Anyone switched from soft contacts to gas permeables? - Eye & Vision Message Board

Kiana · 09-09-2003, 10:44 PM

After 16 years of fairly constant contact use, I've recently become more concerned with protecting the health of my eyes. I understand the gas perms are the best thing for the eye, but I've never worn hard contacts before, and was wondering if anyone out there has successfully made the switch? How are they for comfort? I hear the vision is supposed to be fantastic. Also, since they allow your eyes to breathe, does this mean you can wear them as many hours a day as you want?
Just curious!

Kiana

goatofthenever · 09-10-2003, 12:29 PM

i switched from gas perms to soft. and soft are a whole lot more comfortable. i couldnt wear mine as long as i can my soft contacts. and if somthing gets in your eye with gas perms it hurts alot more. plus soft are disposable, so if you lose one its no big deal but you have to buy a new hard one.
but i thought soft lets your eyes breath more.

CapsFan · 09-10-2003, 02:06 PM

I wear gas perms & have for 12 years now. I've never worn soft (tried, but I'm squeamish about getting them out).

It takes a while to get used to them. I think it took me close to a month to be able to wear them full-time. I wear my lenses 14-16 hours a day with minimal problems now. Yeah, occasionally something gets in there & irritates my eye, but that's what drops are for. I do have a hard time during allergy season because I have horrible allergies.

RGP lenses do offer fabulous vision - everything is sharp & clear. When I tried soft lenses I kept saying "Why is everything slightly blurry?" I also found them to be cheaper than soft lenses - I only pay $70/pair, and a pair will last me at least 2 years. I had one pair for 5 years with no problems.

And no, soft lenses don't let more oxygen through. There are RGP lenses out now that let through much more oxygen. What's important is the Dk factor - that's a measure of how much oxygen can get through. The higher the better.

Kiana · 09-10-2003, 03:22 PM

Thanks a lot for the input! I think I'll talk to my optometrist more about this next time I run out of contacts. I would love to have the sharper vision.
Thanks again!

sopranokris · 09-11-2003, 08:36 PM

I just made the switch from soft lenses to RGPs two weeks ago. The first 2 days were uncomfortable but by the 4th day, they started to feel better. By the end of the first week, I could wear my RGPs 12 hours.

I'm now on my second week with RGP lenses and I can wear them the entire day with no problems. I have astigmatism so my vision is MUCH better with RGPs. I tried 3 different soft torics but had no luck. Kept getting blurred vision. The thing I like most about my RGPs is they don't blur when I blink. That was my biggest peeve with the soft lenses.

Plus with the added gas permeability, my eyes don't get so dried out with the RGPs so I rarely need to use rewetting drops during the day. The cleaning solution is cheaper, lasts longer & the lenses are also cheaper and last longer than soft lenses.

I'm very satisfied with my switch to RGPs. I don't think I'll ever go back to soft.

--Kristin