Why do people wear hard contact lenses?
- asks Lindsey from New York
Other than being generally awkward, I’ve spent most of my time since I was 13 getting things in my eye–or rather, getting things stuck onto my gas permeable, “hard” contact lenses. Other formative moments have had me blinking on command so friends and gathered revelers could see the tiny, glass-like chunk in my eye move and resettle.
About four weeks ago, when I was yet again ticking off the reasons why I was lucky enough to have thick lenses directly on my eyeball, it occurred to me that I had been reciting the same spiel–a strange eye shape, really really really bad eye sight–for more than a decade.
What if, the science had changed and I no longer needed hard lenses? What if I should have had years of soft contact wearing behind me, and I didn’t know it, because I was blithely tripping along following the advice of the eye doctor I had during my adolescence.
Turns out, he was a smart man (let the record show I never doubted him). For certain vision corrections, rigid gas permeable lenses provide clearer, more precise vision than soft lenses. This is mainly due to structural difference between soft and gas permeable lenses.
Since soft contacts are traditionally made with water, they can actually dry out, causing their shape to warp and preventing clear vision as well as becoming a potential irritant. To stay hydrated, soft lenses draw moisture from the eye, which can lead to dry eyes. Water also binds to tear proteins making contacts attractive to “pollutants,” such as lotions and soaps, which creates a chunky, gritty build-up on the contact.
Rigid lenses, being stiff, don’t change shape when the wearer blinks, so they stay precisely focused. Not only that, rigid lenses, unlike soft contacts, do not contain any water. Because they are made with silicone polymers, rigid lenses are more oxygen permeable, making them healthier for the eyes (though these days, some soft lenses, called “extended wear,” are made of silicone hydrogel–a substance that allows almost as much oxygen to flow through as rigid lenses, and is less water dependent ).
But this is not to say gas permeable lenses are problemless; they, too, have their downside. When you first get them, you can’t just pop them in right away. Rather, they are broken in by wearing them for increasing amounts of time as your eye adjusts to having a new lump of stuff in it (I believe my doctor told me my eyelid had to form a sort-of groove…). Even if you are lifetime wearer, leaving the lenses out for a few days means going through the process of again .
Also, rigid gas permeables must be scrubbed clean, and soaked, nightly–while soft contacts can be worn constantly, soaked or simply tossed. Hard contacts are more expensive too, as are cleaning solutions (up to eleven or twelve dollars a bottle). But if you don’t lose them or crack them, hard lenses last longer (that’s a big “if”).
So, it seems as though “hard” lenses–full of mystery, science, and silicone–still serve an important function for certain contact wearers. Some last interesting facts about contact lenses:
1. Rigid gas permeable lenses are not the “hard” lenses of yesteryear, which were actually made of an oxygen-impervious substance called polymethyl methacrylate–truly “chunks in the eye.”
2. Gas permeables can also be used for nifty technique called orthokeratology, in which the lenses are worn–usually overnight–to reshape the cornea, leaving the patient with 20/20 vision. The effects of this last only one or two days, however, which is probably why it hasn’t caught on with all contact wearers.
*An interesting side-note: if you are wanting the best of both worlds, there is a new contact out with a rigid center, and soft circumference. Check it out…
I wore hard contacts my whole life, too, until last spring. The doctor suggested I just give some soft ones a try, because they would correct my vision “almost” as well as gas permeables. Turns out I couldn’t even tell the difference (I mean, I guess my right eye is SLIGHTLY blurry but with both eyes open I don’t notice at all) and I find them much more comfortable than my old ones. I’m converted! I have to say, though, I miss being able to amaze people with the whole blink-and-watch-it-go novelty act, and I also miss having the option to moisten/clean a contact in my mouth when necessary. …Probably not doctor recommended, but don’t even try to pretend you haven’t done it!
Karen Schrock, June 25, 2007 at 5:57 pmGP’s (gas perms) can be made more comfortable if they are made larger. Today’s computer controlled lathes can make better fitting gas perms and larger ones that can tuck under the lids. Lid interaction is what most GP wearers notice. Perhaps it’s too late for most people since soft lenses have already taken over the vast majority of eye doctor’s lens fits.
