Specialty Contact Lenses: Corneal Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses 

Hi there - thank you! Thanks for the encouragement and your support; will definitely keep good content coming! I hope you're staying safe and healthy :)

As someone who's worn them so long can you help ? I'm new to mine and don't feel my sight is as good when wearing them especially for reading etc will it get better once I get more used to them or is this just my sight now ?

@@sugabaeknu7922You should definitely see more sharp with the hard contact lenses. You might need an adjustment with your eye prescription. I highly recommend checking back in with your optometrist.

Hi there, that is interesting. It should be clear at all distances (given that you don't need a reading prescription yet) Have you gone back to your eye doctor to assess vision and the fit?

@@drnataliechai5551 hey thanks for responding. I'm going back but it's hard to be seen in a reasonable amount of time with all of this cover stuff going on. in the meantime i'm stuck with soft blurry distance vision. I really feel that when optometrist are fitting customers for driving that the common eye chart is not sufficient.wish there was a way to check a persons vision outside in the real world. thanks for your time!

@@TheRealNewBlackMusic Yes, that would definitely be the ideal situation! That is a huge reason why we send our patients home to trial the initial lenses for about one week and return for follow up visits. This allows you to experience the lenses in your daily life and allows for what we call ‘settling’ of the lens. From there, we may need to adjust parameters to help it fit better so it is definitely a bit of a process. However, technology is coming along where we’re trying to be as accurate as possible in less amount of time. Unfortunately, life is never that simple :/ I hope everything is on the way to better vision for you!

@@TheRealNewBlackMusic Many Doctors just send your measurements to the lab with your spectacle prescription and never have trial lenses in their office to properly over refract you.. Basically your doctor simply "guessed"..

Hi there, yes typically vision is unparalleled when wearing hard lenses when compared to that of a soft lens the higher the astigmatism :) The optics are usually better! Best of luck with getting fit with them - I think you will be happy when the process is all said and done

Only if you step on it...

That's a great question!! Different persons have different diameter corneas. There is no one size fits everyone best, else there would be a single common size corneal lenses. The best size for a patient is generally something your eye care professional is trained to determine with an eye examination based on your individual eyes.

Hi there - I apologize for the delay in response. Life and the clinic has been extremely busy for the last (almost) year. Thank you for your question, and that is an excellent question. To answer you question simply, yes. The larger the diameter the better comfort. The response from a friend also has truth as it does vary from person to person. When it comes to comfort especially with RGPs, the discomfort you experience at the beginning is natural. There is an extremely large learning curve when it comes to getting used to the sensation of an RGP lens on eye. My go-to when it comes to relief from dry eye and comfort is typically scleral lenses. These are extremely large diameter lenses that vault your im cornea entirely and we have to fill the bowl of the lens with saline. So when it comes to dryness, the scleral lens addresses it very well. Yes, Hydra-PEG certainly helps. How has things been for you since then?

@@drnataliechai5551 hi. i've since this post, given up on RGP lenses (they were uncomfortable and drying and burning for my eyes, even after i took them off), and scleral lenses didn't work for me either. so I'm occasionally wearing bioaffinity toric soft lenses for now, which is not ideal b/c they are monthly, but i've tried the one-a-day ones and they were almost all more drying than the bioaffinity one, for some reason. =( I'm going on 3 months of Cequa use, but not seeing much benefit from that either... =(

@@eunicious Thanks for your update. I am sorry to hear that it has been a struggle for you. What seemed to be the challenge with the scleral lenses for you? I typically address the dryness first before starting any form of contact lens wear, especially if there is a significant intolerance to contact lenses. Outside from Cequa, what else are you doing for your dry eyes?

It may be the material they are made from.. Personally, I prefer the Boston ES lenses due to the fact they feel more comfortable for me.. I wear a smaller diameter as well and they are quite comfortable. The edge bevel has a lot to do with comfort and "well roll polished edges" are important..

Hi! You’re welcome! I’m so glad I was able to help!!

Thank you for the support! I am glad the video provided you with value. I am glad to hear that your RGPs are providing better vision but sounds like it can be further refined. (I am only assuming) but it sounds like there is quite a bit of movement and so the fit may need to require some attention to achieve better stability. Thank you for your comment! Let me know if I can help in any way

I also have kerticonus and fitting rbp lenses is challenging and may take a really long time. Follow up with your lens specialist frequently to ensure the fit is right. My first fitting took over a year, seeing the optometrist every 2-4 weeks. But once it’s fit well it is very good. You may also need to consider piggybacking the rgp lens on a soft lens, but talk to your doc about that

@@chryssi9997 hi. Piggybacking is using a soft lens under a hard lens where the soft lens acts as a bandage to protect the eye. In cases of kertoconus fitting a lens is very difficult so this allows the hard lens to be a bit tighter without risking damage to the cornea. However it also eliminates the benefit of the RGP lens (gas permeable) because of the soft lens. But for me it allowed me to go from 20/30 to 20/20 vision. The optometrist would be able to give more information and let you know if it’s appropriate for you.

