Rgp Vs. Soft Contact Lenses Which Is Best For You?
By By Tanya Turner
When asked "what would you prefer - soft or rigid?", most people would say "soft, of course". The idea of having a hard object in your eyes scares people and eye doctors know about this, so they tend to prescribe soft lenses for their patients. But which type provides more benefits for your eye health and gives you better comfort and vision? The answer isn’t as obvious as you might think it is
Vision clarity
Both high quality soft and RGP provide good vision. However, studies have shown that properly fitted RGP lenses provide better vision. This is important for people who rely on their eyes in their jobs - truck drivers, pilots - and for certain sports, like shooting.
Also, many soft lens wearers report that their contacts feel funny in the dark and their vision decreases. RGP don’t have this problem.
Eye health comparison
Two important factors determine how healthy a contact lens is for your eyes - oxygen permeability and resistance to protein build-up.
RGP lenses let through 2-4 times more oxygen than soft contact lens. Therefore the risk of corneal inflammation is much lower. The only soft lenses that have oxygen permeability comparable to RGP lenses are silicon hydrogel contacts, like Focus Night and Day or Acuvue Advance
Soft lenses are more prone to protein build-up than RGP contacts. Of course, if you wear daily disposable soft lenses, this is not an issue. But if you use monthly or quarterly replacement lenses, by the end of its life the lens is covered with proteins no matter how carefully you clean it. RGP are made from totally different material - plainly said proteins and other secretions don’t stick to them.
Use as color contacts to change your eye color
Here RGP lenses can't compete with soft
