Gas Permeable contact lenses are rigid (RGPs), but they shouldn't be confused with old-style "hard" contact lenses, which are now obsolete.  Today's RGP's are much more breathable, healthy, and comfortable to wear than the yesterday's PMMA hard lenses.   They are custom fit to the eye, and are available in many materials, colors, and styles.  They can correct high levels of astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, and even presbyopia (bifocal vision).

Gas Perms, or RGPs as they are sometimes called, excel in the following situations:

• They work well for individuals who are meticulous about the crispness of their vision.
• Some people with astigmatism will see far better with RGPs than can be achieved with today's soft lenses for astigmatism (soft torics).
• Patients with extreme amounts of near sightedness or farsightedness often have no other good choice in glasses or soft contact lenses.

• Patients who have a condition called Keratoconus, in which their corneas develop an irregular shape may see far better with RGPs than glasses or soft contact lenses.