Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are made of a soft polymer-plastic material combined with a percentage of water. The water allows oxygen to pass through the lens material for increased comfort. Many soft contact lenses provide UV protection. These lenses are available in daily and extended wear options.
Advantages
- Greater initial comfort than hard or rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses.
- Shorter adaptation period for new wearers.
- Ideal for intermittent wear.
- Less susceptible to the intrusion of foreign objects under the lens, such as dust.
- Less sensitivity to light than with hard or RGP lenses.
- Rarely fall out of the eye, making them ideal for sports, particularly contact sports such as football or basketball.
- Available in tinted versions.
Disadvantages
- Less durable than hard or RGP lenses.
- May dry out, causing discomfort for some, especially under a hair dryer, in hot rooms, or in windy, dry weather.
- More involved lens care, especially for conventional soft lenses.
- Susceptible to more protein or lipid deposits, that reduce lens performance in the long term.
- May absorb chemicals from the environment, which can cause irritation.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses
RGP lenses are, as the name implies, rigid. However, the plastic material from which they are made of are somewhat more flexible than hard lenses. Because newer RGP lenses offer the advantage of allowing more oxygen to pass through to the eye, they are sometimes referred to as “Oxygen Permeable Lenses”. These lenses are available in daily and extended wear options.
RGP lenses have the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
- Good vision.
- Correct most corneal astigmatism.
- Good durability.
- Good handling characteristics.
- Easier care.
Disadvantages
- Less initial comfort than soft lenses.
- Longer adaptation period required than soft lenses.
- More easily dislodged.
- Can scratch and break.
- Intermittent wear less feasible
