Contacts That Let in More Oxygen

With an estimated 38 million users in the USA alone, contact lenses have become enormously popular. There are a variety of contact lenses available to help treat all kinds of vision impairments and disorders. Huge advancements have been made in contact lens technology and the rigid, hard lenses made from inflexible, non-permeable plastics are almost extinct, with two main categories of contact lenses now dominating the market. Oxygen is essential to maintain healthy eyes, so where possible, select a contact lens that promotes the maximum oxygen uptake.

Extended Use Soft Lenses

• Soft contact lenses are usually made to be durable enough for "daily-wear" over the period of one month, at which point they are replaced with a new pair. Soft lenses are made of gas permeable, water-based plastics, manufactured to create a very pliable lens. Soft contact lenses contain between 30 percent and 40 percent water, allowing oxygen to pass through to the surface of the eye. Some opticians and contact lens manufactures offer soft lenses that are up to 80 percent water, creating a less durable but more permeable solution.

  Soft lenses rest on a thin layer of tears that protects the surface of the eye. It is important to keep blinking to prevent the water-based lenses from drying up and sticking to the surface of the eye.

Disposable Soft Lenses

• Disposable contact lenses are soft lenses designed to be worn for one day only. Less durable than their extended use counterpart, these lenses often have a higher water content, allowing more oxygen to pass through to the eye. Consult with your optician to find out about water content and highly permeable lenses.

  Both daily disposabl, and extended use soft lenses are comfortable to wear, with very few users suffering irritation.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP)

• RGP lenses combine some of the characteristics of hard and soft lenses. Although primarily prescribed to patients suffering from a high degree of astigmatism, other visually impaired patients may select this type of lens to benefit from the increased accuracy of the vision provided. Thanks to the firmer nature of the contact lens, it retains its shape when you blink, resulting in a crisper image.

  RGP lenses are made from a gas permeable plastic. More rigid than soft lenses, these lenses sit further from the surface of the eye, allowing more oxygen to get to the eyes. Unfortunately, due to the rigid nature and thicker construction, these contact lenses are less comfortable than soft lenses, and patients need to wear them regularly to allow the eye to adjust to them.