The Synergeyes lens is one very nice option.
An eye doctor, June 27, 2007 at 5:28 pmI’m glad I’m not the only one who will be wearing the hard lenses still, I insisted upon getting them because I found the soft ones to be awkward and blurry for me. Even so, getting used to them is a real pain.
Anastasia, August 17, 2007 at 8:49 pmWell at the age of 55 I was a little fed up with reading glasses and having different strength ones for working on the computer, which is my job, so I now have zwave multifocal RPG lenses. This is my third week, and I really find things blurry WITHOUT my lenses. But my eyes were very, very, tired before I asked for lenses as they were struggling to focus. RGP’s were recommended for their clarity and longevity and so far I’m convinced. But technology is still moving forward and who knows what new things will hit the market in the next few years.
Alan, September 20, 2007 at 2:36 amThree weeks is about the norm for getting used to these I’m told, and it seems I’m fairly normal in that.
I wore hard lenses from 1977 to 1994. When I moved and changed eye doctors, the new guy prescribed gas permeable lenses. I found them to be even more uncomfortable than hard lenses, and they didn’t give me the clarity of vision I got from hard lenses. Gas permeable lenses also seemed to be lighter, and didn’t rotate quite as well as hard lenses. They required more intensive cleaning, and picked up way too much protein deposits. When I complained about all this my new optometrist switched me to soft toric lenses, which were comfortable, but didn’t give me near enough clarity of vision. Both gas permeable and soft lenses made my presbyopia bad enough that I had to wear reading glasses to read.
Steve, August 7, 2008 at 1:37 pmBy chance I had saved a very slightly used pair of hard lenses from my original prescription in 1977. I put them in just for fun, and they work so much better than any of the newer type of lenses. I no longer need reading glasses, and I can see distance wise just as well or better than gas permeables.
I have an eye exam next week, and I’m going to demand that the optometrist issue me hard lenses in a duplicate prescription, or I’m going to change doctor’s until I find one that will. I should have never allowed this guy to talk me into going gas permeable in the first place. Sometimes the so called new technology is not the best for everyone.
I was prescribed gas permeable contacts when I was in the 7th grade. I wore them until I was 22. That’s when I decided to try soft contacts since I seemed to be the only person with the GP. I’ve been wearing the soft for about 5 years and I think I’m about to switch back to the GP. I’ve had a difficult time achieving good vision with the soft contacts and recently the fit of my right contact has been very poor due to my astigmatism. I have to constantly blink to keep the contact from fogging up. I have liked the ease of wearing soft contacts: no cleaning, disposable, comfort, etc. but I know that my vision was much better with the GP and it’s totally worth the extra hassle to me. Now I understand why my eye doctor tried to discourage me 5 years ago from switching to the soft lenses. I miss that crisp vision that I had with the GP. I think I can handle the extra care that they require. My sight is worth that.
sallie, September 26, 2008 at 12:03 pmI have been wearing hard/lenses then the new GP when they were introduced for a total of 35 years Im 67 years old and now wear them all day, used to wear them primarily for sports, they have to be cleaned daily and you must use the right storing liquid or they become brittle and break.
Russ Tait, October 31, 2008 at 8:50 amI wore GP lenses for 20 years when I started thinking about LASIK. My eye doc suggested trying soft lenses in preparation for a LASIK evaluation. I was hesitant since I had tried them with another doc several years earlier and didn’t get good correction. Turns out for my nearsightedness + astigmatism there are several new choices in soft lenses. Though it took four trial pairs we got my vision to 20/20. I have never been 20/20 with glasses or GP’s.
My eyes are far less tired at the end of the day, I don’t feel I need to take a day off from wearing contacts once a week (as with my GP’s) and if they are dry at the end of the day my big decision is do I want to walk up two flights from my basement computer to my bathroom to take them out. Now the only reason I don’t put my soft lenses in on some days is pure laziness.
