RGP Contact Lenses For Comfort and Good Health

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses or RGP contact lenses are also known as oxygen permeable lenses. RGP contact lenses are the lesser-know type of contact lens, with soft contact lenses being the most well known.

RGP contact lenses were first introduced in the late 1970s. At that time, RGP contact lenses were a newer technology than soft contact lenses.

RGP contact lenses were designed to incorporate silicone. The silicone of RGP contact lenses makes them more flexible than hard contact lenses (no longer sold).

In addition, silicone is oxygen permeable, which means makes the RGP lens healthy and comfortable because oxygen is allowed to pass through the RGP contact lens. In fact, RGP contact lenses allow more oxygen to pass through to the eye than traditional soft contact lenses. In order for eyes to be healthy, they need oxygen.

In addition to being more comfortable and healthy, RGP contact lenses provide better vision and durability than soft contact lenses. The durability of RGP contact lenses will ensure that purchasing the lenses will be less expensive for long-term usage than soft contact lenses.

RGP contact lenses are long lasting and easier to clean than traditional soft contact lenses. Another difference between RGP contact lenses and soft contact lenses are their size. RGP contact lenses have a smaller diameter than soft contact lenses.

Although RGP contact lenses are comfortable and generally healthier for your eyes, many contact lens wearers still choose not to wear them. One reason man contact lens wearers choose not to wear RGP contact lenses is that they are not instantly comfortable on the eye. When you put in soft contact lenses, they are instantly comfortable to wear.

In contrast, RGP contact lens wearers need to get used to the feeling of RGP contact lenses in order for them to feel comfortable on the eye. This adaptation period is very shot, depending on how often your wear the RGP contact lenses. After a short period of wearing the RGP contact lenses, they will feel very comfortable to wear.

RGP contact lenses present contact wearers with many health and vision benefits.

Because RGP contact lenses are oxygen permeable, they allow a steady flow of oxygen to the eye, making they lens very healthy to wear.

In addition to a healthy flow of oxygen, RGP contact lenses provide the wearer with a better vision.

Because RGP contact lenses are made of a stiff material, they will hold their shape well.

This is especially important for all contact lens wearers. Soft contact lenses have the tendency to shift when the wearer blinks. Often times, soft contact lens wearers will need to let their eyes re-focus for a short while after blinking. This is not the case with RGP contact lenses. Since RGP contact lenses will retain their shape after blinking, they will provide a crisper vision after blinking than soft contact lenses.

Although RGP contact lenses are very durable, they can be broken. For example, and RGP contact lens can be broken if it is accidentally crushed or stepped on. Although RGP contact lenses can be broken, they are not so delicate they will tear easily like soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses are very delicate and can be easily torn by fingernails during insertion.

RGP contact lenses are not made of materials that contain water like soft contact lenses. Because the materials of RGP contact lenses do not contain water, they stay cleaner than soft contact lenses. The absence of water in the lens material prevents things like protein and lipids (from tears) from adhering to the RGP contact lens.

The proteins and lipids found in tears can build up on soft contact lenses and even dry them out, making the soft contact lenses uncomfortable to wear. In addition, a build-up of proteins and lipids on your lenses will make them appear cloudy as you are wearing them. This does not happen with RGP contact lenses.

Disadvantages of RGP contact lenses:

Routine. In order for RGP contact lenses to be comfortable, you need to wear them regularly. For example, if you stop wearing your RGP contact lenses, you will need time to get used to them all over again.
Spectacle blur. Sometimes when you remove your RGP contact lenses, your vision will be blurry. Spectacle blur can even occur if you remove the RGP contact lenses and put on eyeglasses. The spectacle blur effect is temporary, but can force RGP contact lens wearer to wear their lenses all the time. Wearing contact lenses all the time can be very inconvenient.


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