FAQs
As specialists in custom and specialty contact lenses, many of our patients have important questions about their eyes and the best treatment options.
The good news is that we provide thorough eye exams lasting 1–2 hours of one-on-one time with the doctor. One of our main goals is to ensure you feel heard, understood, and supported from the moment you walk in.
At the Raleigh Contact Lens Institute, patients spend 100% of their exam time directly with a doctor who specializes in specialty contact lenses. From the moment you arrive until the time you leave, you interact only with the doctor—not assistants or technicians. New patient exams are scheduled for 90–120 minutes, allowing ample time to provide thorough care and answer all your questions.
Unlike a traditional optometry office, where appointments may be only 15–20 minutes, our practice offers enough time to fully understand each patient’s needs and create the best treatment plan. Even after your visit, patients can call or text our doctors directly—a unique benefit that sets us apart.
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Yes. We regularly see patients who travel from outside Raleigh. Many drive several hours, and in some cases patients even fly in for consultations. Recently, we have cared for patients from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Our goal is to help anyone who needs custom contact lenses, no matter where they live.
Our doctors are deeply passionate about specialty contact lenses and the patient experience. Unfortunately, most traditional practices are not designed to provide the level of custom care these lenses require.
After years of working in conventional optometry, our founder envisioned a practice focused solely on specialty lenses—one that combines advanced technology with doctors who dedicate their entire day to custom lens patients. The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute was created to deliver this reimagined experience.
Our doctors are extremely passionate about specialty contact lenses, and about providing the best experience for their patients. However, the business and operating model of most practices doesn’t allow for the best possible custom contact lens experience. After working in traditional optometry settings, our founder knew there was potential for a reimagined custom contact lens experience, and this was her goal when opening The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute.
The best technology possible, combined with doctors that specialize and see contact lens patients all day, every day, allows our office to provide a truly exceptional custom contact lens experience.
Our doctors specialize in custom contact lenses and have seen firsthand how the right lens can truly change a patient’s life.
They understand the challenges many patients face—often after multiple failed attempts with traditional contact lenses. It is not unusual for patients to shed tears of joy in our office when they finally realize that there are options to improve their vision, no matter their condition or past experiences.
Vision is one of the most precious gifts, and our doctors feel honored to help patients achieve the best sight possible.
We specialize in treating a wide range of conditions where custom contact lenses can help, including:
- Keratoconus
- Myopia Management / Myopia Control
- Pediatric contact lenses
- Dry Eye Syndrome
- Corneal transplants
- Radial Keratectomy
- Post-LASIK ectasia
- High astigmatism
- High myopia/hyperopia
- Double vision
- Migraines/light sensitivity
- Trauma-related corneal damage
- Scarred corneas
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Graft vs. Host Disease
- Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
One of the more common treatment options includes GP contact lenses and scleral contact lenses. The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute specializes in traditional, free-form, and impression-based scleral lenses, such as EyePrintPRO. Additionally, we are proud to offer the advanced OVITZ technology—one of the most cutting-edge and innovative options available today.
See below for a list of some of the more common treatment options offered at our office:
- Traditional scleral lenses
- EyePrintPRO custom scleral lenses
- Ortho-K lenses (for children and adults)
- Gas Permeable (GP) lenses
- Prosthetic contact lenses
- Bandage contact lenses
- Hybrid contact lenses
- Custom soft contact lenses
- Custom tinted lenses
- Annual supplies of daily/monthly contact lenses
We partner with leading specialty lens manufacturers to ensure patients receive the best available technology. These include:
- EyePrintPRO scleral lenses
- BostonSight scleral lenses
- Wave lenses
- Blanchard (OneFitMed scleral lenses)
- Valley Contax (Custom Stable Elite, Gaudi scleral lenses)
- Paragon (CRT orthokeratology lenses)
- Bausch & Lomb (ZenLens scleral, NovaKone custom soft, Revive custom soft)
- SynergEyes (ScanFitPro, SynergEyes VS)
- Orion prosthetic lenses (BioColors, bioMed therapeutic)
- Adventures in Color prosthetic lenses
A new patient exam typically lasts 90–120 minutes of direct time with the doctor. It includes:
- Dilation
- Glasses and contact lens prescriptions
- Contact lens fitting
- Dry eye imaging
- Corneal and scleral topography
- Eye pressure testing
This extended exam ensures every patient receives a thorough evaluation.
We do not accept vision or medical insurance. Insurance reimbursements often limit the time a doctor can dedicate to each patient. They also restrict access to the most advanced materials and technology, forcing doctors to navigate unnecessary insurance hurdles instead of focusing on providing the best possible care.
