Low Water Content Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses are categorized by how much water they contain.

Low water content contact lenses.

In general contact lenses are broken down into high water content and low water content lenses. They tend to send more moisture to. High water content lenses are more likely to cause dry eye than those with low water content. Soft contact lenses are usually available in three categories.

As a general rule with conventional soft contact lenses the higher the water content of the lens the more oxygen can pass through the lens to the surface of the eye. Low water content up to 45 modern silicone hydrogel contact lenses used in contacts that are intended for continual wear. High water content up to 90 hydrogel contact lenses for more sensitive eyes. Water content is an important parameter of contact lenses that reveals the percentage of water in contact lenses.

Contacts with a high water content have a higher oxygen permeability. Mid water content up to 60 hydrogel contact lenses suitable for most users. There is significant variation in thickness and water content of hydrogel contact lenses because people will respond differently to the materials. Contact lenses with a lower water content dehydrate less on the eye than do lenses with a high water content so they could be better for people with dry eyes.

In theory under the facility of the exact same product contact lenses with higher water content are softer and the oxygen permeability is better. Some people can wear ciba vision night and day contacts overnight for 30 days while other people will never be able to sleep in contact lenses overnight without having problems dry eye infection not enough oxygen etc. They have almost 100 oxygen permeability. First introduced in the 1990s silicone hydrogel lenses allow even more oxygen to pass through to the cornea than regular soft contacts and they generally have low water content.

This is important for lens comfort and healthy eyes but high water content lenses may be more fragile so are more likely to tear with frequent handling. Water content is an important feature of the various plastics used to make soft contact lenses. Low water content contact lenses containing less than 40 percent water medium water content containing 50 to 60 percent water and high water content contact lenses containing more than 60 percent water. For some people 38 percent water content will be just fine and for others it won t be sufficient.

High water content lenses are lenses with more than 50 water whereas low water content lenses have less than 50 water. Since they need less moisture to remain permeable silicone hydrogel lenses can be safely worn for longer periods of time depending on the kind and brand of lens.