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Most people using contact lenses for correcting their vision look to soft contact lenses as the means for better eyesight. However, rigid gas permeable lenses are still being used and are a viable alternative for those people seeking better vision than what they get with soft contacts.

Rigid gas permeable lenses (RGPs) are much more technologically advanced than the old hard contacts lenses. Hard contacts are made of a material called polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA. The health of the eyes came into question with these types of hard lenses. These contacts let very little oxygen into the eye which caused great discomfort over time. I should know because I wore them for years.

In the early part of the 1980s a new contact was introduced to help oxygen pass through the lens to the eye. Called gas permeable or rigid gas permeable (RGPs), these lenses are far more comfortable than the old-style hard contact lenses.

The RGPs are made from silicone which is more flexible than the hard contacts. This material allows oxygen to pass more readily through the lenses. The bottom line is that this makes RGPs far more comfortable and healthier for your eyes.

So why not just wear soft contacts? Everyone raves about how comfortable they are. Well, RGPs are more durable and resistant than soft contacts. And in my case I see far better with gas permeable lenses than I did when I tried soft contacts.

For people with astigmatism or for those who want to basically see the best they can with corrective lenses, gas permeable lenses are sometimes the only option. I could never see as good with soft contacts, no matter what style I tried, as I could with RGPs. Actually I have been able to see better than 20/20 with gas permeable lenses. I could never achieve that with soft contacts.

For some people it's really a decision of whether you want to see really well with a little discomfort or see adequately with more comfort. This was really the choice I had to make. Soft contacts are definitely more comfortable, but the vision I sacrificed was not worth the extra comfort.

Durability and expense can also be a deciding factor of choosing RGPs. Unlike soft contacts, gas permeable lenses can really last as long as you take reasonable care of them. You will spend far more buying soft contacts than you would have buying one pair of RGPs.

I've had the same pair of RGPs for years. I only have to change to a new pair when my vision changes. With proper cleaning they are as comfortable today as when I first bought them.

Gas permeable lenses should be considered a good alternative to soft contact lenses and certainly healthier for your eyes than hard contacts. They are more durable and resistent than soft contacts. They are easier to clean, cheaper to buy and they'll last longer than soft contact lenses. Plus for many with astigmatism, the RGPs are likely to give you better vision than most soft contacts.