Lens types

Specialty contact lens types

Seven lens types are fitted when a standard soft lens is not enough. They differ in what part of the eye they rest on, how much corneal irregularity they can correct, and how much handling they ask of you. Each page below explains the mechanism, who the lens suits, and where it falls short.

Hybrid lenses

A rigid centre for sharp optics, a soft skirt for comfort and stability. Mostly fitted for keratoconus and irregular corneas.

Rigid gas permeable

The sharpest optics available for an irregular cornea, and the most durable lens. The trade-off is adaptation.

Ortho-k

Rigid lenses worn overnight that reshape the cornea, so you see without correction during the day. Also used to slow myopia in children.

Custom soft lenses

Made to your eye's own measurements. For prescriptions, curvatures and diameters that stock lenses do not cover.

Scleral lenses

Vault the cornea entirely and hold fluid against the eye. For advanced irregularity and severe dry eye.

Prosthetic lenses

A printed or hand-painted iris to mask a damaged eye and control disabling glare.

Bandage lenses

A dressing for the cornea, not a correction. Prescribed, worn continuously, and monitored closely.

Not sure which applies to you?

The question that narrows it fastest is whether your cornea is regular or irregular — an even curve, or an uneven surface. Corneal topography answers it, and the answer rules out most of the list immediately.

If you already know your diagnosis, start from the condition instead: keratoconus, astigmatism, or myopia management in children. If you are weighing two specific lenses against each other, the comparison pages put them side by side.