Contact Lens Exams and Fittings in Edmonton: What Happens, What It Costs, and Why It Differs From a Glasses Prescription
Contact Lens Exams and Fittings in Edmonton: What Happens, What It Costs, and Why It Differs From a Glasses Prescription
A contact lens exam and fitting at Charm Optical in Edmonton is $135 CAD. A standard eye exam is $99 CAD (both as of July 2026). The difference buys the part a standard exam does not include: measurements of your cornea, a look at your tear film, and a trial lens placed on your eye to prove the fit actually works.
And the sentence most people arrive here looking for: you cannot order contact lenses with a glasses prescription. A glasses prescription does not contain a base curve, a diameter or a brand — and without those three things, nobody can fill your order. Here is what the fitting involves, who needs a specialty one, and exactly what it costs.
The short answer
Charm Optical • Edmonton • CAD, as of July 2026
Standard eye exam
$99 CAD
Eye health, refraction, glasses prescription.
Contact lens exam & fitting
$135 CAD
Everything above, plus the fitting — and it covers both prescriptions.
- One appointment, two prescriptions. The $135 CAD visit gives you your glasses prescription and your contact lens prescription — you do not book twice.
- The fitting adds corneal measurements, a tear-film assessment and a trial lens on your eye, then a follow-up to confirm the fit before your prescription is finalised.
- Toric lenses for astigmatism and multifocal lenses for over-40 vision are included in the same $135 CAD fitting — no surprise surcharge.
Fees from our services page. Exams are by appointment only.
Why a contact lens prescription is not a glasses prescription
Glasses sit about 12 mm away. Contacts sit on your eye.
Your glasses sit about 12 mm in front of your eyes, while contact lenses rest directly on them. That gap changes the maths. Move a lens closer to the eye and its effective power shifts, so the number on your contact lens prescription is often not the number on your glasses prescription. It matters most once your prescription passes about +/–4.00 — the stronger the correction, the bigger the gap between the two.
The three things your glasses prescription does not contain
Power is only part of the story. A contact lens has to physically fit the curve of your eye, and a glasses prescription says nothing about that.
What each prescription actually says
Sample values, right eye only. The teal rows are the ones a glasses prescription can never give you.
Glasses prescription
Contact lens prescription
CooperVision BiofinityThis is the box that prescription orders.
$60
Illustrative values, not a real patient. Notice the power itself changed too: −3.25 in glasses, −3.00 on the eye. Price CAD, as of July 2026.
Base curve is how steeply the lens is curved. Diameter is how wide it is. Brand decides the material, the water content and how much oxygen reaches your cornea — and those are not interchangeable between manufacturers. As the Alberta Association of Optometrists puts it, every contact lens product is unique and designed for a particular purpose, from material and curvature through to oxygen permeability and moisture content. If you want the material side of that story, we broke it down in our guide to silicone hydrogel vs hydrogel lenses.
Same power, four different lenses
Here is the part nobody explains. Four people can have the identical prescribed power and still need four physically different lenses. Tap through the four brands we stock and watch the profile change.
Four brands. Four different lenses.
Each profile is drawn to scale from that lens's published base curve and diameter. The ruler shows where its edge lands on your eye.
Lens
CooperVision Biofinity
Base curve
8.6 mm
Diameter
14.0 mm
Material
comfilcon A
A scale drawing of lens geometry, not a picture of the product — a photograph of a blister pack cannot show you a 0.3 mm difference in sagitta. Typical published parameters as of July 2026. Several brands offer more than one base curve, so this is not a menu to choose from — it is why the choosing has to happen on your eye. The real boxes are below.
| Lens | Base curve | Diameter | Material | Water content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CooperVision Biofinity | 8.6 mm | 14.0 mm | comfilcon A | 48% |
| Alcon DAILIES TOTAL1 | 8.5 mm | 14.1 mm | delefilcon A | 33% |
| Bausch + Lomb ULTRA | 8.5 mm | 14.2 mm | samfilcon A | 46% |
| Acuvue Oasys 1-Day | 8.5 mm (a 9.0 mm option also exists) | 14.3 mm | senofilcon A | 38% |
The four boxes those numbers actually order
The gauge above is a drawing of geometry. These are the products. Same four brands, real photography, real prices — and once you have a fitting, any of them is one click away.
