Rigid gas-permeable contact lens wear during + Gz acceleration.

This study was designed to determine how well rigid gas-permeable contact lenses maintain position on the cornea under high G forces, and the effect on visual acuity. One hyperopic and five myopic subjects were fitted with lenses made from Pasifocon C material (specific gravity = 1.07). Two lens diameters (8.8-9.4 mm and 9.6-10.0 mm) were compared upon the myopic subjects for centering on the cornea. Visual acuity was measured at + 1 Gz (baseline), +3 Gz, +4 Gz, +6 Gz, and +8 Gz in the straight-ahead, lateral, and up-gaze positions from three acuity charts mounted in the gondola. All lenses, as estimated from the videotape, decentered down the z axis 2-3 mm at high + Gz. Visual acuity was reduced at the higher +Gz levels to similar measurements in most subjects for both the contact lens and spectacle control rides. No lens displaced from the cornea or dislodged from the eye during any of the 25 centrifuge runs.