Keratoconus contact lenses are perhaps the most challenging to fit. You must have corneal mapping done to determine the location, size and shape of the cones. Reverse geometry lenses are sometimes needed and a few fittings many be necessary..

You are either producing mucus, lipids ( Fats that are similar to the oils in your skin ), or it could be a cosmetic product entering your eyes. Clean them well with Boston cleaner ( perhaps twice ), rinse and store for at least 4 hours in conditioning solution. They must be cleaned every day..

Hi Betty - thank you for your comment. Oh boy - yes, hard lenses are making quite the comeback and is great for everyone (who can fight through the initial comfort) I hope you were able to find a specialty lens fitter in your area - best of luck with your journey! It is certainly a longer process than the soft lenses, however it is worth it because it is more tailored to the shape of your cornea and of course your exact prescription. Long-term, when you take good care of them, and with stability of vision and prescription, a pair can last you multiple years.

Find a good Doctor who can fit them.. I would recommend a "teaching hospital" with an eye clinic.. That may be your best bet.

Javier Garcia Thank you very much! I am glad you took some value from it!

If you don't feel comfortable with inserting and removing on your own, definitely call to schedule some training and practice :)

That is interesting. I agree with the comment below - I ALWAYS do a training/dispense appointment. Obviously if you're a new wearer, but also if I had re-designed a lens and we're refitting you with a new lens. This is a good way for us to refresh up on insertion/removal techniques, hygiene, and most importantly, I personally like to see the actual RGP lens on the eye of the patient to make sure it is sitting well, and also to double check vision through them. I hope that helps?

Hi there - thanks for the question; the simple answer to that is if your vision starts to worsen while wearing the RGPs. The wonderful thing is that they can last as long as proper hygiene and care is done. So if the scratches are not interfering with vision, it is still viable. Sometimes the scratches can be polished out at a lab (however please be cautious with that because it can sometimes change the parameter of the lens and sit differently on the surface of the eye) I would always of course defer that answer to your optometrist/ophthalmologist as they will be best able to provide a more accurate answer. I hope that helps!

8 years is far too long.. I will replace mine ( even unscratched ) after 2 years. They accumulate protein deposits and can even change shape or power from daily cleaning.

does this help with people who have dry eyes in addition to astigmatism?

I'm an experienced layman with contacts. If you are seeing 20-20 with soft contacts and they are comfortable then you shouldn't switch to RGP lenses. However, if you have blurred vision with soft lenses, or allergies to the solutions, dry eyes, etc, then you could give RGP lenses another try if you are determined to wear contacts. The RGP materials today are superior to those of 1989. I wore the "Boston IV" in 1989, a silicon-acrelate material, which offered a fair amount of oxygen permeability but the surface was prone to protein buildups and deposits. Today's RGP lenses are made from various "flourosilicone-acrylate." They increased oxygen permeability and superior surfaces that can attract fewer deposits. Plus manufacturers can molecularly bond wet-polymer coatings to the lenses (as if an artificial tear) that makes the lenses slippery and wet feeling, and it resists deposits very well and lasts for months. "Tangible hydra-peg" has a patent for the process of bonding the wet polymer to the lenses. Other than that, if you want to try RGP lenses again, prepare to battle minor discomforts for a month during the adaption period. I wear RGP lenses now, and was happy that i switched back to them several years ago, because I had blurred vision in my right eye with soft contacts, but not with hard. They are much better today! And, after a month of re-adaption I very happy with them... and my tolerance for them continued to improve the next month as I learned to keep away from oily substances on my hands, and from moisturizing soaps on my hand which subtly transfer to the lenses making them uncomfortable. (When you handle RGP lenses use a non-mosturizing soap to wash your hands. I actually have my own hand soap that's just Dawn dish washing detergent, 10-1 with water, and use that... it's BEST) The bottom line is you still have to adapt to RGP lenses!

@@markwiygul6356 You are so correct, the early gas permeable lenses were so uncomfortable that I stayed with my old PMMA hard lenses.. I now wear the Boston ES lenses and they are so comfortable...

@@1953childstar I use Boston ES lenses too.. they work Great and feel Great! I miss having extended wear soft lenses, and sleeping in them, but since the vision in my right eye is razor sharp now (thanks to hard contacts) I definitely don't want to switch back. Also, my contacts stay crystal clear and squeaky clean all day long, and I love that. Soft lenses always started to get buildups and deposits. One day I might try out a higher oxygen permeable material RGP for extended wear RGP, but I haven't heard from anyone who has tried that mode of wear with them.

