Gas Permeable Lenses

At Eye Doctors - Elgart Gordon & Associates, we offer a range of contact lens options to suit various visual needs, including gas permeable and rigid gas permeable lenses. These lenses provide unique advantages for individuals seeking precise vision correction and optimal comfort.

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Clear and Comfortable Vision

Gas Permeable Contact Lenses: These lenses, also known as GP lenses or RGP lenses, are made from a firm plastic material that allows oxygen to pass through to the cornea. This ensures better oxygen flow compared to traditional hard lenses, enhancing comfort during wear. GP lenses provide excellent vision correction for a wide range of prescriptions, including astigmatism and higher levels of refractive error. Their durability and crisp optics make them an ideal choice for those seeking clear and stable vision.

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses: RGP lenses share many characteristics with standard gas permeable lenses. They provide sharper and clearer vision compared to soft lenses, making them a great option for individuals with irregular corneas or complex prescriptions. RGP lenses can help address conditions like keratoconus, where the cornea becomes progressively thin and conical in shape.

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Benefits of Gas Permeable Lenses

Health and Hygiene Benefits

Unlike soft lenses, GPs don’t contain water which makes them less likely to attract and breed bacteria that can cause eye infections. Further protein deposits won’t build up on the lens, keeping them cleaner and healthier.

Because they are made with a strong durable material, GP lenses won’t tear and are easy to clean and disinfect. RGPs maintain their firm shape and will not dehydrate. Furthermore, GPs last longer than soft lenses – when cared for properly, a pair can last a year or more.

Comfort

GP contact lenses are custom made for each patient based on the eye’s individual curvature, size, corneal shape. Their ability to transmit oxygen reduces eye problems such as dry eyes caused by reduced oxygen that are common in many brands of soft lenses or hard (non-GP) lenses.

GP lenses have a smaller diameter than soft contacts, meaning that they cover less of the surface of your eye. While this may take some time getting used to initially, ultimately many find that they are just as if not more comfortable than soft contacts.

Better Vision

Due to the rigid material, GPs have a smooth surface and maintain their shape, moving along with the eye to hold their place. This provides sharp and stable vision. Further they do not dehydrate, which is often a cause for reduced vision with other lenses.

Lasting Value, Lasting Vision: Why GPs Outshine Soft Lenses

Because they last so long, GPs are much more cost effective than soft lenses, especially disposable lenses that require a constant supply. Because they are made to order, there is an initial cost investment and they will take up to a week to manufacture if you do need a replacement pair.

Adapting to GP Lenses

One of the downsides of GP contact lenses is that they require an adaptation period, particularly if you are used to soft lenses with a larger diameter. One of the major differences is an experience of “lens awareness” in which you feel the edge of the lens when you blink. It could take up to a few weeks to get used to the lenses but many people report that after this initial period they find that GP lenses are just as, if not more comfortable than soft lens varieties.

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GP Lenses For Myopia and Ortho-K

Research shows that gas permeable lenses might be effective in slowing the progression or worsening of myopia or nearsightedness, particularly in children. They are also used in Orthokeratology (ortho-k), a vision correcting procedure in which you wear the lenses at night to reshape your cornea for improved vision during the day.