting.
Contact lenses are regulated medical devices, and the CDC notes that wearing or caring for them the wrong way raises the risk of serious eye infections. That is the reason the fit and the health of your eye surface are checked, not just the power.
Your prescriptions belong to you
Federal rules protect your right to shop around. After a refractive eye exam, the eye doctor must give you your glasses prescription right away. Once a contact lens fitting is complete, the prescriber must give you a copy of that prescription too. Neither can be held back for an extra fee, a purchase, or a signed waiver. Contact lens prescriptions in Michigan last at least one year unless the doctor documents a medical reason for a shorter period.
The FDA advises sticking with the lens your eye doctor prescribed. If an online seller offers a different brand, check with the doctor first, because lenses with similar numbers can fit very differently.
Planning your visit
- Tell us when you book that you wear contacts or want to try them.
- Bring your current lenses, a lens box or foil, and your glasses.
- Ask us whether to arrive wearing your lenses; it depends on what the doctor needs to see.
- Some vision plans treat the fitting as a separate benefit from the exam, so check your coverage before the visit.
Next step
If you wear contacts, plan for both parts. Read more about contact lens exams and comprehensive eye exams, then request a visit and mention that you want a contact lens fitting.