2025 GP and Custom Soft Contact Lens Trends and Insights
Overview
The 2025 GP and Custom Soft Annual Report highlights significant growth in scleral lens fitting, with 27% of practitioners reporting that scleral lenses comprise over half of their GP lens fits. Advances in scleral lens technology, including wavefront-guided correction and increased use of diagnostic fitting and profilometry, are shaping current clinical practice.
Background
Contact lens technology is rapidly evolving, necessitating practitioners to stay informed about new materials and fitting techniques. Rigid gas permeable (GP) lenses, including corneal, scleral, hybrid, and orthokeratology lenses, represent about 10-11% of contact lens fits globally. Innovations in scleral lenses, higher-order aberration correction, myopia management, and presbyopia are key focus areas for 2025. These trends are supported by surveys of Contact Lens Spectrum readers and the GP Lens Institute advisory board.
Data Highlights
| Parameter | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respondents fitting ≥50% GP lenses as scleral lenses | 13% | 22% | 27% |
| Increase in scleral lens use reported by respondents | 67% | ||
| Use of profilometry in scleral lens fitting | 17% | 25% | 36% |
| Average scleral lens fits for corneal irregularity | 42% (2020 data) | 53% | |
| Lens types used for corneal irregularity (2025 averages) | Small-diameter corneal GP: 23%, Intralimbal GP: 18%, Piggyback GP: 14%, Hybrid lenses: 15%, Soft custom lenses: 20% |
Key Findings
- Scleral lenses are increasingly preferred, with 27% of practitioners fitting them in over half of their GP lens cases in 2025, up from 13% in 2023.
- 67% of practitioners reported an increase in scleral lens use over the past year.
- Diagnostic fitting dominates scleral lens fitting, with 86% of practitioners using diagnostic lenses rather than empirical fitting.
- Profilometry use to aid scleral lens fitting has grown to 36% in 2025, reflecting increased adoption of ocular contour mapping technology.
- Wavefront-guided scleral lenses are emerging as a promising approach to correct higher-order aberrations and improve visual quality.
- Midday fogging remains a common challenge in scleral lens wear, affecting up to 58% of users, necessitating patient education on lens care during the day.
Clinical Implications
Practitioners should consider the growing preference for scleral lenses, especially for corneal irregularity, and incorporate diagnostic fitting and advanced technologies like profilometry to optimize lens fit. Awareness of challenges such as midday fogging is important for patient counseling and management. Emerging wavefront-guided designs may offer enhanced visual outcomes for patients with higher-order aberrations.
Conclusion
The 2025 report underscores the expanding role of scleral lenses and technological advancements in GP lens fitting, highlighting a trend toward personalized, technology-driven contact lens care. Continued innovation and practitioner adaptation are key to improving patient outcomes in specialty lens fitting.
References
- GPLI and CLS Surveys 2023-2025 -- GP and Custom Soft Annual Report 2025
- Previous Studies 2015-2020 -- Trends in Scleral Lens Fitting and Practice Habits
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