yecare professionals aren't easy to please, and the fact that many recommend GP contacts to their patients speaks highly of the benefits of these high-tech lenses. Read what they have to say:

Loretta B. Szczotka, OD, MS
University Ophthalmologists, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio
     GP contacts (also called RGP lenses) are currently one of the best visual and healthiest options available to a patient considering contact lenses. They promote excellent optical quality for the appropriate candidates, especially those with corneal astigmatism.
     Because of their polymer structure and chemistry, GP contact lenses resist protein and bacterial buildup and therefore promote long-term contact lens wearing success. Some GP materials currently provide the highest oxygen permeability to the cornea compared with any soft lens product available in the United States. Because of their design, they flush trapped particles and bacteria quickly to maintain a healthy ocular surface.
   Finally, they are economically smart, because the material does not readily tear, dehydrate, or spoil due to improper care and treatment, thus allowing safe contact lens wear without weekly or monthly scheduled lens replacement.
   I recommend GP contact lenses to almost all patients, but the following are especially good candidates:
     Patients with Corneal Astigmatism  Although it is the most common type, not all patients have corneal astigmatism, because some astigmatism can form inside the eye as well. Ask your doctor if your astigmatism is "corneal" or on the front of the eye. This means that your cornea is shaped more oblong like a football, rather than round like a baseball. GP contact lenses correct corneal astigmatism easily by "masking" the oblong cornea and providing a surface that optically performs like a spherical cornea.
     Teenagers  Studies are being performed in the U.S. and around the world to examine the effects of GP contact lenses to slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). Although no conclusions have been drawn, the potential to limit or slow the progression of myopia is a benefit to my teenage patients, who are always offered this form of contact lens correction.
     Extended Wear  Because of the tremendously high oxygen permeability available in some GP materials, they currently make the safest lens for extended wear. Coupled with lens designs that promote tear exchange and remove trapped debris, GP contact lenses worn for extended wear have the lowest rates of extended-wear induced complications.
     Corneal Distortion  Many patients with corneal disease, warpage, or irregularity can benefit only from GP contact lenses to smooth out the front surface of the eye for appropriate refraction of light. Examples include: keratoconus, corneal transplants, refractive surgery, corneal trauma, and warpage. Visual quality can be improved dramatically with GP contact lenses, compared with soft lenses or spectacles, and many patients depend on them to function visually.

David W. Hansen, OD, FAAO
In private practice in Des Moines, Iowa
     GP contact lenses offer patients a unique opportunity for optimum visual acuity, excellent comfort, and the healthiest contact lens system. Using oxygen permeable materials allows your contact lens practictioner to fit designs that can help almost all types of problems, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, bifocal and multifocal needs, and diseases of the cornea, including keratoconus. These lenses have also demonstrated an advantage in retarding myopic (nearsighted) progression.
     The fitting of GP contact lenses requires accurate technical skills to ensure precision. The invention of new materials and the fabrication of these lenses have utilized space age technology.
     If you have failed with previous contacts, it is time to reconsider GP contact lenses as an option for success.

You've read what eye doctors say about GP contacts. Now read what wearers think.