Supporting people with aniridia and their Families
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Types of Contact LensesRigid gas-permeable (RGP)Use Daily-wear lenses - They must be removed and cleaned each night. extended-wear lenses - They can be worn up to a week Material - plastic that does not absorb water but allows oxygen to get from the atmosphere to the cornea, extended wear lenses do this better than daily wear lenses. This is important because the cornea has no blood supply and needs to get its oxygen from the atmosphere through the film of tears that moves beneath the lens. Benefits - These lenses are often smaller and more durable, than soft contacts and can correct some vision problems, like astigmatism, that the soft lenses cannot. Disadvantages- require a longer period of adjustment for the wearer. Hard contact lenses. There is more of a risk of infection with extended-wear lenses than with daily-wear lenses Soft LensesUse Daily wear - These lenses must be removed and cleaned each night Planned-replacement soft lenses - are daily wear lenses that are replaced on a regular schedule, which is usually every two weeks, monthly, or quarterly. They must also be cleaned. Extended-wear soft lenses - can usually be worn for up to one week. Extended-wear disposable lenses - are soft lenses worn continually for up to six days and then discarded, with no need for cleaning. material - daily wear lenses are permeable to oxygen and absorbs water; therefore, they are soft and flexible. Extend wear lenses highly permeable to oxygen, are flexible by virtue of their ability to absorb water. Benefits - They are slightly larger than RGP lenses and easier to get used to than rigid lenses. Soft contacts are available that can change eye color Disadvantages - They do not correct all vision problems and they are more prone to tears and do not last as long. There is more of a risk of infection with extended-wear lenses than with daily-wear lenses. referenceSt. Louis (MO): American Optometric Association; 2000 Jan 1. 77 p. (Optometric clinical practice guideline; no. 19). [178 references]. Excerpted by the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) |