Vision worse with soft lenses?

Question

I've worn hard lenses for about 10 years, but recently switched to soft lenses because I heard they were more comfortable - which they were. However, I'm having trouble seeing things clearly, most notably on a computer screen...text and even images are often blurry. The eye doctor assured me that the prescription was the same as before. I gave it a few weeks because I thought it would get better but it's still the same - any ideas why?

Answer 1

Five main possibilities:
Solution incompatibility/tears issue.
If the lenses aren't staying clean, or you're getting a slight reaction to the preservative/cleaning solutiions (which leach *into* soft lenses, unlike hard ones) then your tear film surface can be uneven and reduce vision quality.

Fit: if the lenses are too steep or flat they may drape to the cornea unevenly, producing vison that varies with a blink, or just has poor quality.
Loose-fitting lenses may also move too much, giving unstable vison by a different route.

Lens surface quality: compared to rigid lenses, some soft lenses deliver appreciably reduced contrast sensitivity: The front front surface is just not so precisely defined.
This may not show at all under good conditions (such as a well-lit black-and-white test chart!) but produce haloes round lights ant might, and reduced vision with low light and with low contrast objects (blue print on grey ground, for example)

Residual astigmatism.
Even if the hards and soft contacts have the same nominal Rx, they correct the ye in distinctly different ways, and in particular the hard lense would correct small degrees of corneal astigmatism without it having to be specified.
Soft lenses don't. There may be a small degree of astigmatism now left uncorrected.

Unstable corneas. Sometimes, relieved from the influence of hard contacts, the corneas shift to adopt the shape they would like to have (Free at last, free at last!)
This can shift the Rx and vision considerably.
It was more common and drastic with the old PMMA non-gas permeable hard lenses, but it does still occur in some people even with GP lenses. I've known it take three months for the corneas to re-stabilise.

If I was forced to bet, without seeing your eyes or knowing your Rx, I'd be torn between 4&5

Optometrist, retired.

Answer 2

Hard contact lenses often give patients better vision, they correct your vision slightly differently to soft contact lenses. I would not change anyone from hard to soft unless they were having problems. If you were not having problems I would suggest that you stick with them, especially as they gave you better vision. The risk of infections and complications is much higher with sift lenses so why change something that doesn't need changing?

Answer 3

I have short sight and astigmatism, and I get my eyes tested at the opticians. They give me my prescription, and I order Toric contact lenses (lenses for people with astigmatism) online. I pay about £5 ($10) per lens and buy solution separately. He has to give you your prescription, 'cos you should be allowed to get your lenses wherever - so long as you have regular eye check-ups.

Answer 4

Was your Doctor switching you to soft for a reason other than comfort? Hard contacts are hailed to also keep vision stable, because of its effect on the cornea. I would insist on a recheck since you vision is somewhat diminished- and if your doctor sticks to their story, it is time for a second opinion.

Answer 5

I've worn them ever since I first got contacts and they work fine for me.. Sounds like you've already talked to you optometrist.

Maybe you should go to another clinic and get your eyes checked by someone else, just as a second opinion?