Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses | Rigid gas permeable or RGP (otherwise known as hard lenses) | Piggyback lenses
There are many types of soft contact lenses currently available in the market. They cater to different modality and uses. They can be used to correct myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia ("youthful" long-sightedness), astigmatism and even presbyopia.
Types of contact lenses available:
- Daily wear
- For 1 day's wear
- To be disposed of at the end of the same day - Not to be reused more than once
- Most hygienic among all modalities
- At least 1-2 days break per week recommended
- Bi-weekly wear
- The same lens can be worn for 2 weeks with proper care and disinfection
- Needs to be inserted and removed daily
- To discard 2 weeks after the contact lens is first worn
- At least 1-2 days break per week recommended
- Monthly wear
- The same lens can be worn for 1 month with proper care and disinfection
- Needs to be inserted and removed daily
- To discard 1 month after the contact lens is first worn
- At least 1-2 days break per week recommended
- Conventional
- The same lens can be worn for 1 to 2 years with proper care and disinfection
- Needs to be inserted and removed daily
- To discard 1 or 2 years after the contact lens is first worn, depending on its condition
- At least 1-2 days break per week recommended
Types of soft contact lenses available (with regards to refraction):
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Spherical (no astigmatism)
- For those with no astigmatism or
- Very low powers of astigmatism below 50° (-0.50D)
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Astigmatism
- For those with astigmatism of 75° (-0.75D) to a maximum of 275° (-2.75D)
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Multifocal
- For patients 40 years and above who have presbyopia
- Optimised to enable one to see far, near and intermediate with some compromises
- May not be suitable for those with high degree of astigmatism
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Cosmetic (coloured)
- For aesthetic purposes
- Comes in a variety of colours and designs