Contact Lenses Colorado Springs
Prescription Contact Lenses

When it comes to prescribing contact lenses at Vision Institute in Colorado Springs, our opticians work closely with our optometrists, Dr. Blake Simmons and Dr. Erik Anderson, to ensure proper fit and lens materials appropriate not only for your optical prescription, but the shape of your eyes.
When you visit our Colorado Springs optical store, we’ll take the time to educate you about proper contact lens care and use. We’ll show you how to put in your contacts safely and how to remove them at night.
To learn more about the comprehensive benefits of wearing contact lenses, come visit our optical shop located inside our office in Colorado Springs. Our opticians and optometrists will carefully walk you through all the pros and cons of switching from eyeglasses to contact lenses.
We offer many different types of contact lenses including Color Contacts, Cosmetic Contacts, Toric, Multifocal, Keratoconic contacts. We look forward to customizing contact lenses to fit your lifestyle so that your contact lens wearing experience is a healthy and comfortable one.
When you visit our Colorado Springs optical store, we’ll take the time to educate you about proper contact lens care and use. We’ll show you how to put in your contacts safely and how to remove them at night.
To learn more about the comprehensive benefits of wearing contact lenses, come visit our optical shop located inside our office in Colorado Springs. Our opticians and optometrists will carefully walk you through all the pros and cons of switching from eyeglasses to contact lenses.
We offer many different types of contact lenses including Color Contacts, Cosmetic Contacts, Toric, Multifocal, Keratoconic contacts. We look forward to customizing contact lenses to fit your lifestyle so that your contact lens wearing experience is a healthy and comfortable one.
First Time to Wear Contact Lenses?
If you are first time contact wearer then it is important to schedule an eye exam appointment with our Colorado Springs optometrists. During this time you will undergo a comprehensive eye exam and also a contact lens exam to discuss the options available that will best fit your prescription, to determine the best lens for optimal eye health.
Vision Institute Contact Lens Guide
Contacts Lens: Comfortable and Clear Vision Choices
Vision Institute recognizes that many Colorado Springs residents enjoy an active lifestyle. Contacts can be the near perfect solution for those who don’t want to be hindered by the hassles that glasses can present. 37 Million Americans wear contacts on a regular basis. They provide a safe and effective way to correct your vision when combined with regular eye exams, proper handling and regular care. Contact lenses come in various material types, replacement schedules and variable wear times. Most contact lens wearers find daily contact lenses, disposable contact lenses and extended wear contacts are a convenient and comfortable choice over constantly wearing glasses.
If you don’t have a contact lens prescription for the lens you are interested in, you will need to first visit your eye doctor for an eye exam and a contact lens fitting. Vision Institute optometrists can perform a full eye exam to determine which type of contact lens is the most suitable for you and your vision correction needs.
If you don’t have a contact lens prescription for the lens you are interested in, you will need to first visit your eye doctor for an eye exam and a contact lens fitting. Vision Institute optometrists can perform a full eye exam to determine which type of contact lens is the most suitable for you and your vision correction needs.
Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are the most frequently prescribed types. Advancements in lens technology means that there are a wide variety of soft contact lenses which are suitable for almost all types of vision corrections. Soft contact lenses are the most popular type of contact lens worldwide because they can be used to correct various vision problems such as:
Soft contact lenses will conform to the shape of your eye. They will stay in place and are comfortable. They are a good choice for people with vision problems who lead an active lifestyle.
- Myopia – Nearsightedness
- Astigmatism – Blurred Vision
- Presbyopia – Age-related close-up vision loss
- Hyperopia – Farsightedness
Soft contact lenses will conform to the shape of your eye. They will stay in place and are comfortable. They are a good choice for people with vision problems who lead an active lifestyle.
Types of Soft Contact Lens
While comfortable and able to correct many common vision problems, soft contact lenses also come in a large variety of types which can allow the wearer to control how often the contacts are changed, cleaned and worn. Vision Institute in Colorado Springs offers a wide variety of contact lenses to provide patients with the best of choices for all of its contact lens patients.
Daily Wear Contacts
These contact lenses need to be cleaned and disinfected each night. How long you can use a single pair of daily wear lenses will vary depending on the type that you and your optometrist determine are best for you.
Daily Disposable Contacts
Daily disposable contacts are removed each night and they are replaced as the individual decides to use a new pair. Daily disposable contacts are worn during the day, and thrown away after they are taken out. Many use them to take a break from glasses or for special activities and events. Patients with severe allergies are great candidates for these lenses.
Extended Wear Contacts
Extended wear contact lenses can be worn overnight. It is recommended that they be removed at least weekly for thorough cleaning and disinfection. One of the best benefits of extended wear contacts is that you can wear them while you sleep. Extended lenses allow you to wake up with clear vision. It’s still important to be cautious with overnight use. The risk of eye infections can be greater so care and extra caution should be exercised.
Disposable Wear Lenses
Disposable wear lenses are more expensive but convenience is an attractive feature of disposable contact lenses that can outweigh the cost. You remove them nightly and replace them on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depending on the type you choose. Disposable wear contacts can be worn from 7 days up to 30 days. You wear the lenses during the day and remove them at night. They don’t need to be cleaned or disinfected. You simply use them for the recommended timeframe; daily, weekly or monthly and then discard them. You might consider disposable lenses if you wear contacts only occasionally, you have complications from disinfecting solutions or the convenience of long term wear and simple disposal is attractive.
