{"id":2800,"date":"2025-03-12T09:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=2800"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:42","slug":"hard-contact-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/hard-contact-lenses","title":{"rendered":"What Are Hard Contact Lenses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHard\u201d and \u201csoft\u201d are the two main types of contact lenses<\/a>. The vast majority of contact lens wearers use soft contacts. Doctors prescribe hard contacts far less frequently and generally only in special circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201chard contact lenses\u201d doesn\u2019t tend to elicit warm, fuzzy feelings\u2014the thought of putting something hard in your eye can be downright wince-worthy. But truth be told, modern hard contacts aren\u2019t really as \u201chard\u201d as the name suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss what hard contact lenses are, why they\u2019re prescribed, and how they compare to soft contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard Contact Lenses: What They Are and How They Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hard contacts are, simply put, contact lenses made of<\/a> a stiffer material than soft contacts, which are more flexible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past<\/a>, all contact lenses were \u201chard\u201d contacts. During the late 1800s, contact lenses were made of glass and felt about as comfortable as having glass in your eye sounds. All this changed roughly half a century later when contacts started being made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a plastic material that\u2019s lighter than glass but still stiff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s hard contact lenses retain the name \u201chard,\u201d but although firm, they\u2019re softer than the hard contacts of yesteryear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Rigid Gas-Permeable Contact Lenses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When people refer to hard contacts today, they\u2019re usually talking about rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contacts. Likewise, for our purposes here, hard contacts and RGP contacts are one and the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RGP contact lenses (sometimes simply called \u201cGP contacts\u201d) are made of a semi-soft compound of elements such as silicone. This sieve-like material allows oxygen to permeate the lens (which is why the contacts are called \u201cgas-permeable\u201d) to reach the eye. (Soft contact lenses also let oxygen flow through the lens, but generally not as well as RGP lenses do.) Oxygen flow is crucial for eye health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RGP contacts are custom fit to follow the individual curve of the wearer\u2019s cornea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Would Someone Wear Hard Contact Lenses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some people just prefer hard contacts. But for the most part, doctors prescribe them in special cases, such as when a high prescription isn\u2019t available in soft contacts, or when there\u2019s an eye issue<\/a> that hard contacts might better address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, hard contact lenses can provide crisper vision in a person with irregularly shaped corneas, such as someone with keratoconus (cone-shaped corneas) or extreme astigmatism<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard vs. Soft Contacts: How They Compare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We learn early in life that the words \u201chard\u201d and \u201csoft\u201d are opposites. But in the contact lens universe, this isn\u2019t really the case. In fact, hard and soft contacts are more alike than their names suggest. That being said, they definitely aren\u2019t the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at their similarities and differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft and Hard Contact Lenses: What They Have in Common<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prescription soft and hard contacts share a lot of qualities and features. They both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n