If you wear contact lenses, you have the option to choose between hard and soft contact lenses. When you buy contact lenses online, you can come across all types of options that can be ordered from the comfort of your home. So, which type of contacts should you choose? This is a difficult decision to make unless you learn about them. This guide equips you with the right knowledge to determine which contacts are best for you.
Hard Contact Lenses
Modern hard contact lenses are healthier and far better than their initial counterparts. The rigid gas permeable technology has made these lenses more flexible, enabling them to allow oxygen reach to the cornea. Despite their greater flexibility than earlier hard lenses, these contacts are still referred to as ‘hard’ because they can retain their shape on your eye. They are now also known as rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses and offer many benefits.
Benefits of Hard Contact Lenses
The key benefits of modern hard contact lenses are as follows:
- Highly durable
- Ease of handling and wearing
- Ease of caring
- Retaining shape
- No dehydration
- Correcting most astigmatism
- Providing clear and crisp vision
- Availability in bifocal and multifocal
These lenses have been found to help slow down the progress of short-sightedness. These lenses are typically used for correcting common vision problems called refractive errors. These errors occur when the shape of the eye inhibits the light from focusing onto the retina. An RGP hard contact lens can be used to correct the following types of refractive errors:
- Myopia or nearsightedness
- Astigmatism
- Hyperopia or farsightedness
- Presbyopia or age-related loss of near vision
It is worth noting that most of these errors can also be corrected using soft contact lenses. Hard contact lenses are suited for those who want to avoid the risks of eye infections.
Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses have always been cherished for being flexible and comfortable to wear. These lenses are typically made of hydrogel and sometimes of silicon. They are made to absorb tear fluid. Since dirt and proteins can adhere to their structure, these contacts require special cleaning. If you want contacts that don’t require much time to get used to, you should choose soft contact lenses. They are also suited for temporary wearing.
Benefits of Soft Contact Lenses
Some of the key advantages of soft contact lenses are as follows:
- Greater wearing comfort
- Perfect for sporadic lens wearing
- Quickly get used to wearing contacts
- Eliminate the feeling of foreign body
- Better adhesion
The flexible material combines with water and allows oxygen to reach the cornea. This provides greater comfort and helps retain eye health. Some of the common conditions that can be corrected using soft contacts such as air optix plus hydraglyde include:
- Myopia
- Astigmatism
- Hyperopia
- Presbyopia
Now that you know the differences between hard and soft contact lenses and their key features, you can make the right choice. Once you understand their key features, it is best to discuss your goals with your eye specialist.
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