They still feel scratchy and uncomfortable. I have KC and I hate these lenses. Idk why I was giving these instead of Scleral lenses.

@@markwiygul6356 The only issue with lenses that have a higher "DK", is that they are more "hydrophobic" ( Repelling moisture ) and fragile ( they warp or break more easily and cannot be made as thin as the Boston ES lenses ).. Stick with what you have..

Hello - I would certainly go into your optometrist/ophthalmologist to assess the fit again. One of the most common issues is what we call "3 & 9 o'clock" touch/staining where there is a lot of pressure at those clock hours causing discomfort and actually increased dryness. The other thing to consider is whether or not there has been any changes to the corneal tissue. Both of which can be determined by your eye doctor!

Possibly "protein deposits" or scratches… 4 years with the same lenses is too long !! Get new lenses.

Hi there! You are welcome - I am happy it was helpful for you. That is my goal :) Hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy

I live in Jamaica and I wear them Got mine in December. I see a local specialist.

NO !!!

Hello, you’re welcome :) yes, the fit has to be adjusted so that doesn’t happen to interfere with comfort and vision!

Bad fit !!!

Thank you for your kind words :)

@@drnataliechai5551 your welcome, I am thinking about getting rgp lenses but most places don't fit for them! Difficult time

@@C.R886 Keep looking and calling around! You'll eventually find one. I do hope more doctors choose to enter into the specialty lens arena - it is under-represented. I hope your search ends soon and that you'll find the care you need!

@@drnataliechai5551 😉

Hi there, thanks for reaching out and thank you for your subscription! Yes, keratoconus certainly makes everything more complicated. From what I gather they will be fitting you with a specialty contact lens and the price reflects that. I would assume they will attempt to fit you with either the RGP or Scleral Lens. Your astigmatism is certainly above and beyond the parameters of a soft lens and you probably would not be happy either with a soft lens. Vision is the best for you using a specialty contact lens. Let me know if that helps?

@@drnataliechai5551 thank you Doctor. Your so right. I asked my friend whose best friend just became a optometrist 2 years ago and she just told me today soft contacts aren't going to give the most precise vision and that RGP would probably be best. She told me dont go for soft lenses. I wonder will my trials be soft contacts. I get examined next week. Thank you so much for your detailed response.

Come to India hear made in India rgp lenses are under 90$

@@satyamkumarsarangi9165 Hello - thanks for reaching out. I prefer to keep as local as possible for my patients. Hope you're doing well

I had kc since The age of 8 years old, and been wearing hard contact lenses for about 15 years.

You will have the best vision from an RGP lens, but you may still have a tiny bit of ghosting at night. I wear a small diameter ( 9.0 ) and they provide perfect day vision, but I have just a little bit of distortion at night ( I can see signs clearly ). If I wear a larger diameter they are very uncomfortable, so there is always a "trade off"..

There is no real "Brand", they are made in much the same manner as a "hard lens" was made in the 1960's, simply various different "Gas permeable" materials. The contemporary lenses usually have an aspheric back surface and are made a tad larger and have a tighter fit than the older lenses. I doubt that you are wearing the old PMMA ( Lucite) hard lenses, unless you have been wearing the same lenses for 30 years..

Hi there - thank you for the question. It certainly is possible - the idea behind it is that there is more of a mechanical and sheering force between the skin of the upper lid and the contact lens material. It would definitely make you more aware of the lens. However, reading your challenges that you're having with your soft lenses, the largest difference between a soft lens and say, for example, a scleral lens, is movement. The higher your astigmatism, there is more "weight" so to speak to the soft lens to ensure as little movement as possible of the soft lens on your eye. Any movement on every blink, you will perceive it as discomfort and possibly fluctuation in vision or sometimes even blurry vision. My go-to specialty lens is the scleral - I love them. Not only do they provide you with exceptional vision when compared to the soft lens, but with the properly designed and fit lens, it is also very comfortable. I would be the devil's advocate here :) Any contact lens wearer, I automatically pair that with dry eye. So in your case, it is most likely a combination! Don't be shy! I would certainly ask about a specialty lens option in your case. Soft lenses are made for the majority but it certainly isn't one-size-fit-all. if anything, it would be a wonderful way to get educated on them. I hope that answers your question and that it was helpful. Please let me know if you need any further clarification!

I have worn lenses since 1962 and never developed a "callous"...

@@1953childstar its just the wording they used to explain the desensitization process. You won't have some overly-thick patch of skin under your eyelids, but you won't "feel" the lenses as much as you adjust to them over time. That is how my doctor explained it to me.

@@anonymousperson8211 Thank you !!! I have heard this expression and wondered...