General Fitting DOs and DON'Ts

Regardless of the brand of bifocal contact lenses being fit, there are some general rules that apply.

DO	DON'T
Set reasonable expectations from the beginning. Use the best spectacle prescription; use spherical equivalent up to 1.00 D cyl. Determine the dominant eye. Work in well lighted conditions. Allow the lenses to settle. Allow the patient to view things naturally. Make small changes; 0.25 D can make a big difference. Use flipper bars and loose lenses to make power changes.	Keep making changes (frequent changes can set the expectation for the "perfect" bifocal lenses). Make changes behind the phoroptor. Use dim illumination. Assess acuity too quickly. Take monocular acuities; occlude one eye. Make too many changes initially; the brain needs to adjust to the new system.

	URL: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/ce/clsoftbi/tips.htm Revised: June 19, 2006
	IU Optometry home page: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/ Comments (content): Dr. Susan Kovacich at skovach@indiana.edu Comments: Web Administrator Page design and coding: Terri Greene Copyright © 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University