Contact lenses are more than just a convenient alternative to corrective prescription eyeglasses; recent technological and scientific advances have granted contact lenses the capacity to address a variety of other vision problems. In today’s blog post from Alderwood Optical, your optometrist discusses three types of specialty lenses and how they can be used to help manage visual impairments.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP or GP) Lenses
First introduced in 1987 as a more comfortable alternative to soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses (or simply, GP lenses) are primarily made from fluorosilicone acrylate. This type of durable plastic allows oxygen to permeate the lenses and reach your corneas. Oxygen is essential in keeping your eyes healthy, even more so with a foreign object covering the surface of your eyes. Since GP lenses retain their shape and curvature better than soft lenses do, they’re easier to handle, disinfect and put on.
To ensure optimal comfort, your optometrist will take exact measurements of your corneas. The perfect fit of the lenses, from the shape and curvature down to your prescription grade, helps provide better vision.
Scleral Lenses
Scleral contact lenses are for patients who have irregularly-shaped corneas and thus cannot wear regular contact lenses. While scleral lenses are also a type of GP lenses, they’re significantly larger and specially designed to cover the entire corneal surface, resting on the sclera, or the white part of the eye (hence the name). Scleral contacts are typically prescribed to patients with keratoconus or dry eyes, as well as to patients who have undergone a corneal transplant.
Hybrid Lenses
Hybrid lenses combine the gas permeability of GP lenses and the comfort of soft contact lenses. Note that the soft part of the lenses is only at the edges. Patients with astigmatism and irregularly-shaped corneas can benefit greatly from hybrid lenses.
It’s important to know your options when it comes to specialty lenses. Keep in mind that the best way to determine which type of lenses will suit you best is to consult your eye doctor or a trusted optometrist. You can also count on Alderwood Optical for expert opinions and personalized eye health services. Call us today at (425) 771-8472 to request an appointment. We work with patients in Bothell, Lynwood, and Shoreline, WA.