Gas Permeable Contact
Lenses
Comparison of Hard and Soft Contact Lenses
There was a time when rigid (hard) lenses were the only options.
However, these relics have been replaced by widely accepted,
more flexible materials. Hard contact lenses are so rarely
prescribed today and they are almost obsolete!
Hard contact lenses
The earlier hard contact lenses were made out of polymethyl
methacrylate or PMMA, which is known as Lucite. This material
was very uncomfortable but it has done a good job allowing
vision correction without any distortion. It took people quite
some time to get used to wearing hard contact lenses and they
tend to require a considerable amount of maintenance.
The material used to make hard contact lenses will potentially
carry other problems as well. It was non-gas permeable which
means that it did not allow much oxygen to flow through. Due
to this reason, people were advised against wearing hard lenses
for more than 12 hours a day. It's no wonder few people still
wear this type of lens and even fewer vision specialists prescribe
them.
Soft contact lenses
It’s cool that technological advances led to the creation
of a more comfortable lens, which is the soft contact lens.
These lenses are prescribed more frequently since almost anyone
can wear them. Soft contact lenses are made with water so
they float more freely on the surface of the eye. It is so
comfortable that people to get used to wearing them. On top
of that, the lens is very porous which means that oxygen can
freely pass through the lens where it can reach the cornea.
However, soft lenses are not as durable as other types of
lenses and it means that they're more likely to tear, even
when being handled under normal circumstances. Another downside
of soft contact lenses is that vision will not be as sharp
as it can be with other types of corrective lenses. But even
though vision might not be as crisp, it's clear enough that
most people don't even notice it's lacking.
Another significant disadvantage is that soft contact lenses
are more prone to protein build-up. Over time such build-up
can distort or negatively impact vision. The build-up of protein
also can cause discomfort. And this is why you need to properly
care for the soft contact lenses cannot be stressed enough.
Fortunately, as fast as the technology behind contact lenses
is evolving, so too is the market for contact lens cleaning
and disinfecting solutions. In the beginning, there was a
separate product for each step: cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting
and storage. And now, with just one product can easily handle
all the steps, without needing to rub the lenses to remove
protein deposits.
For those who have no time or who aren't disciplined enough
to properly care for their soft contact lenses, disposable
contact lenses will be the perfect solution for you. These
soft contact lenses are meant to be thrown away after a certain
period of time, daily, weekly or monthly. Since the lenses
are thrown away rather than continually reused, the chances
of bacterial infection and/or protein build-up have been greatly
reduced.
If you were to choose between hard contact lenses and soft,
soft is your best choice!
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