Oxygen tension under a soft or hard, gas-permeable contact lens in the presence of tear pumping.

The oxygen tension under hard or soft, oxygen-permeable contact lenses is calculated. The calculation recognizes delivery of oxygen to the tear fluid under the contact lens by diffusion through the lens material and by entrance of fresh, air-saturated tears at each blink. The results show that oxygen diffusion through the lens material is much more effective than tear pumping in maintaining a useful oxygen tension under the lens.