CooperVision Biofinity
CooperVision
BC 8.6 · Ø 14.0 mm
$60 CAD
View
Dailies Total1 — 30 Pack
Alcon
BC 8.5 · Ø 14.1 mm
$55 CAD
View
Bausch + Lomb ULTRA — 6 Pack
Bausch + Lomb
BC 8.5 · Ø 14.2 mm
$69 CAD
View
Acuvue Oasys 1-Day — 30 Pack
Acuvue
BC 8.5 · Ø 14.3 mm
$58 CAD
View
Prices CAD, as of July 2026, from our online store. Base curve, diameter and material as published by each manufacturer — the pairing that is right for your eye is what the fitting decides.
This is why a website cannot turn a glasses prescription into a lens order
Some sites will happily take a glasses prescription and let you pick a box. Look at what they are guessing at: the curve of your cornea, the width of lens that will centre on it, and the material your eyes tolerate. That is three guesses on a medical device that sits on your cornea for twelve hours a day. The fitting is what turns a guess into a specification — and once you have that specification, reordering online is straightforward.
A 0.3 mm difference in diameter sounds like nothing. On an eye, it is the difference between a lens that centres and settles and one that rides, dries and blurs by 4 p.m.
What actually happens at a contact lens fitting, step by step
A contact lens fitting is a full eye exam plus four things a standard exam does not do. Here is the whole appointment, in order.
What the $99 exam covers, and what the $135 fitting adds
Step 1 is what you would get anyway. Steps 2 to 5 are the fitting — and they are the reason a contact lens prescription exists at all.
Full eye health check and refraction
Pressure, retina, front of the eye, and the refraction that produces your glasses prescription. Everything a $99 CAD exam covers.
Corneal measurements: curvature and diameter
We measure how steeply your cornea curves and how wide it is. These numbers are what a base curve and a diameter are chosen against — and they are nowhere on a glasses prescription.
Tear film assessment
Can your eyes stay comfortable with a lens on them all day? Dry eyes do not disqualify you, but they change which material and replacement schedule make sense — a daily disposable often behaves very differently from a monthly lens.
Trial lenses: the on-eye fit check
A real lens goes on your eye. We watch how it sits, how far it moves when you blink, whether it centres, and how clearly you see through it. In the words of the Alberta Association of Optometrists, trial lenses are used to achieve the best possible fit and to determine if you can comfortably wear contacts.
The follow-up, before anything is final
A fitting takes more than a single visit. You wear the lens in real life — a full day at a desk, a cold walk to the car — and come back so we can confirm it still fits well and still feels good after hours of wear. Only then is your prescription finalised.
Who needs a specialty fitting
Short version: more of your eye's behaviour has to be measured, so more chair time and more trial lenses are needed. At Charm, all of it sits inside the same $135 CAD fitting fee.
Astigmatism
A toric lens carries an axis, so it has to stay rotationally stable — weighted so it does not spin on your eye. Whether it holds still is something you watch, not something you calculate. That is exactly why a number alone is not enough.
Toric lensesOver 40
Holding your phone further away? That is presbyopia, and it usually starts around 40. Multifocal contact lenses layer distance and near power in one lens; monovision sets one eye for each. Both need trialling to find what your brain accepts.
Multifocal or monovisionDry eyes or allergies
Edmonton winters are brutal on tear film. Dry eyes rarely rule contacts out, but they steer the choice of material, water content and replacement schedule — and sometimes a lubricating drop alongside.
Drops that pair with lensesWe fit toric and multifocal options from the four brands we carry — Acuvue, Alcon, Bausch + Lomb and CooperVision. You can see the full range on our contact lenses page.
The toric lenses we fit for astigmatism
A toric lens is a different physical object, not a different number on a form — weighted, axis-marked and built to stop itself rotating. Here are the ones we fit, with what they cost.
Biofinity Toric
CooperVision · monthly
$70 CAD
View
Acuvue Oasys 1-Day for Astigmatism — 30 Pack
Acuvue · daily
$65 CAD
View
Dailies Total1 for Astigmatism — 30 Pack
Alcon · daily
$75 CAD
View
Bausch + Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism — 6 Pack
Bausch + Lomb · monthly
$88 CAD
View
Prices CAD, as of July 2026. Multifocal and monovision options are fitted from the same four brands — which lens, and in which design, is decided in the chair, not from a menu.
If your eyes run dry
A lubricating drop is often the difference between a lens you tolerate and a lens you forget you are wearing. These are the two we keep for contact lens wearers.
Prices CAD, as of July 2026. Ask at your fitting which one suits your tear film — the answer depends on what we see, not on what is on the shelf. Browse them all on our eye care page.
