Free Yourself From Finicky Frames
If you’re feeling fed up with the “same old, same old” look and vision your eyeglasses provide, allow contact lenses to refresh your options.
Contact lenses have advanced considerably in the past few decades, and we’re here to bring these new benefits to you and your family! Whether you have hard-to-fit eyes or struggle with issues like keratoconus or dry eye, we’ll help find a pair of contacts right for you.
Request a contact lens exam and fitting today!
Why Should You Wear Contact Lenses?
Contact lenses are a fantastic way to achieve clearer vision without having to worry about carrying around and maintaining eyewear. Now, we do love eyeglasses and the benefits they provide, but we also want you to have as many options as possible when it comes to having clear eyesight. After all, variety is the spice of life!
We’ll be happy to walk you through the contact lens process and find contacts that suit your needs and lifestyle. We offer several different types of contacts, including specialty lenses that can help provide the vision you need even if you have certain eye conditions. After you get your contacts, we’ll be here to address any questions or concerns you may have to ensure your lenses are comfortable and clear.
The Contact Lens Process
To ensure we fit you for contact lenses right for your needs, we first need to perform a contact lens exam and fitting. This comprehensive process allows us to take a deep look at your eye health and visual needs to determine which type of contact lens would suit you best.
We run a few extra tests and measurements during a contact lens appointment, so please allow some extra time for your exam in case we need it.
The Eye Exam
Eye exams are the cornerstone of all eye care. We use advanced technology, like the Medmont Meridia Pro corneal topographer, to take a deep look at your eye and corneal health. When it comes to a contact lens appointment, an eye exam helps us detect any issues that might affect the type of lens you can wear.
Some of the most common problems include:
In some cases, your eyes may not be fit for contact lenses, but we can confirm this during the eye exam process.
The Fitting
Once we determine that your eyes can wear contacts comfortably, the next step is finding a pair of contacts suitable for your needs.
During a fitting, we’ll take several measurements, including your eye’s shape, size, and tear film quality. This process ensures your contacts rest comfortably on the surface of your eyes without irritating your eyelids or affecting your tear film.
The Trial Period
After your fitting, we’ll provide a trial pair of contacts for you to wear until your follow-up appointment. If your contacts start to feel uncomfortable or cause irritation, remove them immediately and give our office a call as soon as you can.
Your contacts might need some additional adjustments, and we’ll be happy to make them. Just let us know during your follow-up appointment, and we’ll adjust your prescription before ordering your supply of contacts.
Our Specialty Contact Selection
If there has ever been a time to start wearing contact lenses, it’s now. Contact lens technology has made significant improvements over the past few decades, helping people who never thought they could wear contacts find a pair that provides clarity and comfort.
We’re proud to offer a range of specialty contact lenses. If you’re interested in contact lenses but have a specific eye condition, be sure to contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!
Rigid Gas-Permeable Lenses
Rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contacts are some of the most common lenses available. RGP lenses are known for their durable polymer plastic materials that help oxygen pass through them and onto your eyes.
RGP lenses are also known for providing crisp, clear vision when compared to soft contact lenses. However, it may take a little longer to adjust to RGP lenses.
Custom Soft Lenses
Soft contact lenses are the most commonly prescribed contact in the United States. Their soft hydrogel materials make them easy to adjust to while also being highly customizable depending on your needs. Soft contacts can come in daily, extended, and overnight wear options.
Scleral Lenses
Scleral contact lenses are popular for many reasons—some of them being how they address issues like keratoconus and dry eye.
Scleral contacts are larger than traditional contacts, meaning that they rest on the sclera (whites) of your eyes rather than the cornea. This size allows the lens to “vault” over your cornea, leaving a little bit of space between your eye and the contact without sacrificing your vision quality.
The space between the lens and eye provides numerous benefits. For dry eye patients, the space provides a small reservoir of fluid that keeps the cornea comfortable and protected. For patients with keratoconus or post-laser surgery complications, the space prevents the lens from irritating the cornea while providing clear vision.
Hybrid Lenses
By combining the benefits of both RGP and soft contact lenses, the result is hybrid contact lenses. Hybrid lenses have an RGP center and a soft hydrogel skirt to bring you both comfortable and crisp vision.
These lenses can help provide clear vision while living with dry eye, keratoconus, astigmatism and other corneal problems.
EyePrint Custom Contact Lenses
EyePrint custom contact lenses are specialized scleral lenses and corneal lenses designed to address various ocular issues. These lenses are molded to fit the unique shape of your eyes, addressing issues like dry eye, keratoconus, and post-laser eye surgery symptoms.
EyePrint offers two types of custom lenses, the EyePrintPRO and EyeFitPRO lenses, which are ideal for those with irregular corneal surfaces or moderately irregular-shaped eyes.
Our Brands
ACUVUE
The options are nearly endless when it comes to ACUVUE® brand contact lenses – the #1 contact lens brand in the world. Long-lasting comfort and clear vision can be yours with a contact lens in the ACUVUE® brand family.
Acuvue Oasys 1 Day
Tired or heavy eyes and challenging environments are the number 1 complaints users have with contact lenses. Acuvue’s innovative HydraLuxe™ with tear like properties keep your eyes moisturized all day, leaving you feeling comfortable and able to focus. Performance and excellent vision give patients the peace of mind they need in a disposable lens.
