December 31, 2020

Specialty contact lenses have increased the level of eye care available, with specialty contact lenses targeting and treating specific eye conditions. By wearing the right type of contacts, issues, such as astigmatism, can be corrected. If you want to learn about the different variations of specialty lenses, here’s what you should know.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses

These are hard contact lenses that permit the entrance of oxygen into your cornea. They are healthy to wear because they inhibit the accumulation of proteins in your eyes. This decreases your risk of developing eye infections. RGP lenses are good for patients who need multifocals. They are also suitable for those who have high eyesight needs or astigmatism.

Toric Lenses

A normal cornea has only one curve. If you have astigmatism, your cornea has two distinct curves. This usually results in blurry or even double vision. Toric lenses can correct astigmatism effectively.

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) Lenses

Ortho-K lenses resolve refractive errors, such as myopia (nearsightedness). Overnight orthokeratology lenses are the most common ortho-k lenses. You wear them for at least eight hours each night. As you sleep, these lenses correct your vision by reshaping your cornea temporarily. The following day, you remove them. You then have clear vision during your waking hours. There is no need for you to wear corrective lenses or glasses as you go about your daily activities.

Scleral Contact Lenses

If you have keratoconus, your cornea bulges outward, forming a cone. It also becomes thinner. Regular contact lenses cannot hold their position because of this change in shape. Only scleral lenses can fit your cornea if you have keratoconus. These lenses are RGP lenses that have a wider diameter. They vault over your cone-shaped cornea and rest on the surrounding white part of your eye. Scleral lenses then replace your irregular cornea with a rounded and smooth surface. This provides you with sharper eyesight. The gap between your cornea and scleral lenses fills with tears, providing relief to patients with dry eye symptoms.

Extended Wear Contact Lenses

You can still wear these lenses while you sleep. Even so, you should remove them at least once each week for disinfection and cleaning. Only a few eye care providers prescribe these lenses because they increase your risk of getting an eye infection.

Disposable Contact Lenses

With these contact lenses, you don’t have to worry about daily care and maintenance. You throw away your used contacts by the end of the day and wear fresh ones the next day.

The right specialty contact lenses can provide you with relief and clear vision. At East Main Vision Clinic, we provide our patients with only high-quality eye care and eyewear. Please call our office in Puyallup, Washington at 253-780-0700 to schedule an appointment or with any questions about our specialty contact lenses.

References:

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/glasses-contacts/contact-lens-102

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/contact-lenses/types-contact-lenses