3 Major Types of Specialty Contact Lenses

Most people will divide contact lenses into either hard or soft categories. Soft contacts are often more comfortable for people, even if they don’t always last as long as hard contacts. However, there’s a range of specialty contact lenses in Pittsburgh, PA, designed for people with different conditions. We’ll look at three major types and who they’re made for.

3 Specialty Lenses in Greensburg

The most common types of specialty lenses include:

• RPG: Known as rigid gas permeable, these lenses are stiff enough to allow more oxygen to the eyes. It makes them more suitable for people with corneal irregularities, including keratoconus. Ortho-K contacts are a type of RPG lens that’s worn to help reshape the cornea.
• Scleral: A scleral contact is usually easy to spot because they don’t lie flat on the eye. If the cornea is severely misshaped, the goal of the scleral contact is to bypass the cornea entirely to rest solely on the whites of the eye.
• Toric: A toric lens is designed to correct refractive errors for people with astigmatism. It will adjust the lens based on horizontal or vertical orientation. Unlike standard lenses, these lenses are shaped like a more abstract geometrical shape rather than a perfect circle.

Eye Doctors in Greensburg, PA

There are plenty of reasons to see an eye doctor in Greensburg or Pittsburgh for contact lenses, even if you’ve assumed in the past that they weren’t for you. Today’s technology not only makes them more comfortable to wear, they may be more effective than you realize at helping you see clearly without the need for glasses. Lenses like Ortho-K may even help correct your vision, reducing your need for glasses and contacts altogether. At Lappen Eye Care, we can help you find the right option for you.