Acuvue Vita
Wearing lenses for month long stretches can be discomforting. Constantly using drops to rehydrate or even removing them is not an enjoyable experience. Acuvue’s HydraMax™ Technology helps maintain hydration levels from the start of the month until the end. Patients agree, Vita lenses provide superior comfort from week 1 to week 4.
Alden Optical
At Alden Optical, our custom and specialty contact lenses are more than made to order. They’re made to measure up to the incredibly high standards of the world’s most demanding contact lens specialists.
Bausch + Lomb Ultra
Bausch + Lomb ULTRA with MoistureSeal Technology are ideal for people who spend time on digital devices. With each lens' ability to prevent dehydration caused by reduced blink rates Bausch and Lomb ULTRA patients have agreed that they experience superior end of day vision. Enjoy the benefits of protection against blurred vision, eye strain, and tired eyes along with the crisp clear vision from all Bausch and Lomb lenses.
Bausch + Lomb Ultra for Astigmatism
If you have astigmatism, ask your eye care professional about Bausch + Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism contact lenses to experience all-day comfort and consistently clear vision. Bausch + Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism contact lenses feature MoistureSeal Technology which maintains 95% of lens moisture for a full 16 hours.
Biofinity Multifocal
As we grow older, we lose the ability to focus on up-close objects, especially at night. This condition is known as presbyopia and begins around age 40. Balanced Progressive™ technology allows users of Cooper’s multifocal lenses to focus with ease and provides long-lasting, 30-day comfort.
Boston Lenses and Products
Boston contact lenses are RGP contacts designed by high-quality RGP labs. Boston contact lenses provide crisp, clear vision and comfort. Boston also offers cleaner solutions to help maintain your contact lenses.
CIBA
Contact lenses should be comfortable, affordable, and convenient. CIBA is proud to offer many contact lenses, including breathable day and night lenses, single-use lenses, bifocal lenses, and cosmetic lenses. You and your eyes deserve top quality contact lenses that fit your unique vision needs.
Clariti 1-Day
All Clariti 1-Day lenses feature high water content — a key feature for comfort. AquaGen™ technology makes it possible. The AquaGen™ process creates a lens that naturally attracts and binds water molecules to the lens surface, so your eyes can stay moist and comfortable throughout your day.
Clariti 1Day
Convenient replacement schedule, all-day comfort, these are the features people want in a daily disposable product. Look no further because clariti 1-day lenses feature unique WetLoc™ technology that results in a naturally hydrated lens. Made from Silicone hydrogel, the wearer gains a “breathable” more healthy experience.
Cooper Biofinity
Our Biofinity® family of premier contact lenses: Have approval for up to 29 nights/30 days of extended wear Feature a unique silicone hydrogel material Are naturally wettable so you’re less likely to need additional wetting drops With Biofinity lenses, you can wear your contacts for up to 30 days in a row and experience a long-lasting level of comfort that you may have never thought possible in contact lenses.
Cooper Clariti
With clariti™ 1 day contact lenses you get: 100% of the oxygen your corneas need for whiter, brighter eyes Up to 3x the oxygen transmissibility of 1 day hydrogel lenses A convenient 1 day replacement schedule, without the burden of cleaning solutions and storage cases And clariti™ 1 day lenses are just as affordable as current leading 1 day lenses, while delivering more oxygen to your eyes.
CooperVision Proclear
Proclear by CooperVision are a line of daily-disposable contact lenses with options available for nearly every corrective lens prescription need, including options for astigmatism. Designed in USA, they feature Phosphorylcholine, a material that attracts water and encourages healthy eye hydration.
MyDay
CooperVision® MyDay® lenses feature everything you need for an exceptional overall daily disposable experience: all-day comfort, easy lens insertion and removal, and a highly breathable lens that helps provides a healthier lens-wearing experience.
NaturalVue
VTI’s mission is to redefine vision through advanced engineering and a relentless drive to achieve better solutions through the fusion of science, art and technology. Find clean, clear, and comfortable vision with NaturalVue contact lenses.
ROSE K
Several decades of evolution and innovation have resulted in extremely comfortable gas permeable lenses. ROSE K lenses closely mimic the cone-like shape of the cornea for every stage of Keratoconus. Each lens is customizable, easy to use, and incredibly comfortable.
Special Eyes
Special Eyes are all about finding eye care solutions that work for you. Custom lenses from Special Eyes are made to measure specifically for you. When you choose Special Eyes, you’re choosing comfort, clarity, and, most importantly, convenience for you.
Vistakon
VISTAKON® has become a world leader in vision care through our unwavering commitment to the highest standards of quality.Through our worldwide network of eye care professionals, we gather insightful feedback that is used to further the safety and improvement of our products and processes.
VTI
VTI is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, is an innovative new company that is dedicated to redefining vision. With a portfolio of technologies to address eye care issues such as presbyopia, myopia and astigmatism, the company uses creative and differentiated design approaches to develop products that will ultimately enhance practitioner and patient experiences.
Discover The Possibilities Contacts Provide
Your contact lens journey is only just beginning. If you’re interested in how contact lenses can support your vision, be sure to request an appointment with Vision Therapy Institute today!
Our Location
OUR ADDRESS
- 3618 Sunset Blvd, Suite A
- West Columbia, SC 29169
CONTACT INFORMATION
- Phone: 803-732-4099
- Fax: 803-227-8992
- Email: [email protected]
Office Hours
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday : Closed
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The Vision Therapy Institute
- 3618 Sunset Blvd, Suite A
- West Columbia, SC 29169
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P: 803-732-4099
[email protected]
