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Home » Contact Lenses » Firm or Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

Firm or Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

contact lens on fingerIntroduced first in the 1940s, firm contact lenses have evolved dramatically. Today’s lenses are made of materials that allow more oxygen to reach the eye surface, or cornea. For this reason they are called rigid gas permeable contact lenses.

Characteristics of gas permeable contact lenses:

  • Individually designed and created for each patient based on their specific eye measurements
  • Often allow more oxygen to the eye than many soft contact lenses
  • Provide crisper vision than many soft lenses due to the firmness of the materials
  • Extreme durability. With proper lens care, they may last years (as long as a prescription change is not necessary)
  • Sometimes easier to care for than soft lenses
  • Easier to recognize what side should come in contact with the eye when inserting the lens
  • More deposit resistant than soft contact lenses
  • Some studies show that fitting nearsighted children with firm contact lenses may slow the progression of their nearsightedness but this is still under investigation
  • Most people can adapt to firm contact lenses within 2 weeks
  • Must be worn on a regular basis to keep the lids adapted to the firm material

For more information about firm gas permeable contact lenses, visit GP Contact Lenses online.