Should I choose soft or rigid contact lenses?
Soft lenses are made of a flexible, water-containing material that conforms to the eye and is comfortable quickly. Rigid gas-permeable lenses are smaller, firmer and sit on the tear film, and they can give very clear vision and last longer, at the cost of a longer adaptation period.
- Subject
- Glasses & contacts
- Topic
- Contact lenses
- Kind of question
- Should I…
- Procedures
- Contact lenses
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Rigid lenses are still used for irregular corneas, where a soft lens cannot provide a smooth optical surface. That is the sense in which rigid lenses remain current rather than old-fashioned.
What this answer depends on
- Your corneal shape, including any irregularity
- How much of the day you wear them
- How much handling comfort matters to you
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Glasses & contact lenses in Contact lenses . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
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This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026