Information for Consumers

Wearing contact lenses? Considering wearing them? Then visit our consumer education website for complete information on GP contact lenses, or read the brief description below to better understand your options for improved vision and comfort.

GP Contact Lenses

GP contact lenses are commonly known in the vision care field as rigid gas permeables, or RGPs. Your eye doctor may call them GPs or RGPs.

GP contact lenses are made of a firm, durable plastic that transmits oxygen. They offer excellent eye health: Because they don’t contain water, they resist deposits and are less likely than soft contacts to harbor bacteria. GP contact lenses clean and disinfect easily, don’t dehydrate, and last longer than soft lenses — often many years longer.

The rigidity of GP contact lenses also means they are easier to handle than soft lenses. And since they retain their shape better, they provide crisper vision, especially for astigmatism and presbyopia.

Don’t confuse GP contact lenses with hard lenses. GP contact lenses may be firm, but they are not the uncomfortable hard lenses of the past, which didn’t allow much oxygen to reach the eye. Hard lenses are virtually obsolete.

GP Lenses Are Custom Made

GP contact lenses are custom made for each individual. Your eye care practitioner will measure the exact shape of your cornea and prescribe lenses with the curvature, size, and corrective power that suit your particular eyes.

To learn more about contact lenses, visit the GP Contact Lenses website. Even if you already wear contacts, you will want to visit these pages. Contact lenses have changed dramatically over the past few years. You may not realize how many different kinds of contacts there are, or how new materials and designs can improve your vision and eye health.

For additional eye and vision topics, visit AllAboutVision.com’s Consumer Guide to Contact Lenses.