Keratoconus can be a burdensome eye condition to have. Basically what happens is that the cornea of the eye begins to bulge outward, creating a cone shape over the front of the eye. This can play havoc with light entering the eye. Vision problems associated with keratoconus include blurring, light streaking, halos, and near-sightedness. Clearly, this is a condition that you will want to correct. While serious cases will require a cornea transplant, you can correct mild keratoconus with contact lens, but the type of lens you use will make a big difference on the type of vision you get. 

Soft Lenses

Soft lenses are by far the most comfortable lenses to wear, but they have their limitations when it comes to correcting keratoconus. The problem is that the soft, pliable material that the contacts are made from can deform around the cone, which means that you will never get really sharp vision. While comfortable, soft lenses may not work with severe cases of keratoconus. 

Hard Lenses

Rigid gas permeable lenses are made from a hard plastic which will not deform around the cone-shaped cornea. The rigid structure of RGP lenses means that they will improve the flow of light into your eye, which will in turn help you to get the better vision than you can get with soft lenses. The problem with RGP lenses is that the hard plastic the lenses are made from can irritate your eye, which can lead to excessive tear formation, burning, and general discomfort. While most of these irritations should subside after a few weeks of wear, RGP lenses are not known for being the most comfortable lenses on the market. 

Hybrid Lenses

If you want the comfort of soft lenses but the sharp optics of hard lenses, there is a lens that can give you both. Hybrid lenses have a soft skirt around a hard plastic center. The skirt helps to improve the comfort of the lenses, and the hard center provides you with clear vision. Some optometrists suggest that the hybrid design will provide improved vision even when compared to regular hard lenses. 

If you have keratoconus, shopping for ways to improve your vision will not be as simple as grabbing a pair of glasses from the rack at your local store. Instead, you need to work with an optometrist (such as Byrne William) to find a contact lens that works for you. Your determining factor should not be costs, but rather what design gives you the best comfort and vision. Most likely, you will want to go with hybrid lenses, but your optometrist will help you determine which type of lens is right for your eyes and your needs. 

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