Silicone hydrogel contact lenses

Ultra Contact Lens from Bausch+Lomb

In 1998, the first silicone hydrogel contact lenses were made by Ciba Vision. Silicone hydrogel and hydrogel lenses both are made of plastics that are hard when dry but readily absorb lens care solution and become soft and gel-like when hydrated.

Silicone hydrogel lenses allow 5x more oxygen to reach the cornea than regular hydrogel lenses. The enhanced oxygen permeability of silicone hydrogel contacts makes them a great fit for special contact lens designs that might cause hypoxia problems when made with hydrogel materials.

These include any designs that require greater lens mass, such as toric contacts for astigmatism, bifocal contact lenses, contacts for hard-to-fit eyes, and custom contact lenses, including soft contact lenses for keratoconus.

Popular brands of silicone hydrogel contact lenses include Acuvue Vita, Air Optix, Biofinity, PureVision2, and Ultra.

Most of the Ophthalmologists and Optometrists agree that the benefit of silicone hydrogel lenses is the reduction of hypoxia-related problems associated with soft lenses made of hydrogel materials.