If you use contact lenses, you certainly have been torn one time or another as to which type to use. Sure, the soft contact lens has the advantage of comfort, but it does not have the visual clarity of the gas permeable types. On the other hand, does the benefit of a slightly better precision in seeing outweigh the rigidity that the gas permeable lens brings? After all, soft contact lenses do have the advantage of being able to conform to one’s eyes because of its plastic-like gel texture, thereby allowing the eyes to breathe better.

Ease of use is another factor to consider. Soft contact lenses can be worn all day long without your eyes beginning to look tired.

An Eye Opener – The Hybrid Contact Lens Option

What a user will give to have a contact lens that will combine the benefits of the clarity and precision of the rigid gas permeable lens with the comfort of the soft contact lens!  A hybrid contact lens offers this alternative. Currently the only viable hybrid option is a family of contact lenses called Synergeyes.  This innovative company has many different categories of hybrid lenses which can cover a variety of normal and abnormal eye shapes.

The Synergeyes hybrid contact lens has a soft ring on its outer part that will help provide the user a good fit, aside from helping in the correction of the vision. The middle part, meanwhile, has a gas permeable material that allows the eyes to breathe while providing the visual clarity of a rigid lens.

The hybrid contact lens also offers flexibility, as this can be designed for multi-focal use. Simply put, it can have two areas of focus – one each for using it up close and for looking at a distance.

Recommended Use of the Hybrid Contact Lens

Specifically, the hybrid contact lens is recommended for the following kinds of eye patients:

•    Those suffering from keratoconus. This is a condition in which the shape of the cornea is similar to that of a cone instead of being round.
•    Those with presbyopia. This is a condition in which the vision is starting to blur as a result of the advancement of age.
•    Those who have just undergone LASIK surgery, and who thus need corrective glasses after the procedure.

•    Those suffering from astigmatism. Astigmatism is an eye defect brought about by an irregularly curved cornea.

•    It also very useful for elite sports people that require clarity in vision with stability.  The Synergeyes contact lens is extremely stable on most people; even in contact sports such as rugby league.

A hybrid contact lens also offers the advantage in that the person’s vision will not be affected even if the lens rotates during actual use. People with astigmatism and who uses regular contact lens can attest on how much this could be a problem, especially during the evenings. Aside from having a problem with night vision, a rotating lens could also result to unpredictable and incoherent vision, as well as a hazy and vague impression of things.

Maintenance is carried out similar to that of a soft lens. It should be cleaned daily with the recommended solution to prevent protein from building up in the lens. Users should always heed the advice of their optometrist.

Dr Jim Kokkinakis was the first practitioner in Australia to prescribe Synergeyes contact lenses more than 6 years ago.

If you are looking for innovation  in your contact lenses BOOK an APPOINTMENT ONLINE by CLICKING or call us on (02) 9290 1899.