Gas permeable contact lenses are today's answer to the "hard" lenses of yesterday. Gas permeable contact lenses are superior because of their ability to allow more oxygen to pass through the lens and onto your eye. The biggest danger of wearing contact lenses is the damage that a lack of oxygen can cause to your eye. Soft lenses transfer oxygen to your eye through water. But this method only allows a small amount of oxygen onto your eye surface.

Hard or rigid lenses have been around for over 100 years, but never has the product been so safe, effective, and affordable. Gas permeable lenses have been shown to provide even clearer sight than soft contacts. By allowing more oxygen into your eye, the gas permeable lenses are safer for your eyes.

Because of their ability to allow so much oxygen into your eye, many of the gas permeable lenses can be safely worn for extended periods of time. The extended wear contact lenses can be worn for up to 30 days at a time without having to take them out.

Gas permeable lenses have been shown to help myopia and are being used in children and young adults to slow down the progression of their nearsightedness.

Because gas permeable lenses are more rigid, they retain their shape and your eyes to not have to re-adjust every time you blink as they do with soft contact lenses.

Some find that the harder gas permeable lenses take a little longer to adjust to than soft lenses. But once you have adjusted to them, you will find that they will be much more comfortable than soft lenses in the long run because they do not need moisture and will not draw moisture away from your eyes as soft lenses do. But some people cannot adapt to the feel of the gas permeable contact lens. For that reason, a hybrid lens was created. The hybrids are lenses that combine a harder gas permeable lens with the edges of a soft lens. This gives you the benefits of crisper sight and increased oxygen permeability with the added comfort of a soft lens.

Even with the advancements made by gas permeable contact lenses, eye infections can still happen if you do not follow your doctor's instructions. Always dispose of your contacts at the allotted time. If you wear weekly contact lenses, make sure you are only wearing the lenses for one week and throwing the old pair away. Do the same for daily disposable lenses and 30-day contact lenses. Do not try to save money by wearing your lenses longer than you should. It will not pay to take chances with something as precious as your eyesight.

If you are considering trying contact lenses for the first time or even if you have been wearing them for years, ask your doctor about sampling gas permeable contact lenses. They may be exactly what you are looking for.

By: mark(at)contactlensesguideonline.com