When looking online for information about Gas Permeable contact lenses it was very hard to find the answers to all my questions. So I thought I would a blog post answering the questions I couldn't find and the ones I hard to find out the hard way!
Having worn glasses since I was three years old (1996) and I'm about to turn 20, I thought it was about that time that I plucked up the courage to get contacts. On the 23rd August 2013 I had my first appoint with my optician and exactly a month later I took the contacts home.
What are Gas Permeable (hard) contact lenses?
GP contacts are made from a firm, durable plastic that transmits oxygen. They offer excellent eye health as they don't contain water like soft lenses do and resist deposits and are less likely than soft contacts to store bacteria. Another advantage to GP contact lenses is that cleaning and disinfecting them is very easy as they don't dehydrate, are easier to handle, and last longer than soft lenses.
What's the dirt fe between GP contacts and soft lenses?
Soft lenses are much larger in diameter than GP lenses and "tuck under" the eyelids so yo speak. As a result of this, you don't feel the lens edges when you blink. But as GP lenses are smaller and much thicker, during blinking your eyelids will experience initial "lens awareness."
Overtime your eye lids will gradually adapt and you will not feel the lens with every blink. Once over that small hurdle, the comfort of soft and GP contacts can be comparable. Its exactly the same as buying a new pair of shoes. You may notice and feel the shoes while you break them in, but when thats all over they're the proper fit.
First Experiences With Hard Contacts
Where to begin! It took me so long to get to grips with my lenses, the first time the optician put them in for me i was sitting in the chair, head back feeling very nervous. Once the lens had been put in my eye I got a sudden outburst of tears, and the feeling as if I had grit in my eye. It took me at least 10 minutes to let him put the other one in. The next few times consisted of me trying to put them in and out on my own, it took me a long time to pluck up the courage but now I am able to do that completely fine. The difference I have noticed with my lenses compared to those who wear soft lenses is that they have to go strait onto the cornea, meaning if you put it into your eye and it goes onto the white part you can't just blink and it will go into place, you have to hold the lens still so it cannot move and look towards it and slowly move the contact onto your eye! No lie this is the hardest thing to do when you are first starting out, but in time you will get the hang of it.
How I Feel Now About Hard Lenses now
I have only been officially wearing my lenses for officially a few days now and I'm still getting to grips with them. They do feel like my eyes are itchy and I'm squinting and blinking a hell of a lot! But I would not go back to glasses!
They last longer
They are easier to look after and there is less chance of allergy to solutions
With some medical cases, hard lenses are the only way to achieve good vision.
They actually let more oxygen to your eye and allow it to breathe better
Disadvantage to Hard Lenses
Require consistent wear to maintain adaptation
Can slip off the centre of eye more easily than other types
Requires office visits for follow-up care
You can not sleep in them under any circumstances
Happy Shopping Fellow Shopaholics!
