Contact lens exams in New Albany, Ohio.
For first-time wearers, parents asking whether their child is ready, patients with astigmatism or presbyopia, and people who've been told their eyes are "too complicated" for contacts. We fit it. Drs. Karres, Keller, and Dennis fit everything from one-day disposables to scleral lenses for keratoconus, and we use a trial period for standard soft lenses so you can wear them home and confirm they work before you commit.
New to contacts
One-on-one insertion and removal training, at no extra charge, for as long as it takes.
"I've been told I'm hard to fit"
Keratoconus, corneal scarring, severe dry eye, post-LASIK irregularity. We fit custom soft, GP, hybrid, and scleral designs.
Is my child ready?
It depends on the child, not the age. We evaluate maturity and hygiene habits alongside the prescription.
Why a contact lens exam is different from a routine eye exam.
A glasses prescription doesn't translate directly to a contact lens prescription. Contacts sit on the cornea, so we have to measure the curvature of your cornea, evaluate your tear film and ocular surface health, and check that your eyes can comfortably tolerate a foreign object every day. Most patients can, but the fit and lens design matter more than people realize.
If you have vision insurance, our team verifies your contact lens benefit before you come in, so you'll know what's covered before you sit down.
What happens during your contact lens exam.
Every contact lens exam at COVE follows the same sequence: from eye health to trial lenses to take-home wear.
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01Eye health check. We start with a comprehensive look at the front and back of your eyes: corneal shape, tear quality, lid health, and any conditions that change which lenses are safe for you.
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02Lens recommendation. Based on your prescription, lifestyle, and budget, we'll recommend a specific lens: daily, biweekly, or monthly soft lenses, toric lenses for astigmatism, multifocal contacts, GP, or a specialty / scleral design if your eyes need one.
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03Fit and trial. You'll try the lenses in office, and we'll evaluate the fit, the visual acuity, and the comfort while you're sitting with us. If you're new to contacts, this is also when we do one-on-one insertion, removal, and lens-care training. There's no extra charge for the training.
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04Take-home trial. You go home with a trial supply and wear the lenses in real life (at work, at the gym, on a long drive) for about a week.
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05Follow-up visit. You come back, we re-check the fit and your vision, and adjust if needed. Follow-up visits during the fitting process are included. We work with you until the lenses are right.
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06You commit when you're ready. We don't ask you to buy contacts on the day of the fit. Wear them, like them, then we order your supply.
New to contacts.
If you've never worn contacts before, we set aside dedicated time for one-on-one insertion and removal training. The first time always feels strange. We won't send you out the door until you can put them in and take them out yourself, comfortably, and we'll work with you for as long as that takes.
"I've been told I'm hard to fit."
If you have keratoconus, a corneal scar, severe dry eye, post-LASIK irregularity, or a high or unusual prescription, you probably need more than off-the-shelf contacts. Dr. Karres has years of clinical experience fitting specialty lenses, with research interests focused on scleral lens solutions. We fit custom soft lenses, GP and hybrid designs, and scleral lenses for these patients. Many people are surprised how much vision they recover in lenses they didn't know existed.
When a specialty lens fit qualifies as medically necessary, your vision plan's Medically Necessary Contact Lens benefit may apply. Most VSP and EyeMed plans include it for diagnoses like keratoconus, severe dry eye, and post-surgical irregularity. Whether your specific case qualifies depends on the diagnosis and your plan; we work through the coverage with you. Learn more about Specialty Contact Lenses →
Kids and contacts.
A common parent question: "Is my child ready for contacts?" The honest answer is that it depends on the child, not the age. Dr. Keller has fit elementary school athletes who handled contacts beautifully and high schoolers who weren't quite ready. We evaluate maturity, hygiene habits, and motivation alongside the prescription.
If your child's myopia is progressing, daily multifocal soft lenses or ortho-k can also help slow it down. Learn more about Myopia Management → Learn about Ortho-K →
What it costs.
Contact lens exam costs depend on your plan, your lens type, and whether the fit is routine or medically necessary. The pricing notes below break it down. We verify your benefit before you sit down.
- For patients with vision insurance, a contact lens exam is often just a small copay on top of your routine exam. Exact cost depends on your plan, lens type, and whether the exam is medically necessary, and we verify your specific plan in advance.
- For patients without vision insurance, we offer transparent flat-rate pricing through COVE Plus. See COVE Plus pricing →
- Our team verifies your contact lens benefit before you come in, so you'll know what's covered before you sit down.
Frequently asked questions.
How is a contact lens exam different from a routine eye exam?
A glasses prescription doesn't translate directly to a contact lens prescription. Contacts sit on the cornea, so we measure the curvature of your cornea, evaluate your tear film and ocular surface health, and check that your eyes can comfortably tolerate a lens every day.
Do I have to buy contacts the same day I'm fit?
No. You leave with a trial supply and wear the lenses in real life for about a week, then come back for a follow-up before you order anything.
Is my child ready for contacts?
It depends on the child, not the age. We evaluate maturity, hygiene habits, and motivation alongside the prescription during the exam.
Will insurance cover my contact lens exam?
Most vision insurance covers at least part of a routine contact lens exam as a small copay. Specialty or medically necessary fits may qualify under your plan's Medically Necessary Contact Lens benefit. We verify your specific benefit before your visit.
We don't ask you to buy contacts on the day of the fit. You wear a trial supply, live in them, and we adjust before you commit.
No pressure, no upsell. If the fit isn't right, we keep working until it is.
Schedule your contact lens exam.
We see patients from New Albany, Gahanna, Westerville, Johnstown, and across Central Ohio. Whether it's your first time in contacts, your kid's first time, or you've been told no by a previous doctor, we'd like the chance to take a look.
Related reading: contact lenses at COVE · specialty contact lenses · myopia management for kids · Six signs your contacts never feel right →