Types of Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses are made of soft, flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Soft contact lenses are initially more comfortable than rigid gas permeable lenses. Newer soft lens materials include silicone-hydrogels to provide more oxygen to your eye while you wear your lenses.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGPs) are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft contact lenses. They are easier to handle and less likely to tear. However, they are not as comfortable initially as soft contacts and it may take a few weeks to get used to wearing RGPs, compared to several days for soft contacts.

Continuous wear contact lenses are available for overnight or continuous wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days. Continuous wear contact lenses are usually soft contact lenses. They are made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. There are also a very few rigid gas permeable lenses that are designed and approved for overnight wear. Length of continuous wear depends on lens type and your eye care professional’s evaluation of your tolerance for overnight wear. It is important for the eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal.

The majority of soft contact lens wearers are prescribed some type of frequent replacement schedule. “Disposable,” as defined by the FDA, means used once and discarded. With a true daily wear disposable schedule, a brand new pair of lenses is used each day. Some soft contact lenses are referred to as “disposable” by contact lens sellers, but actually, they are for frequent/planned replacement. With extended wear lenses, the lenses may be worn continuously for the prescribed wearing period (for example, 7 days to 30 days) and then thrown away. When you remove your lenses, make sure to clean and disinfect them properly before reinserting. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your eyes or working with your contact lenses.

The hybrid contact lens combines a rigid gas permeable center and a soft lens skirt into one unique “hybrid” lens. The rigid center corrects farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism and delivers clear, high definition vision, even at night. The soft skirt surrounding the center provides the all-day comfort of a soft lens. New designs of hybrid lenses can now be made in multifocals as well as custom designs for keratoconus and post surgical complications.

Orthokeratology, or Ortho-K, is a lens fitting procedure that uses specially designed rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses to change the curvature of the cornea to temporarily improve the eye’s ability to focus. This procedure is primarily used for the correction of myopia (nearsightedness).

Overnight Ortho-K lenses are the most common type of Ortho-K. The cornea is caused to flatten due to the usage of special rigid lenses that are worn at night in a fashion similar to wearing a retainer for your teeth. When the lenses are removed in the morning the vision improves. Many patients can use this technique to receive enough improvement that they do not need to use any eyeglasses or contact lenses during the day.

If Ortho K is discontinued the eye can return to it’s original amount of myopia. However, new studies are showing that in addition to the temporary reduction in myopia, increases can be controlled to some degree by the usage of Ortho K lenses. It is believed that by the usage of Ortho K lenses, as well as some new special soft lenses, the potential for increases in myopia can actually be controlled due to a lack of stimulus for increases in elongation of the eyeball in children.

Some contact lenses do not correct vision and are intended solely to change the appearance of the eye. These are sometimes called plano, zero-powered or non-corrective lenses. For example, they can temporarily change a brown-eyed person’s eye color to blue, or make a person’s eyes look weird by portraying Halloween themes. Even though these decorative lenses don’t correct vision, they’re regulated by the FDA, just like corrective contact lenses. They are medical devices and must be utilized under a doctor’s supervision just like all other contact lens products.e can return to it’s original amount of myopia. However, new studies are showing that in addition to the temporary reduction in myopia, increases can be controlled to some degree by the usage of Ortho K lenses. It is believed that by the usage of Ortho K lenses, as well as some new special soft lenses, the potential for increases in myopia can actually be controlled due to a lack of stimulus for increases in elongation of the eyeball in children.

Scleral lenses are larger lenses made of gas permeable material used to correct vision in a number of conditions such as keratoconus, post-refractive surgery corneal issues, ocular surface disease, dry eye, and even normal refractive errors.

Prosthetic lenses are used to achieve an improved cosmetic appearance when an eye has a misshaped pupil. If two eyes appear different due to a pupil irregularity, prosthetic lenses can be designed to match the iris of the other eye.