Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are popular with Optometrists because they are far more oxygen permeable that traditional hydrogel lenses, meaning they allow far more oxygen to reach the cornea(1), which is great for eye health, and can increase wear times.
The new generations of “super oxygen permeable” Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses can transmit six to seven times more oxygen through to your eye than conventional hydrogel lenses.
Interestingly the cornea is one of the few organs that has no direct oxygen supply from the body so the cornea needs to gain its supply of oxygen and nutrients from the air, this is one of the reasons why Optometrist love this new Silicone Hydrogel material, it offers minimal resistance to oxygen and nutrients reaching your cornea whilst wearing contact lenses.
Many wearers find increased comfort and easy adaptation to Silicone Hydrogel contact lenses and benefit from longer wear times(2)
Increased oxygen permeability
Great for healthy eyes
High comfort levels and longer wear times
Available as Daily, Two weekly, Monthly and Extended wear.
Also available as Coloured contact lenses
Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are available in all contact lens wearing types, Daily, two weekly, monthly continuous wear and coloured lenses, they are also available to correct various eye conditions.
As you can see if you need to wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses there should be an option out there for you.
These silicone hydrogel contact lenses from Coopervision contain their patented Aquaform technology creating a hydrophilic lens to allow greater levels of oxygen to flow through the lens to the eye, this allows them to stay moist and comfortable all day long.
These silicone hydrogel contact lenses have HA Matrix lubricant embedded in the lens material providing superior comfort and excellent handling.
Alcon’s Dailies Total 1 is their first 'water gradient' contact lens.
A silicone hydrogel contact lens with a core of 33% water content that allows maximum oxygen transmission through the lens, sandwiched between a ultrasoft, high water content (greater than 80%) surface gel which provides exceptional comfort.
Our customers rate Dailies Total 1 4.6 out of 5 with 80% of reviews awarding them 5 *
Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus from Johnson and Johnson is a premium silicone hydrogel contact lens. Providing unbelievable comfort even in demanding conditions, such as in an air conditioned office, when using a PC, on a plane, or long hours of wear. Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus is the #1 selling contact lens in the world.(2)
Available in two fittings 8.4 and 8.8 and a wide range of powers.
Biofinity Toric features CooperVision's breakthrough Aquaform technology, that allows greater levels of oxygen to freely flow through the contact lenses to the eye, helping eyes stay whiter and healthier for most contact lens wearers.
Air Optix Plus HydraGlyde from Alcon is an advanced silicone hydrogel contact lens that combines a new level of comfort with enhanced Oxygen capability ( Up to 5X greater oxygen transmissibility than traditional soft contact lenses), which provides superior all day comfort in a lens that is healthy for your eyes.
Bausch and Lomb’s Purevision 2 HD is a silicone hydrogel contact lens containing high definition optics (HD) which reduces glare and halos around lights, whilst delivering crisp clear vision, even in low light conditions.
Clarity 1 day from Coopervision are made from a soft and flexible silicone hydrogel material, they are an exceptionally breathable contact lens that let a large amount of oxygen pass through them to the eyes. This ensures that your eyes not only feel healthy but also look bright and white too.
All the benefits of Alcons Air Optix Plus HydraGlyde but for people with astigmatism. An advanced silicone hydrogel contact lens that combines a new level of comfort with enhanced Oxygen capability ( Up to 5 X greater oxygen transmissibility than traditional soft contact lenses), which provides superior all day comfort in a lens that is healthy for your eyes.
Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are a slightly more expensive option than regular hydrogel contact lenses.
The price of Silicone hydrogel contact lenses can vary considerably because they come in such a wide range of contact lens types. Not only are silicone hydrogel contact lenses available in daily disposable contact lenses they are also available as monthly disposables and continuous wear contact lenses. Those categories can be subdivided into torics and multi-focals, making it difficult to say how much each lens may cost, but you can typically expect to pay an extra 20% or more for Silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
| Contains Silicone | High levels of oxygen permeability | Available as Daily, 2 Weekly and Monthly disposable lenses | Available as Extended wear lenses | Can be worn overnight* | Available in colours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone Hydrogel contact lenses | Y** | |||||
| Hydrogel contact lenses |
*Only if recommended by your Optometrist
** Limited range of colours available
To get the best out of your silicone hydrogel contact lenses make sure you wear them, and care for them as recommended by your Optometrist, so if you are wearing
Daily disposable contact lenses you can simply throw the lenses out each evening and insert a fresh new pair each morning.
Monthly disposable contact lenses need to be removed every night, cleaned with an approved contact lens solution and stored in a contact lens case with fresh solution using this procedure:
Morning
Evening
Extended wear contact lenses remember to set a reminder to remove your lenses after 30 days or less if recommended by your optometrist.
| Sensitive Eyes | Dry Eyes | Active Lifestyle | Best Value | Best UV Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuvue Oasys 1 Day | All Silicone Contact lenses | Crystal Air Daily | Crystal Air Daily | Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus |
There are many reports that customers find silicone hydrogel contact lenses more comfortable than regular hydrogel contacts, but in tests this has been hard to determine (1) Commonly neither silicone hydrogel or hydrogel alone outperforms the other for comfort, and both have low occurrence of contact lens related problems and conditions.
Your optometrist will determine which lens type is best for you taking into account your vision, wear times required, comfort and oxygen needs of your cornea.
Yes, but only if your optometrist has fitted you with an extended wear contact lens.
Many silicone hydrogel contact lenses have been approved for overnight wear for between 6 to 30 nights due to their increased oxygen transmissibility. However, overnight wear of contact lenses needs to be monitored carefully by your Optometrist to make sure your eyes receive enough oxygen and remain healthy(3).
Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are generally more expensive than their sister Hydrogel contact lenses, although cheaper substitute silicone hydrogel lenses are now available such as Crystal Air Daily that can work out cheaper than regular hydrogel contacts.
Whether silicone hydrogel lenses are worth the extra cost will probably depend on why you need them.
If you suffer from dry eyes and find with regular hydrogel lenses your wear time is reducing, if you live or work in an air conditioned building that is causing your lenses to dry out or if your Optometrist recommends you need extra oxygen to get through to your eyes, then silicone hydrogel may well be worth the extra cost, as they can increase your wear time whilst not drying out and allow more oxygen to reach your corneas.
If you are experiencing no issues with your regular hydrogel lenses and your Optometrist is happy with your eye health, then you may decide silicone hydrogel are not with the extra cost at this point.
Due to their increased oxygen transmissibility, silicone hydrogel contact lenses have enabled many people to comfortably wear contacts for longer hours than they could have with regular hydrogel lenses.
There are many reasons why silicone hydrogel contact lenses might be the best choice for you
References
1. Hydrogel vs Silicone Hydrogel lenses
Published Optometirst Network
Dr. Russel Lazarus, November 4, 2021
https://www.optometrists.org/general-practice-opto...
2. Comfort and adaptation to silicone hydrogel lenses for daily wear
Kathryn A Dumbleton 1, Craig A Woods, Lyndon W Jones, Desmond Fonn
Published 2008 July
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18787429/
3. Wearing contact lenses overnight
BCLA.org.uk
https://bcla.org.uk/Public/Consumer/Wearing_contac...
Author: John Dreyer Optometrist Bsc(Hons), MCOPTOM, DipCLP
John qualified from Aston University in 1980, he has authored for Contactlenses.co.uk over the last 20 years, bringing his expertise to visitors to the site and providing valuable optical advice to customer questions throughout the years. He has been featured by several leading publications including The Express and ITProPortal
