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If you wear rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, you'll need a gas permeable solution to keep them comfortable, safe to use and working at their best. Our wide variety of gas permeable contact lens solutions are ideal for both cleaning and caring for your lenses.
Gas-permeable (GP) contact lens solutions are care products specifically formulated for rigid gas-permeable (RGP) and hard contact lenses, which require a different care system to soft contact lenses. The most widely used GP care systems at Vision Direct include Boston Advance, a two-step system from Bausch + Lomb comprising a daily cleaner and conditioning solution, and Total Care from AMO. These products clean, condition, and store RGP lenses to keep them comfortable and hygienic for daily wear.
No. Soft contact lens multi-purpose solutions and hydrogen peroxide systems are not suitable for rigid gas-permeable lenses. The cleaning chemistry in soft lens solutions is formulated for flexible hydrogel and silicone hydrogel materials and can be incompatible with the surface chemistry of GP lens polymers. Always use a solution specifically labelled for rigid gas-permeable or hard contact lenses. If you are unsure whether you wear soft or GP lenses, your optician can confirm.
The easiest way to tell is to handle a lens between your fingers: soft contact lenses are very flexible and pliable, bending easily; gas-permeable lenses are firm and rigid, holding their shape. GP lenses are also noticeably smaller in diameter than soft lenses. GP lens prescriptions often include additional parameters such as back optic zone radius (BOZR) not found on soft lens prescriptions; this is another useful indicator.
Gas-permeable contact lenses maintain their shape on the eye and provide very precise, stable optical correction, which can deliver sharper vision than soft lenses, particularly for wearers with higher prescriptions, irregular corneas, or keratoconus. GP lenses also allow more oxygen to the eye than standard hydrogel soft lenses, and they are significantly more durable, lasting much longer with proper care. They do have a longer adaptation period, but many wearers find the optical quality and long-term eye health benefits well worth the adjustment.
