As optometrists working in busy practices, we are often looking for ways to improve our efficiency without impacting our quality of care. Contact lens fitting is a major aspect of most OD’s practices, and luckily there are a number of helpful online (and mostly free!) resources available to ease and speed up your contact lens fitting process. There’s no need to try to remember every contact lens parameter or vertex calculation anymore. These websites, most of which were created by fellow optometrists, are there to help!
For Soft Lenses
ODspecs.com
ODspecs.com is a handy reference website every OD should have on their desktop. It is freely available, although they do welcome donations to help keep the site running. Its main feature is an updated list of all soft contact lenses currently available (as well as a discontinued list), which displays the name, Dk, base curves, diameter, power, quantity per box, daily wear or extended, replacement schedule, and price range. It can be organized by brand, replacement schedule, or type (sphere, multifocal, or toric).
It also includes colored lenses and private label brand names to help identify unfamiliar lenses a patient might bring in from a previous Vision Source or corporate office.
In addition to the contact lens information, the website also has a very useful meds table of the most commonly prescribed ocular medications with quick reference information on dosages, contraindications, price, and more. ODspecs also includes a list of helpful links (some of them included below) as well as a free classified section for everything from equipment for sale to job posts.
OD Clinicals and OD Reference
OD Clinicals and OD Reference are two different websites that are very similar to ODspecs! They are both equipped with updated lists of soft contact lenses which can be sorted by brand, type, replacement schedule, etc. as well as ocular med tables. In addition, OD Clinicals includes a contact lens vertex calculator. While OD Reference also has a bunch of quick reference guides for things like TBUT, ARMD grading, IOP adjustment, and binocular vision test norms, plus a super useful coding guide with lists of most common CPT and ICD-10 codes.
Coopervision’s OptiExpert and ToriTrack Calculator
Coopervision has put together two useful calculators, both of which are also available for free. First, the OptiExpert is a contact lens prescription calculator where you simply enter a spectacle prescription and it calculates the vertexed contact lens prescription and displays all Coopervision products that are available in those prescriptions.
For low cyl patients, it will give both toric and spherical equivalent options. If your patient is a presbyope you can also include their spectacle add and eye dominance and it will calculate the suggested multifocal lenses so no need to keep that paper fitting guide nearby anymore.
Secondly, their ToriTrack toric calculator performs vertex calculations for your toric patients. You simply enter their spectacle Rx and vertex distance and it will show the vertexed contact lens prescription and available Coopervision lenses in that prescription. There is even a crossed cylinder calculator to help figure out how to solve those tricky rotation issues.
Alcon’s Virtual Contact Lens Consultant
LIke Coopervision, Alcon has put together its own helpful fitting website focused on helping find which of its lenses will work best for your patient. It has similar features, like converting spectacle prescriptions to contact lens prescriptions, showing which Alcon products are available in those prescriptions, and toric over-refractions. In addition, you can use this site to determine which base curve to fit for their lenses with multiple options by simply entering Ks, and there is also a transposition calculator to convert easily from plus to minus cyl.
Acuvue’s Multifocal Fitting Calculator
To aid clinicians in fitting their new Acuvue Oasys Multifocal, Acuvue released this website alongside the lens's launch. Just enter spectacle prescription with add and eye dominance and recommended lenses and initial powers in their daily and biweekly multifocals will pop up. It also shows the next recommended powers to enhance distance or near vision to really speed up any troubleshooting that needs to be done.
For Both: Soft and RGP
EyeDock
While EyeDock isn’t free, its low $5/month or $48/year fee is well worth it. It is hands down the most comprehensive soft contact lens resource available online. It has a very thorough search feature where you can search by lens type, replacement schedule, brand, or refraction.
Personally, I find the most useful feature to be able to simply enter a spectacle correction in the search box and get both the ideal vertexed contact lens prescription, and then every contact lens available in all brands in the closest Rx with all the information on material, Dk, diameter, anticipated VA, and approximate price in an easy to read table.
You can limit searches by replacement schedule, toric or sphere, multifocal, and/or material (SiHi or not). It also has a very comprehensive list with photos of all private-label lenses, and there is a useful sidebar to do quick vertex and diopter to mm calculations.
For RGPs you can search any RGP lenses by brand, design type, or material. In addition, there is a topical ophthalmic medications search and a section with a bunch of helpful calculators and tools from a CRT lens selector, to Parks 3 Step, and even a Plaquenil risk calculator. Lastly, EyeDock has a section of the latest news which makes it easy to keep up with what is new in contact lenses such as what lenses are coming out with expanded parameters in the near future.
Tyler’s Quarterly
We all thought the beloved “Tyler’s Quarterly Soft Contact Lens Parameter Guide Plus Gas Perms” was long gone, but the good news is that it was bought and the paper version has an online companion. You do have to have a paid subscription to access, but it includes full contact lens search for soft lenses, RGPs, and hybrids, contact lens solutions list, contact lens markings, discontinued lenses, a make-up recommendation list, as well as manufacturer lists with contact and location information.
For RGPs
GPLI Calculators and Conversion Charts
The GP Lens Institute has a super helpful website, with tons of useful RGP fitting information that is chock full of articles, educational videos, and webinars. It has a simple calculator that can be used to calculate initial RGP lenses based on refraction and K readings. It will even offer helpful suggestions for unusual cases. There is also a vertex conversion chart.
For students looking to improve their RGP fitting, their GP Click ‘n’ Fit page is a fun way to practice using cases and a virtual diagnostic fitting set, you can change all the parameters, and hone your fluorescein staining pattern evaluation skills without ever having to put a lens on a real eye. Perfect for pandemic studying!
Art Optical’s and Valley Contax’ Lens Calculators
Art Optical and Valley Contax also have calculators for their brands of lenses. Art Optical’s website includes a standard RGP lens calculator where you just enter spectacle Rx and Ks to get suggested RGP parameters. Valley Contax has a calculator that simulates using its Custom Stable fitting guide and has a crossed cylinder over-refraction calculator.
Of course, don’t forget all of Eyes on Eyecare’s contact lens articles and content including a super useful downloadable vertex conversion chart. There are so many easy to find and use contact lens resources and calculators available online. Save these in your bookmarks folder or on your desktop to make seeing your contact lens patients easier than ever!
