Oxygen permeables are made of a firm, durable plastic that transmits oxygen. The rigidity of oxygen permeables also means they are easier to handle than soft lenses. And since they retain their shape better, they provide crisper vision. Good value Don't confuse oxygen permeable contacts with hard lenses. Oxygen permeables may be firm, but they are not the uncomfortable hard lenses of the past, which didn't allow much oxygen to reach the eye.
Hard lenses are obsolete nowadays.
Oxygen permeable lenses are custom made for each individual. Your eyecare practitioner will measure the exact shape of your cornea and prescribe lenses with the curvature, size, and corrective power that suit your particular eyes. They offer better initial comfort, but are prone to deposit problems, harder to keep clean, more difficult to handle, and don't last as long as oxygen permeable contacts. Plus, deposit problems with soft lenses can lead to discomfort in the long term. Home Copyright 2000-01 Contact Lens Manufacturers Association.