What a contact lens exam and fitting costs in Edmonton
Our fees: $99 CAD standard exam, $135 CAD contact lens exam and fitting
The $135 CAD fee is flat. It is not an exam fee with a fitting bolted on top, and it is not tiered by how complicated your eyes are. Toric, multifocal, straightforward single vision — same fee.
| What you get | Standard eye exam — $99 CAD | Contact lens exam & fitting — $135 CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Full eye health check and refraction | Yes | Yes |
| Glasses prescription | Yes | Yes — both prescriptions, one visit |
| Corneal curvature and diameter measured | No | Yes |
| Tear film assessment | No | Yes |
| Trial lens on your eye | No | Yes |
| Contact lens prescription (power, base curve, diameter, brand) | No | Yes |
| Toric or multifocal fitting | Not applicable | Yes, at the same fee |
What AHCIP does and does not cover
Alberta Health Care (AHCIP) covers one routine eye exam per benefit year (July 1 to June 30) for kids under 19 and seniors 65+. Adults 19 to 64 are only covered for medically necessary eye care — trauma, a specific medical condition, an episode of illness — not routine exams.
The part people get wrong
AHCIP explicitly does not cover eyeglasses or contact lenses — at any age. And the contact lens fitting portion is not an AHCIP-insured service either. So if you are 66 and your exam is covered, the fitting component is still separate. Call us at (780) 490-0090 and we will confirm exactly what you would owe before you book. Our full breakdown lives in what AHCIP covers in 2026.
Private insurance and direct billing
Most private plans cover an annual eye exam, and many cover a lens or frame allowance on top. We direct bill to over 30 providers — including Alberta Blue Cross, Canada Life, Desjardins, AISH, Alberta Works and NIHB — so in most cases you never front the money. If you are not sure what your plan does, our guide to vision insurance in Alberta is a good half-hour of homework.
Why a fitting can cost more elsewhere
Most Edmonton clinics structure it as an exam fee plus a fitting fee, and the fitting fee scales with complexity: spherical costs less than toric, toric less than multifocal, and specialty fits more again. That is a perfectly normal model — it just means the number you are quoted on the phone is rarely the number on the bill. Ours is one flat $135 CAD, complexity included.
The lenses themselves are a separate cost
The fitting fee buys the prescription, not the boxes. Here is what the boxes actually cost — these are live prices from our store, not a range we made up.
Daily disposables — 30 pack
Dailies AquaComfort Plus$40 Dailies Precision1$41 Bausch + Lomb ULTRA Dailies$45 Biotrue ONEday$50 Dailies Total1$55 Acuvue Oasys 1-Day$58Prices CAD per box, as of July 2026, from our contact lenses page. A box is one eye's supply for its wear cycle, so most people order two.
The pack-size maths
Bigger packs are cheaper per lens, and the gap is not small. Acuvue Oasys 1-Day is $58 CAD for 30 but $112 CAD for 90 — buying three 30-packs instead would cost $174 CAD. Dailies Total1 runs $55 CAD for 30 and $112 CAD for 90. Once your prescription is settled and you know the lens works, the 90-packs are where the saving is.
You need a valid prescription to get contact lenses in Canada
Contact lenses — corrective and cosmetic alike — are regulated by Health Canada as Class II medical devices. They are not an accessory, and you cannot legitimately be supplied with them on a guess.
In Alberta the chain works like this. You need a valid eyeglass prescription to begin a contact lens fitting. The fitting itself must be performed by a regulated professional. As the Alberta College of Optometrists puts it, in order to issue a contact lens prescription, additional specialized testing and a contact lens fitting must be performed after completing a complete eye examination. And once it is done, you must be offered a written copy of your contact lens specifications — that document is the thing that lets you reorder.
How long is a contact lens prescription valid in Alberta?
There is no fixed number written into law — and if you have read otherwise, that blog was guessing. The Alberta College of Optometrists states that the expiration date for optical prescriptions and contact lens specifications is left to the professional discretion of the optometrist, based on the medical and visual condition of the patient. In practice most are written for one to two years. Your expiry date is printed on the prescription itself.
Never worn contacts before?
This is the question we get asked most often by people who are nervous about the whole idea, and the answer is short: that is exactly what a fitting is for.
First-time wearers are welcome
Getting a lens in and out for the first time is a skill, not a talent — and it is part of the fitting, not a hurdle you have to clear before you arrive. You will be shown how to insert a lens, how to take it out, and how to care for it, and you will not leave until you can do it yourself.
Nobody is born good at this. Most people who now put a lens in without thinking were, on their first day, exactly where you are.