Toric Contacts
Toric soft contact lenses correct astigmatism. The term “toric contact lenses” is used to describe specially designed soft contact lenses that correct astigmatism, but sometimes not as well as RGP lenses do. Your Vision Institute optometrist in Colorado Springs can direct you to the best choice for contacts if you need vision correction for astigmatism. People mistakenly believe they can’t wear contact lenses, hard or soft, because they have astigmatism.
There numerous options for astigmatism correction with contact lenses. Most toric contacts for astigmatism are soft lenses. But there are toric contact lenses made of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens materials, too.
We will determine which type is best for you during your contact fitting exam. Once your fitting and eye exam are complete it will be easier to determine if toric soft contact lenses or RGP lenses are better for you and the level of vision correction you need for your astigmatism.
There numerous options for astigmatism correction with contact lenses. Most toric contacts for astigmatism are soft lenses. But there are toric contact lenses made of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens materials, too.
We will determine which type is best for you during your contact fitting exam. Once your fitting and eye exam are complete it will be easier to determine if toric soft contact lenses or RGP lenses are better for you and the level of vision correction you need for your astigmatism.
Bifocal Contact Lenses and Multifocal Contact Lenses
Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses are available in both soft and RPG (hard lens) materials. They can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism in combination with presbyopia. These lenses can be made of silicone hydrogel which allows more oxygen to reach the cornea than conventional soft lenses. This allows for wearing comfort and better eye health. Bifocal or multifocal contact lenses can be worn as extended wear or as daily wear options. During your contact lens fitting exam you and your optometrist at Vision Institute can determine which choice is better to give you the best level of correction and to achieve the clearest vision.
Hard Contact Lenses
While soft lenses are more commonly prescribed, hard lenses are the better choice for those who have enough astigmatism that a soft lens won’t be adequate enough to provide sharp vision. Most hard contact lenses must be removed for cleaning and disinfection at night.
Hard lenses provide clear vision correction for those patients that want to wear contacts but need advanced options that soft contact lenses can’t always provide.
Hard lenses provide clear vision correction for those patients that want to wear contacts but need advanced options that soft contact lenses can’t always provide.
Specialty Contact Lenses
Vision Institute offers a number of additional specialty contact lens types. Specialty contact lenses include; colored contacts, orthokeratology contacts, contact lenses that correct your vision while you sleep, theatrical contact lenses, and UV-blocking contacts. If you feel you need contact lens options such as these, then you can ask your optometrist during your contact lens exam which of these choices are right for your eye health and vision correction needs.
Have you been diagnosed with keratoconus? Are you concerned that your child's nearsightedness continues to get worse? In need of a prosthetic soft lens to change eye color or hide a corneal scar? Dr. Bestwina, our contact lens expert has a passion for these specialty contact lens needs. For those with keratoconus or other corneal irregularities, she is an expert in fitting hybrid and scleral lenses. Make your appointment for a specialty contact lens consultation with Dr. Bestwina today!
Have you been diagnosed with keratoconus? Are you concerned that your child's nearsightedness continues to get worse? In need of a prosthetic soft lens to change eye color or hide a corneal scar? Dr. Bestwina, our contact lens expert has a passion for these specialty contact lens needs. For those with keratoconus or other corneal irregularities, she is an expert in fitting hybrid and scleral lenses. Make your appointment for a specialty contact lens consultation with Dr. Bestwina today!
Lens Fitting Follow Up and Annual Eye Exam

Once you have had a contact lens exam and have decided with your Vision Institute optometrist your best contact lens choices, you will have about a week to see how they work for you. If you feel that your vision isn’t as clear as it should be or that the contact lenses are not comfortable then a new type of contact lens might be needed.
The one week period before your eyes are rechecked should give your eyes enough time to adjust to the new lens type and power. If the one week check up finds that you are comfortable with the lens choice and you see clearly then you will not have to return for about a year.
Over the course of the year you will be able to purchase your contacts through Vision Institute’s full service contact and eye glass center. Your annual eye exam will check whether or not your prescription has changed and check for any eye diseases, which are best successfully treated when diagnosed in the early stages before any vision loss can occur.
Call for an appointment today!
Call Vision Institute in Colorado Springs, CO at 719-559-2020 to schedule a comprehensive contact lens exam and fitting. Our professional and friendly team offers an exceptional eye care service in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
Our contact lens experts at Vision Institute will take the necessary time to discuss the pros and cons of contacts to help you decide if the switch from glasses is right for you.
The one week period before your eyes are rechecked should give your eyes enough time to adjust to the new lens type and power. If the one week check up finds that you are comfortable with the lens choice and you see clearly then you will not have to return for about a year.
Over the course of the year you will be able to purchase your contacts through Vision Institute’s full service contact and eye glass center. Your annual eye exam will check whether or not your prescription has changed and check for any eye diseases, which are best successfully treated when diagnosed in the early stages before any vision loss can occur.
Call for an appointment today!
Call Vision Institute in Colorado Springs, CO at 719-559-2020 to schedule a comprehensive contact lens exam and fitting. Our professional and friendly team offers an exceptional eye care service in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
Our contact lens experts at Vision Institute will take the necessary time to discuss the pros and cons of contacts to help you decide if the switch from glasses is right for you.