Welcome to the
Charlotte Contact Lens Institute
The Charlotte Contact Lens Institute’s sole focus is on providing patients with the latest technology in specialty contact lenses and myopia management.
Our doctors are not only nationwide experts in the field of specialty contact lenses, but importantly, they are also skilled at showing compassion and in asking the right questions to determine the best possible treatment option. Our office was established in order to provide the best possible specialty lens care, and we have some of the most advanced technology available nationwide. Not only that, but our average initial exam is 1.5-2 hours of one-on-one time with the doctor. Even if you have tried scleral contact lenses, or other specialty contact lenses before without success, chances are we CAN help!
Here, you’re not just another patient; you’re an individual with specific needs, concerns, and aspirations. We specialize in crafting custom contact lens solutions, utilizing the latest technology such as the Pentacam AXL Wave and EyePrintPRO in order to ensure optimal vision and comfort. Our approach is simple yet profound – listen, understand, and tailor a solution that transforms how you see the world.
Welcome to a place where your vision challenges meet compassionate, innovative solutions. Our doctors understand the challenges of being a ‘difficult to fit’ patient and the good news is there are solutions available to help!!
Advanced Instruments & Technology
The Charlotte Contact Lens Institute is equipped with sophisticated technology for fitting specialty contact lenses and myopia management. Our focus on specific types of patients allows for unique and advanced instruments which are beyond what is commonly found in most eye clinics. We are proud of the cutting-edge instruments and technology which we have in office, and believe it to be some of the most advanced in the entire United States for the type of patients that we see.
Listed below are several examples of the advanced instruments and technology which we use to offer the best possible contact lenses to our patients.
Pentacam AXL Wave
The Pentacam AXL Wave is a medical device that is currently at a few Optometry offices nationwide. This device collects up to 240,000 unique data points, and these 240,000 data points are used to design a truly custom scleral lens that is specific to each patient’s eyes.
EyePrintPRO & EyeFitPRO
For patients that are unable to wear conventional sclerals, EyePrintPRO is a mold-based contact lens that has no limitations to its design. Often, EyePrintPRO is reserved for patients that are unable to obtain a healthy or comfortable fit with scan-based scleral lenses.
Octovue Solix OCT
The Optovue Solix OCT enhances scleral lens fitting by allowing our doctors to view each individual curve of scleral lenses on eye to fine-tune a patient’s fit. This allows our doctors to make adjustments in the order of microns, which is one-thousandth of a millimeter.
Conditions We Treat
- Keratoconus
- Corneal Transplant
- Corneal Scarring
- High Astigmatism
- Myopia in Children
- Myopia in Adults
- "Difficult to Fit" Eyes
- Post-LASIK Ectasia
- Double Vision
- Corneal Irregularities
- Dry Eye Disease
- Pellucid Marginal Degeneration
- Graft vs. Host Disease
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Steven's Johnson Syndrome
- Trauma
- Migraines / Light Sensitivity
- Post-RK (Radial Keratotomy)
Our Specialties
Specialty Contact Lenses
Specialty Contact Lenses
Myopia Management
Myopia Management
- Orthokeratology contact lenses are a great option for children that do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses during the day.
- Orthokeratology lenses allow children to see and experience the world like children that never needed glasses or contacts! Orthokeratology contact lenses are worn only at night and act as night-time retainer lenses. They will correct the child’s vision to see great during the day, while slowing the progression of myopia.
- Countless studies have demonstrated great efficacy and safety of orthokeratology9,10,11. Orthokeratology is often the contact lens of choice for children that are active in sports, love to swim, or simply do not want to deal with the hassle of glasses or contacts during the day.
- An added benefit is that the contact lens will never leave home, so parents have the ability to monitor how the child is caring for their lenses, assure good hygiene, etc.
- Orthokeratology works through fluid hydraulics. The lens rests on the tear layer of the eye. The anatomy of an orthokeratology contact lens allows the tear layer of the eye to shift fluid within the cornea which temporarily results in a shape change of the cornea. This shape change of the cornea functions to allow the child to see clearly when the lens is removed, and also changes the way light comes into the eye to slow the progression of myopia. Often, the shape change can last more than 24 hours, but the child is still encouraged to wear the lens nightly.
- MiSight daily disposable contact lenses are the only FDA approved contact lens specifically approved for myopia control12. Other options, such as orthokeratology, are FDA approved for myopia correction, but through studies have been shown to effectively reduce myopia progression.
- MiSight contact lenses are worn during the day and slow the average myopic progression by 59% 6,12.
- During the 6 years FDA clinical trial, there were no adverse events6,12. Clinical trials found that children wearing these lenses experienced great comfort and handling ability with applying and removing lenses 6,12. At the end of a 6-year period of wearing MiSight contact lenses,
23% of the children showed complete
stability of myopia!
- These contact lenses look and feel like a traditional contact lens but have special optics integrated within the contact lens that prevent abnormal elongation of the eye, and hence, slow myopic progression.
- Atropine is an eye drop that is taken nightly to help slow myopic progression. It is compounded to low-doses for myopia control, specifically 0.05% at Charlotte Contact Lens Institute. This is the best dose for myopia control outcomes and safety. Often, atropine is prescribed for children that are not quite ready for contact lenses or as an added treatment for children with aggressive myopic progression. Glasses will need to be worn during the day. Low-dose atropine slows progression by over 50% 13.
- Low dose atropine drops are typically tolerated very well by children. Some side effects may include light sensitivity and near vision blur13. If these side effects occur, they usually last up to around two weeks. If children experience these side effects longer, the dosage will be decreased.
- Atropine is thought to slow myopic progression by acting directly on the layers of the eye that grow abnormally during the myopic process.