Most people can wear contact lenses without any problems. Not everyone experiences an easy transition to contacts, however, and some contact lens-wearers develop problems after several years. It’s those patients that Dr. Richard Powell, optometrist at Malbar Vision Center, especially wants to help. Although Malbar Vision Center provides a variety of vision services, their specialty is contact lenses.

“I like to consider our office as a place where somebody who has a problem with their contacts can go and we can get the problem solved no matter what it is,” Dr. Powell says. Some patients may have problems with dryness and irritation, especially after they’ve worn their contacts for several hours. Others experience intermittent blurriness and have difficulty focusing. “We feel that we can help them with those minor issues, improving the comfort and fit and focus of the lenses,” Dr. Powell says.

Malbar Vision Center fits all kinds of contacts, from the traditional soft contacts to the rigid-style lenses. Dr. Powell explains that while one kind of lens might work for the majority of patients, some may need to try several different kinds of contacts before they find one that works.

The eye is the only tissue in the body that breathes from the atmosphere instead of the blood supply. He goes on to explain that because the cornea of the eye needs to get its oxygen supply from the air, you create a potential difficulty when you put a contact lens over it. “There are probably 100 different contact lens manufacturers, and all of these lenses have different oxygen values,” he says. “Some of them let in more oxygen than others.”

Most people think it would make the most sense to choose the contact lens that lets in the most oxygen, but it doesn’t always work that way since that particular lens may not be as comfortable because of the design of the edges or other factors. “I’ve had a lot of experience with problem-solving, and we feel that we can pretty much help everybody who wears contact lenses to improve their quality and their fit,” he says.

Karen Svehla, a stay-at-home mom in Lincoln, has been going to Dr. Powell for close to 30 years. He diagnosed her with a rare eye disease called Keratoconus, which causes her cornea to bulge into a cone-like shape, distorting her vision. The specialist that Dr. Powell sent her to was amazed that Dr. Powell discovered the cause of her problem since the condition is difficult to diagnose. He sent Karen back to Dr. Powell for treatment.

Because of her condition, Karen needed to wear hard contact lenses, so Dr. Powell experimented with different treatments to find the solution that worked best for her. For several years she wore two sets of contacts: soft contacts for comfort, and hard contacts to correct her condition.

About a year ago, Dr. Powell fit Karen with a new type of contact with a rigid center and a soft edge. This combination is very comfortable, Karen says. She wears her contacts from the time she gets up in the morning until she goes to bed at night. She has been very pleased with the care she has received from Dr. Powell. “He’s very professional and knowledgeable. If he doesn’t know something, he’ll find out. I’m pretty particular. I like somebody who’s knowledgeable, and his staff is very knowledgeable. That’s why we’ve kept going back.”

Most people choose contacts for cosmetic reasons, but there are several other advantages, Dr. Powell says. Contacts give you a wider field of view, and there is no worry about them fogging over or getting wet in the rain. Plus, you don’t have the weight on your nose that you do with glasses. However, contacts are not for everyone. For people who are over age 40 and are slightly nearsighted, Dr. Powell often suggests wearing bifocal glasses instead of contacts. Others just prefer glasses. He states that three out of four of his patients come in for services other than contacts.

Malbar Vision Center carries a wide range of frames, and new materials are making glasses more comfortable. High-index plastic lenses are stronger, but they are also thinner than traditional plastic lenses. For children involved in sports, Dr. Powell recommends glasses with polycarbonate lenses because they will not shatter and cut the eyes if the child is hit by a ball or other object.

Dr. Powell also recommends that patients get glasses with protection from harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause cataracts. The ultraviolet protection does not darken the lenses. Patients can also get transition lenses, which get darker in the sun and lighten completely indoors.

Although Dr. Powell does not do Lasik surgery, he works with patients who elect to have this surgery done. He recommends specialists to do the procedure, and then he does follow-up checks to make sure the cornea is healing. While there is always a risk of infection with surgery, Lasik has a very good success rate, Dr. Powell reports. Patients usually no longer need glasses or contacts after having Lasik done.

Dr. Powell also works with children who need vision therapy. Sometimes children have difficulty reading because their eyes do not track together. If the problem is caught between the ages of 8 and 14, it can often be corrected through special eye exercises. However, when a child gets to the age of 15 or 16, the problem becomes much harder to fix. Dr. Powell recommends that children be tested for this condition if they are behind in their reading skills.

Dr. Powell has been practicing for 40 years, and for 30 years he has been at the same location at 32nd and O streets. Whether he’s fitting someone with contacts or glasses for the first time, helping someone with contact lens problems, or teaching eye exercises to correct a child’s reading difficulties, Dr. Powell says he enjoys what he does. “It’s exciting every day. Forty years of doing this, and I’m still wanting to keep working because you’re solving problems and helping people see.”

It’s important to have your vision checked regularly, Dr. Powell advises. He recommends that children have their eyes checked at least every two years. For patients over 50, he recommends annual eye exams not only to evaluate their vision, but to check for glaucoma and cataracts, which can be treated if they are caught early.

Malbar Vision Center is located at 3200 O Street in Lincoln. For more information, you can contact them at 475-9113. You may also visit their Web site at www.eyedrpowell.com.