hard lens

American  

noun

1. a contact lens of rigid plastic or silicon, exerting light pressure on the cornea of the eye, used for correcting various vision problems including astigmatism.

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hard lens British  

noun

1. a rigid plastic lens which floats on the layer of tears in front of the cornea, worn to correct defects of vision Compare gas-permeable lens soft lens

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Example Sentences

He’s among the precious few jazz instrumentalists — let alone trumpeters — capable of conveying relatable emotion through the hard lens of virtuosity.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2011

"If you get hurt by the hard lens, you usually know it immediately."

From Time Magazine Archive