At The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute, our doctors work one-on-one with every patient to deliver thorough, personalized vision solutions. No long wait times. No rushed 5–10 minute visits. No feeling like you are “just another number.”
Here, patients know they are truly heard. You receive the doctor’s full, undivided attention without distractions or time pressure. Each exam is designed to give you the best solution for your vision goals—often with up to 2 hours of uninterrupted, one-on-one time with your doctor. Where else can you find that level of care?
Yes! You can still use your insurance benefits. We will provide an itemized receipt so you can take advantage of your out-of-network coverage. This way, if you choose to submit a claim, you’ll have everything needed for your insurance company to reimburse you directly.
Our most advanced and favorite device is the Pentacam AXL Wave—technology that only a handful of practitioners across the country currently use.
For patients with corneal irregularities such as keratoconus, corneal transplants, or post-surgical corneas, it measures the shape and thickness of the cornea, helps track disease progression, and determines candidacy for various specialty contact lens options. The Pentacam also maps the white part of the eye, allowing for the highest level of precision when customizing scleral contact lenses.
For patients undergoing myopia management, the Pentacam measures the axial length of the eye—an essential factor in monitoring how effective the treatment is. Each of these functions allows for an extremely customized contact lens, built just for you using hundreds of thousands of data points from your eye.
We also utilize OVITZ, another groundbreaking advancement in the world of specialty contact lenses.
We do not. When opening our office, we made the decision to focus exclusively on our passion and specialty—custom and specialty contact lenses. For your optical needs, our doctor will gladly connect you with a trusted local provider who can best match your style and visual needs for eyewear.
We will schedule an initial consultation, in order to determine your vision goals and to assess your condition. This initial consultation is 90-120 minutes of time one-on-one with the doctor, and is extremely comprehensive and thorough. The charge is $350 for this initial exam, but this is reduced to only $275 that is due at the time of service if you decide to move forward with ordering lenses through the monthly payment plan option.
If you choose to wait until after the day of the exam to move forward, it will be $350, but the $350 consultation payment can be applied towards your plan once we determined how to best meet your goals.
See our services section below for more details on the payment structure.
With the advanced technology available at The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute, there is a strong possibility that the comfort and vision of your scleral lenses can be improved, depending on the type of lens you were originally prescribed.
Most traditional scleral lenses are designed using a general “fit set,” which typically includes 9–15 lenses. One of these is placed on the eye, and the doctor adjusts the curves based on that fit.
With scleral-based topography (Pentacam AXL Wave), lenses are designed using over 240,000 data points. This advanced technology creates scan-based scleral lenses that provide superior comfort and sharper vision.
In some cases, a custom-molded lens may be needed, which is called EyePrintPRO. A mold impression of your eye is taken, and from it, a fully customized lens is made—an excellent solution for patients with more advanced conditions.
Additionally, OVITZ technology is another great option for patients experiencing higher order aberrations (HOA). Using a specialized algorithm, doctors can identify which patients may benefit from this innovative technology.
There are many possible answers to this question, but first, it’s important to know that modern technology has brought significant improvements to scleral lens design—advancements that weren’t available just a few years ago. At The Raleigh Contact Lens Institute, we use highly advanced equipment like the Pentacam AXL Wave, which only a handful of practices in the country possess. We also offer OVITZ technology, which can provide exceptional clarity for patients who continue to experience higher order aberrations (HOA), even with otherwise well-fitting lenses.
In addition, our doctors dedicate the time and attention needed to ensure each patient’s success. They are experienced specialists, nationally recognized speakers, and trainers in the fields of specialty contact lenses and myopia management.
Another key factor is our strong focus on insertion & removal (I&R) training. We spend as much time as needed teaching patients how to insert, remove, and properly care for their lenses. This step is often overlooked elsewhere, but at our office, it’s a priority—because we want every patient set up for long-term success.
After your treatment plan is established, the doctor will determine what type of solution is best for you. The payments are arranged as either one package for the year or a monthly fee, both options including advanced diagnostics and unlimited follow ups for the first year. Monthly fees typically range from $135 – 235 per month, depending on the specific type of lens which is determined to be the best option for your vision and ocular health.
GP contact lenses are $300-550/lens, and the range in pricing is due to the type of GP, and the needs of the specific patient. Recently there have been large advancements in GP lens technology, and freeform GP lenses are now one option for superior comfort and optics.
Scleral contact lenses are typically around $750/lens for the actual contact lens, but there is a range with scleral lenses as well, depending on the specific technology or characteristics which are needed for that specific patient.
For all patients, pricing is dependent on the exact type of lens which is determined to be the best option for your vision and ocular health.