Similarly to soft lenses, hybrid lenses use a lathe cut technique, however one major difference is that the material they are cut from already have the hard centre and the soft skirt. These two materials are bonded together using their proprietary technology to stop them coming apart after being cut and hydrated.
Are they comfortable?
If you have specific visual requirements i.e. the need to see clearly and comfortably without fluctuating vision, irregular astigmatism, keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD) or post-LASIK ectasia (just to name a few), then RGP lenses provide better optical correction than soft lenses which wrap to your eye. However, despite providing better vision, RGP’s are not as comfortable and can take some time (and expense) to get an optimal fitting and acceptable comfort. RGP lenses are also not ideal in dry, dusty or windy environments.
Thankfully the new hybrid lens design provides a sealed system where a well of lubricant makes the lens very comfortable and provides better resistance to dryness and foreign bodies getting under the lens. Hybrid contact lenses provide the best of both worlds, the comfort of a soft lens with the fantastic clear vision of an RGP lens.
How do hybrid contact lenses correct vision?
Hybrids are specifically designed to restore vision to patients with the many types and stages of keratoconus. Because the lens design vaults over the cornea, there’s minimal risk of corneal scarring, making hybrid lenses a healthy treatment option for keratoconus.
In addition, the soft skirt of the hybrid design helps to center the contact lens over the visual axis regardless of where the cone is located on the cornea or how large it is, thereby decreasing visual distortions and providing superior vision.
The hybrid design also prevents dirt from getting under the lens and will not pop out unexpectedly. No other contact lens available today can provide all of these benefits in a single product.
Hybrid contact lenses have a rigid GP center that is surrounded by and fused to a soft skirt. The first patent on this type of lens was filed in 1973 by Louis J. Page; his aim was “to provide the visual acuity of the hard type lens and the comfort of the hydrophilic lens type with the possibility to incorporate multifocal visual correction.” Forty-five years later, the aims of this lens type are still the same, although many advances have improved their performance. This article will discuss the characteristics, indications, fitting, and care of today’s hybrid lens designs.
Hybrid Lens Characteristics
Considering the many different types of contact lenses that are available to manage normal and irregular corneas, it is important to determine which design will produce the best result based on the anterior segment characteristics and the visual needs of each wearer. For normal and irregular corneas, hybrid contact lenses provide the same optical performance as that of corneal GP lenses. Compared to corneal GP lenses, hybrids are more comfortable, often exhibit better centration, and are more stable.
These advantages are more evident in cases of irregular corneas, as the rigid portion is designed to vault over the corneal irregularity. Compared to soft lenses, hybrids are uniquely indicated when the quality of vision is affected by residual high-order aberrations or when toric soft contact lenses fail to provide stable vision. They also are indicated for compensation of presbyopia in astigmatic patients.
Know all About Hybrid Contact Lenses
The hybrid contact lenses have the best features of the soft and gas-permeable lens. It has Gas Permeable (oxygen breathing) surrounded by a soft lens “skirt”, so you will get the sharpness and clarity of the gas-permeable lens and the comfort of a soft lens. People having trouble gaining optimal vision with a soft lens but are concerned about the comfortability of an RGP lens.
Hybrid contact lenses are an ideal fit for people who have the following eye conditions:
Farsighted astigmatic
Nearsighted
Multifocal
Lasik
Keratoconus
Like a soft lens, a hybrid lens uses a lathe-cut technique with one difference. It is the material they are cut from has the hard center and the soft skirt, bonded with unique proprietary technology to prevent them from getting apart after being cut and hydrated.
Are Lenses Comfortable to Wear?
If you have specific visual needs, like the capacity to see everything clearly and comfortably without any issues, then RGP lenses are the best choice. Despite offering better vision, these are not as comfortable, and you might need some time for optimal fitting and comfort.
Avoid wearing RGP lenses in windy weather. The new hybrid lenses have a sealed system in which lubricant allows for comfortable wear. Lenses also provide protection from dirt particles getting in the eyes. With this, you get the benefit of the comfortability of a soft lens and the clear vision of the RGP lens.
How Can Hybrid Contact Lenses Help With Keratoconus?
Hybrid lenses are designed to correct people affected by irregular corneas like keratoconus.
It is a condition in which the cornea eye gets cone-shaped instead of smooth, regular curvature. It is a cone-like budge that causes blurred or distorted vision, which is impossible to get corrected with regular glasses. Keratoconus is characterized by corneal thinning. These conditions are terms “Ectasias of the cornea.”
As the lens provides the correct covering over the cornea, there is the least risk of corneal scarring, making the hybrid lens the best treatment option for keratoconus.
How Are Hybrid Contact Lenses Made?
Just like soft lenses, the hybrid lens uses the lathe cut technique. One difference is that the material used for cutting ha: a hard center and a soft skirt. These two materials remain bonded using proprietary technology to stop them from getting apart after being cut and hydrated. Wearing the lenses past the mentioned time can cause a buildup of deposits on the surface making the same difficult to wear in the future.
What is the Daily Wear Time of the Lens and How to Take Care of the Same?
Many people find it comfortable to wear the lens for 8 to 10 hours every day. The maximum wearing time varies, but it might be feasible to wear it for 12-14 hours per day. Clean your lens to retain its highest standard of comfort and clarity. Each day after removing the lens, clean the same before storing overnight. Also use the cleaning solution, which serves as a cleaner and a disinfectant.
Hybrid Contact Lenses – The First Comfortable Keratoconus Lens
Before hybrid contact lenses, patients with keratoconus often had to wear small diameter gas permeable lenses in order to achieve good vision. In spite of the better vision, patients often could not tolerate the poor comfort associated with gas permeable contact lenses. Hybrid contact lenses were an attempt to solve this problem and were patented in 1977. Hybrid contacts gave patients a more comfortable alternative to gas permeable lenses without sacrificing vision.
Piggyback Contact Lenses – The Precursor to Hybrid Contact Lenses
Keratoconus specialists used piggyback lenses to treat patients with keratoconus before hybrid contacts were available.
Piggyback lenses gave patients the benefit of good vision from a gas permeable lens while still providing good comfort. Fitting a gas permeable lens on top of a soft contact lens is called a piggyback lens. This combination gave pretty good comfort and vision.
Piggyback lenses are rarely used now since hybrid lenses and scleral contact lenses both provide better vision, comfort, and ocular health.