Book your contact lens exam and fitting in Edmonton
You will leave with two prescriptions, a lens that has been proven on your eye, and a follow-up to confirm it holds up in real life. We are at Charm Optical, 5035 Ellerslie Rd SW, Edmonton, and exams are by appointment only.
Book online
$135 CAD. Both prescriptions. One appointment.
Corneal measurements, tear-film assessment, trial lenses and a follow-up — toric and multifocal included at the same fee. Pick a time that suits you.
Book your exam and fittingPrefer to talk it through? Call (780) 490-0090. Prices CAD, as of July 2026.
Already have a valid prescription?
Reorder your lenses
We ship the four brands we fit, straight to your door. Bring the specifications from your fitting and you are done.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a contact lens exam and fitting cost in Edmonton?
At Charm Optical, a contact lens exam and fitting is $135 CAD and a standard eye exam is $99 CAD (as of July 2026). The $135 visit covers both your glasses prescription and your contact lens prescription, so you only need one appointment. Alberta Health Care covers a yearly eye exam for kids under 19 and seniors 65+, but it does not cover eyeglasses or contact lenses at any age. Most private plans cover an annual exam, and we direct bill more than 30 providers. Call (780) 490-0090 if you want your out-of-pocket confirmed before you book.
Is a contact lens prescription the same as a glasses prescription?
No. Your glasses sit about 12 mm in front of your eyes while contact lenses rest directly on them, so the lens power itself often has to be adjusted — this matters most once your prescription passes about +/-4.00. On top of that, a contact lens prescription includes a base curve, a diameter and a specific lens brand, none of which appear on a glasses prescription. That is why a glasses prescription on its own cannot be used to order contact lenses, and why a separate fitting is required.
Do I need a prescription to buy contact lenses in Canada?
Yes. Contact lenses are regulated by Health Canada as Class II medical devices, and you need a valid contact lens prescription — the specifications produced by a fitting — before you can be supplied with them. In Alberta you need a valid eyeglass prescription to begin a contact lens fitting, the fitting itself must be performed by a regulated professional such as an optometrist or a contact lens fitter, and you must be offered a written copy of your contact lens specifications afterwards.
What actually happens at a contact lens fitting?
A contact lens fitting starts with a full eye health exam and refraction, then adds the parts a standard exam does not include: measurements of your cornea's curvature and diameter, an assessment of your tear film to see whether your eyes will stay comfortable in a lens, and a trial lens placed on your eye so we can check how it sits, moves and focuses. Trial lenses are used to achieve the best possible fit, and a follow-up visit confirms the lenses are still fitting well and staying comfortable after a longer stretch of wear before the prescription is finalised.
How long is a contact lens prescription valid in Alberta?
There is no fixed number set in law. The Alberta College of Optometrists states that the expiration date for optical prescriptions and contact lens specifications is left to the professional discretion of the optometrist, based on the medical and visual condition of the patient. In practice most contact lens prescriptions in Alberta are written for one to two years. Your prescription will have its expiry date printed on it, and once it lapses you will need a new exam and fitting before you can reorder.
Do I need a special fitting if I have astigmatism or I'm over 40?
Usually, yes. Astigmatism is corrected with toric contact lenses, which carry an axis and have to be weighted so they do not rotate on your eye — that stability can only be confirmed with a lens on the eye, not calculated from a number. If you are over 40 and starting to hold your phone further away, you are likely a candidate for multifocal contact lenses or a monovision setup. Both take more chair time and more trial lenses than a straightforward single-vision fitting, and both are included in our $135 CAD contact lens exam and fitting.
Can I get contact lenses if I have never worn them before?
Yes. Learning to get a lens in and out is part of the fitting itself, not something you have to work out beforehand. At your contact lens exam and fitting we show you how to insert a lens, how to remove it, and how to clean and store it, and you practise it with us. First-time wearers are exactly who the fitting process exists for.
How much do contact lenses cost at Charm Optical?
Boxes start at $40 CAD for a 30-pack of daily disposables and $52 CAD for monthly lenses. Popular options include Dailies Total1 at $55 CAD for a 30-pack, Acuvue Oasys 1-Day at $58 CAD for a 30-pack, and Biofinity at $60 CAD a box. Toric lenses for astigmatism start at $45 CAD for a 30-pack. Larger packs cost less per lens: Acuvue Oasys 1-Day is $58 CAD for 30 lenses but $112 CAD for 90, where three 30-packs would cost $174 CAD. All prices are CAD, as of July 2026. The lenses are a separate cost from the $135 CAD contact lens exam and fitting, which buys the prescription rather than the boxes.
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