GP And Hybrid Contacts For Sports
- Though most athletes who need corrective lenses wear soft contacts, GP lenses also are an option. These contacts, also called rigid gas permeable or RGP lenses, are designed for full-time wear and have several advantages over soft contact lenses:
- Because GP lenses are rigid, they keep their shape on your eye. This allows better correction of astigmatism and other corneal abnormalities, often creating sharper vision.
- GP lenses let more oxygen reach your eyes than traditional hydrogel soft lenses do.
- Because the surface of GP lenses is hard, debris doesn’t accumulate as easily on these lenses. So they stay cleaner longer.
- Gas permeable lenses don’t absorb tears from your eyes like soft lenses do, so you don’t have to worry as much about dry eyes.
- But GP lenses have some drawbacks, too. Because they are rigid, it takes longer to adapt to wearing the lenses, and it’s usually difficult to wear them on a part-time basis for sports. You must commit to adapting to and wearing gas permeable lenses full-time for best results.
- Also, GP lenses are significantly smaller in diameter than soft lenses, which increases the possibility that they could be dislodged from the eye during contact sports. If this becomes a problem, your eye doctor can fit you with a custom-made GP lens with a larger diameter to reduce the risk of the lenses getting dislodged.
- One way to address the disadvantages of GPs is with hybrid contact lenses. Hybrids consist of a GP lens center surrounded by a “skirt” of soft lens material. The idea is to provide the crisp optics of a GP with the comfort of soft lenses. Hybrids are also larger, like soft lenses, so they won’t pop out of your eye during sports.
Very important: Always make sure you discuss and make decisions about your eye care based upon a formal appointment with your optician.
For more information please call us or visit
KOBRIN & MARTIN OPTOMETRISTS, SANDTON
Tel: 011 884 8413 | kobrinmartin@telkomsa.net
