Getting contact lenses for the first time requires a specific type of eye exam, an in-office training session, and a short trial period before your prescription is finalized. The whole process typically takes one to two appointments spread over a week or two. Even if you already wear glasses, you’ll need a separate contact lens fitting because the two prescriptions are fundamentally different.
Why You Need a Contact Lens Exam
A standard eye exam determines your vision correction needs, but it doesn’t collect the measurements required for contacts. Because glasses sit about 12 millimeters away from your eye while contacts rest directly on the surface, the corrective power has to be recalculated. Your glasses prescription also lacks two critical numbers that every contact lens requires: base curve (the shape of the lens) and diameter (how wide it is).
During the contact lens fitting, your eye doctor uses a device called a keratometer to measure the curvature of your cornea, which determines the base curve of your lenses. They’ll also evaluate your tear production and quality, since dry eyes can make contacts uncomfortable or even unsafe. If you have astigmatism, you may need a specially shaped lens called a toric lens, which adds a bit more complexity to the fitting. The exam typically costs between $120 and $250, and without insurance it can start as low as $100. This is often a separate fee from your regular eye exam.
What Happens at the Fitting Appointment
Once measurements are taken, your doctor will select trial lenses for you to try on in the office. They’ll check how the lenses move on your eyes, how well they align with your cornea, and how your eyes respond to wearing them. This is a hands-on evaluation, not just a vision check.
The most important part of this visit for a first-time wearer is the insertion and removal training. A technician or doctor will walk you through the process step by step: washing and thoroughly drying your hands, placing the lens on your fingertip, holding your eyelids open, and setting the lens on your eye. Expect this to feel awkward. Your natural blink reflex will fight you at first, and it’s completely normal to need several attempts. Removal involves a similar learning curve. You’ll practice both until you can do it confidently on your own before leaving the office.
A few tips that make the training easier: keep your fingernails short so you don’t scratch the lens or your eye, work over a clean flat surface in case you drop a lens, and use saline or multipurpose solution to rinse lenses rather than tap water.
The Trial Period
You’ll leave the office with trial lenses to wear for about a week. This gives your eyes time to adjust and lets you evaluate comfort and vision in real-world conditions. One common approach gives patients seven business days with their diagnostic lenses. If everything feels good, you call or message the office to order your year’s supply. If something feels off, you return for adjustments at no extra charge. If you go beyond that window, a new evaluation may be required.
During this trial period, pay attention to how your vision holds up throughout the day, whether one eye feels drier than the other, and whether you experience any headaches. Minor tweaks to the prescription or a switch to a different lens brand are common and don’t mean anything went wrong.
What the First Two Weeks Feel Like
Most first-time wearers need 10 to 14 days to fully adjust to contacts. During this period, you might notice mild dryness, slight awareness of the lens edge, or a brief period of adjustment each time you put them in. These sensations are normal and tend to fade as your eyes adapt.
What isn’t normal: sharp or stabbing pain, significant redness or swelling, vision that looks like you’re peering through a haze that never clears, or any discharge that’s yellowish or greenish. These are signs of a possible infection or poor fit and need prompt attention from your eye doctor.
Habits That Prevent Infections
Contact lens infections are almost entirely preventable, and the habits you build in your first few weeks tend to stick. The biggest risks come from shortcuts that seem harmless but aren’t. According to CDC data, sleeping in your lenses or topping off old solution with fresh solution (instead of dumping it out and replacing it entirely) each increase infection risk about sixfold. Storing lenses in water, including tap water, increases that risk up to sixteenfold. Tap water is treated to be safe for drinking, but it’s not sterile and contains microorganisms that can colonize your lens case.
The daily routine looks like this:
- Before touching lenses: Wash and dry your hands thoroughly every single time.
- Cleaning: Place the lens in your palm, add two or three drops of multipurpose solution, and gently rub it with your finger for about 30 seconds on each side. Then rinse with solution to wash away loosened debris.
- Storing: Use fresh solution every night. Never top off yesterday’s solution. Soak lenses for at least four hours or overnight.
- Case care: After inserting your lenses each morning, dump out the solution, rinse the case with saline or multipurpose solution, and leave it open to air dry. Replace the case every one to three months.
- Water contact: Don’t shower, swim, or nap in your lenses.
If you find this routine too demanding, ask your doctor about daily disposable lenses. You open a fresh pair each morning and throw them away at night, eliminating the need for solution, cases, and cleaning entirely.
Your Prescription Belongs to You
Under the FTC’s Contact Lens Rule, your eye doctor is legally required to give you a copy of your contact lens prescription at the end of your fitting. You don’t have to ask for it, and they can’t charge you extra for it. This means you’re free to buy lenses from your doctor’s office, an online retailer, or a big-box store. Prices for lenses vary widely by brand and type, so having your prescription in hand lets you comparison shop.
Your contact lens prescription is typically valid for one to two years depending on your state, after which you’ll need a new exam to renew it. The renewal exam is shorter than the initial fitting since your measurements are already on file.
Choosing Between Lens Types
Your doctor will recommend a lens type based on your prescription, eye shape, and lifestyle, but it helps to understand the basic options. Daily disposables are the most convenient and carry the lowest infection risk since there’s no overnight storage. Biweekly and monthly lenses cost less upfront but require a cleaning routine. If you have astigmatism, you’ll need toric lenses, which are weighted to stay in the correct orientation on your eye. They’re available in both daily and monthly formats.
For people with both near and distance vision issues, multifocal contacts exist as an alternative to reading glasses. And if you’re interested in changing your eye color, colored lenses are available with or without vision correction, but they still require a valid prescription for proper fit.
First-time wearers are almost always started on soft lenses, which are comfortable from the first wear. Rigid gas permeable lenses offer sharper vision for some prescriptions but have a longer and less comfortable adaptation period, so they’re rarely the first choice for new users.