Are gas permeable contact lens any good? Anyone using them?

[Techie333]

I just went to see the eye doctor and he was talking about these new gas permeable contact lens that would be good if I wanted contacts. I have been wearing glasses for like 3 years now and have mild astigmatism so contacts have to be customized for me. What are the advantage/disadvantages of these kind of contacts? Also, what is the price range, generally? Any extra info would be greatly appreciated....

 

[Techie333]

bump

 

[Hoeboy]

i dont see how mild astigmatism can warrant gas permeable hard lenses. i have really bad astigmatism. so bad that i needed to have my hard lens custom made. and of course custom made = $$$. my pair cost $300 and that is supposed to be at a discount. but if you take care of them, they are suppose to last 3 years.

as for wearing them, it takes a bit to get used to. the first few days you'll see clearer but of course the feeling of having something hard in your eyes is uncomfortable. but after that, you hardly feel them. the only gripe i have is that you better have an extra pair (another $300) in case you lose one of the lens. i know you think you can go back to just wearing glasses temporarily until you get another pair BUT hard lens kind of push your cornea back. once you take off the lens, your cornea won't just spring back into it's original shape so vision can be a little blurry once you take it off.

 

[Vinny N]

I haven't worn contacts for about two years so I might be out of the loop (switched back to glasses to more easily accomodate unhealthy sleep schedules at college; I had gotten allergic to my contacts by wearing them almost 24/7, this was before the virtually 24/7 contacts came out)...

Anyways...I don't know why he was calling them new unless perhaps he was referring to something specific by a brand. I thought that gas permeable hard lenses had been out for a while, but I was always a soft lense user.

here's a decent faq: http://www.preventblindness.org/eye_problems/contacts.html

 

[shawnman]

I have had RGPs for probably around 10 years. Hoeboy is correct - the first week or two that you have them you will be able to feel them when they are in. Once you get use to them you don't feel them at all. When I have to get new lenses it runs a little under 300 [including all exams and the lenses]. I think its a little under $100 if I just lose one.

You have to make sure to clean them everyday and take good care of them since they will last years [ i.e. you don't have the luxury of just throwing them away and grabbing some new ones like you can with disposables.]

The solution is pretty expensive, around 7 / bottle. My doctor recommends Boston brand solutions and there doesnt seem to be too many alternatives. If you go into Walmart you will see that about 90-95% of the contact solutions that they carry are for soft lenses.

As for advantages: you can't invert them like you can with soft lenses; they are suppose to allow more oxygen to reach the eye.

Overall I am happy with them, but it sure sucks when you lose one.

 

[UNCjigga]

I used to have them...but they hurt like hell and messed up my eyes so now I can't wear contacts. They are cheaper than disposables but no one ever puts up with them for that reason. I had to use RGPs because a softie couldn't correct the astigmatism in my eyes.

 

[joemamma]

i was recommended gas permeable contacts to help improve my eyesight and prevent it from changing so drastically each year...i've had them about 10 years and they work great....they do take a little bit of getting used to...i would recommend them instead of soft contacts cos they provide a sharper image

 

[LH]

I have astigmatism in my right eye. My left eye is fine. I dont wear custom made contacts. Mine has to be very mild, as two other Dr's missed it. Toric lenses should work for most people with astigmatisims.

 

[ddwbi0]

when i first got contacts, my dr suggested i use gas permeable....something about my sight not getting worse with them or something. But those things bugged the crap out of my eyes. I didnt think they were very comfy at all. Now i wear soft lenses, and these things are unbelievably comfortable

 

[Ranger X]

Expensive and they hurt my eyes. I had to return them and get soft contact lenses.

 

[TwilightZone77]

I have had both and I much prefer soft contact lenses. They are just a lot more comfortable and easier to manage. When I had RGPs, I had difficulty getting them out of my eye. You're supposed to just be able to pop them out, which would be easy enough normally, but I couldn't get the hang of it so soft are much easier for me to manage. RGPs are also quite a bit more expensive. And they now make soft lenses for people with astigmatism as well. If it's mild enough, you can get by with normal lenses that don't specifically correct for astigmatism, too. The only real advantage of RPGs I know of is that wearing them may slow or prevent eyesight from becoming worse than it already is, but this isn't an issue unless your eyes are still changing; I think RPGs are recommended in this case for people in their early teens.

 

[Techie333]

thanks for all the replies.....and advice.....i think ill give gas permeable lens a shot......the doctor told me they would be uncomfortable for about 2 weeks but then they would feel even MORE comfortable than soft contacts.....also if it would correct my astigmatism, that would be great......my doc did say my vision got slightly worse so my eyes are still changing......HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO CORRECT???? 10 yrs?......and those of you guys who say they were real uncomfortable.....how long did you try them?

 

[Techie333]

I just read on another website that hard contacts can FALL OUT DURING VIGORUS ACTIVITY????!!!!! WTF?.......they can just fall out.....I play basketball just about every week......and also run..........that could be a major problem......they can just FALL OUT???!

 

[BL0RT]

I just read on another website that hard contacts can FALL OUT DURING VIGORUS ACTIVITY????!!!!! WTF?.......they can just fall out.....I play basketball just about every week......and also run..........that could be a major problem......they can just FALL OUT???!

yeah i was playing football last year and a guy on the other team lost his hard contact after being tackled. we spent half an hour looking for it and we didnt find it

 

[Hoeboy]

in my 5-6 years of using it, it never "just fell out." it is more prone to falling out if you get hit in the eye but it won't just fall for no reason. and if you keep the contacts wet, it'll stick to your eyes more. just don't get poked in the eye and i think you'll be fine.