My wife is more nearsighted than I and still wears GP’s and is a bit afraid to change. But she is also experiencing tired eyes and may ask for a trial pair at her next exam.
Contacts are not for everyone. Some people are deathly afraid of putting anything near – let alone on – their eye. Some may not be able to manage the handling regimen. And others have eyes that react crazy to them. I know people in all three categories.
As to which type will work better for you, often the only way to find out is to try. But if your doctor is recommending GP its usually for a reason. For some they work much better at correcting vision.
Mark, December 13, 2008 at 12:44 pmI have been wearing the hard lenses for 35 years and I am very pleased with them. My first pair was a kind of a phenomenon, as I had it for over 11 years!!! Recently I have encountered some problems because I had to change the , which went under different commercial names through the years and it was absolutely brilliant for my eyes. The producers decided recently that it is not profitable anymore and they stopped making it. I tried many different solutions, as Totalcare etc., but my vision gets blurred after a while, or with other words, lenses become unclear. This pair is only a couple of months old so wearing out doesn’t cut it. I would appreciate your comments or suggestions.
Andreja Wastl Petrič, January 23, 2009 at 10:46 amAfter 30 yrs and the age factor of reading close up the eye doctor told me to try the new contacts which address the bifocal issue. I have had them for a week now and the issue I am having is putting them in, but more so taking them out. With GAS RP’s they were easy to pop in and out without really having to touch your eye. As of now, I have a swollen red eye because I find the soft very hard to get out. My doctor made the comments that my eye was dry when I took the exam. I am beginning to believe that my eyes have always been dry which is why the soft contact is sticking to my eye…?
Garrett, February 17, 2009 at 1:23 pmhi
victoria, August 3, 2009 at 7:36 pmI’m 15 years old and have been wearing contacts since i was five. i started out with contacts and glasses together tried just glasses then went to just soft contacts. i loved them because i never knew i wasn’t actually seeing that great. About two months ago my doctor recommended gas perms and i was like ugh. lol. i tried a trial pair and they were extremely uncomfortable and kept falling out. i was getting ready to tell my doctor i don’t care if i don’t see that well i want to go back to soft, when i tried one pair with a new fitting. I LOVE them! They feel just like soft contacts, i see 20/25 which is the best I’ve ever been, and their not that bad to take care of. the only problem is that they got the prescription on one eye mixed up or something so im just wearing one contact for now but that’s OK because when i go back in 2 days im going to tell just don’t touch the fitting. :) gas perms aren’t that bad when you get them fitted right.
I’m 53 years old and have had the same pair of Gp’s for 26 years, not bad. I had “lost” one about 4 times over the years but was always able to find it somehow. Finally lost one two weeks ago at my 16 year old daughters softball game. I’m in the market for a new pair and will defineatly go with the GP’s. P.S. I’m surviving now by wearing one of the first pair I got 28 years ago. Hard with the little laser holes.
Rich Smith, August 20, 2009 at 10:31 pmI’m 22 years old, and I’ve been wearing soft contact lesnes since I was about 15. I’ve always loved them, and never had a real problem with them. I have really high precription, and recently moved abrod. My new eye doctor suggested hard contact lenses because I was constantly getting eye infenctions.
Ive been with GP for a week, and Im having A VERY HARD time adjusting but I really do see so much better
Anita G, September 2, 2009 at 5:37 amI wore soft for years. Uncomfortable at night and poor vision. Changed to GPs, excellent vision. Now wearing high oxygen Menicon ‘Menifocal’ bifocals – work perfectly and are more comfortable than soft. Can be worn for up to a month. HIGHLY recommended.
Stevo, September 21, 2009 at 5:48 pmI have wearing hard contacts since the 7th grade. And that has been 38 years ago. I wore the old hard lences until 18 years ago, then changed to gas permebail. I have no problems with them I did have bifocles but now I am doing the one eye sees to read and the other is for distance. It is working well, but I have come to the reality I am seeing impaired and will never see 20-20 so what i am able to see is a blessing
debra, October 23, 2009 at 11:52 pm