GP Contact Lenses?
December 3rd, 2010 | See the Top Answers to this Question Below
I have a couple of questions about GP contact lenses.
-do GP contact lenses have a different kind of prescription than glasses or soft contact lens prescriptions?
-I was on a contact lens website looking at GP lenses and I noticed that it did not have a choice to put down my cylinder strength for astigmatism. I thought GP lenses are excellent for astigmatism?
-I noticed on the website that GP lenses can go to a much higher power than soft lenses. For example the soft lenses can go to a -9.00 but on the GP lenses, it can go to a -30.00! Are GP lenses different in prescriptions or do they just offer higher power lenses?
Thanks!
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Posted in Contact Lenses | 
Tags: Astigmatism, contact lens, Contact Lenses, glasses, gp contact lenses, gp lenses, lens prescriptions, rgp contact lenses, soft lenses
Yes, the prescriptions for RGP lenses are very different from the soft lens prescription usually.
The diameter and curvatures are very different also.The measurements have to be very precise.
They are complicated to fit and require a lot of knowledge. It is NOT a good idea to try ordering them yourself. There is no way they will work , even IF you manage to get them from somewhere without a proper prescription for them.
Just so you are aware, you cannot order GP contact lenses yourself off of a website. They must be ordered through your optometrist (eye doctor). They do have a different prescription than glasses or soft contact lenses because they fit differently and work differently to correct your prescription.
GP lenses are great for astigmatism, but again, they work much differently than soft contact lenses. They do make regular GP’s and "toric" GP’s, based upon what your eyes will need. But they aren’t designated in cylinder terms, like soft contact lenses are. You adjust things like the base curve, diameter, and other properties.
GP lenses can offer higher prescriptions than soft contact lenses because they work differently than a soft contact lens.
The only downside is that GP’s can be very uncomfortable until you get used to them, whereas most soft contact lenses are comfortable immediately. But GP’s can really correct your vision much better than soft contact lenses (for most people) because the optics of the material is better. So if you can get through that adaption period, you’re golden!
And fitting them is a bit more complicated than a soft contact lens (that fits pretty much anyone) but it is possible to fit a GP on almost anyone; as long as you have the patience. One of the big benefits of GP lenses is they let about 20% oxygen to your eye where a soft contact lens only allows 1%!!
If GP’s are something you are really interested in, mention it to your eye doctor the next time you go in, or else make an appointment specifically for it!