The contact lens world was revolutionised by the advent of soft lenses which seemed to be the pinnacle of comfort that could be attained with contact lenses.

Though soft lenses have been used for almost a decade, they had not, till recently, achieved the desired sophistication required for comfortable daily wear with good vision.

Are soft lenses really soft?

Yes. They are so soft that they can be hardly felt on the eye and can be easily bent double. They are also know as hydrophilic (water loving) lenses, igel lenses, jelly lenses or flexible lenses. Essentially, soft lenses owe their softness to their property of absorbing water or saline when immersed in it. They are hard and brittle when dry. There is a type of soft lens which remains flexible even in the dry state, termed silicone lenses, but they are still in the experimental stage and are not yet available commercially.

Are soft lenses larger than hard lenses?

Yes, since soft lenses are more pliable, they require more support if they are to stabilise and fit well on the eye. Hence all soft lenses are a little bigger than the cornea; their edge or rim fits on the white or sclera of the eye but the edge is so thin as to be almost invisible.

Do soft lenses permit the eyes to breathe normally?

Yes, the normal cornea gets almost all its oxygen from the outside air, unlike the rest of the body which gets oxygen via the bloodstream. A soft lens does, to some extent, permit passage of gas and salts dissolved in the tears. The amount, though variable, is adequate for comfortable wear.

Again, a high hydration lens can breathe more than a low hydration lens, and thus can be worn for a greater number of hours with absolute comfort.

Are there different types of soft lenses besides hydration differences?

Yes. Some materials are stronger, and are more comfortable and last longer. As a general rule, in contact lenses, buy the best you can afford—in the long run it is cheaper and gives better service. Your practitioner is the best guide in this matter.

Are soft lenses dangerous?

No. Under normal conditions of usage, taking a modicum of care, there is no risk to the eye. After 3 years work the Societe d'Opthalmologie de Paris presented in November 1974 its scientific report "Les lentilles souples" which deals completely with all optical and medical aspects of soft lenses. I quote here an extract from one of the conclusions of this report: "We have been fitting hydrophilic lenses for 4 years and we have never had a serious accident of infection in a case where the lenses served as an optical correction."

Soft lenses also serve a protective purpose for the eyes: for example, in the case of a shattered windscreen in a car accident, the cornea is protected from small glass splinters. However, as for hard lenses, there are rules to be respected: if you follow the advice that your practitioner gives you, and return for periodic checks as he stipulates, you may wear soft hydrophilic lenses with complete confidence.

Are soft lenses suitable for men as well as women?

It is certain that a woman will wish to hide a visual defect by wearing contact lenses more than a man. But soft lenses offer more than just a discrete form of visual correction: they free men as well as women from the constant obligation of spectacle wear, representing the modern corrective method, perfectly suited to the active life of to-day.