Air Optix plus HydraGlyde carries two separate surface technologies solving two different problems: one resists deposits, the other holds moisture. That combination makes it the usual answer when the complaint is not “my lenses are dry on day one” but “my lenses feel filthy by week three.”
The two technologies
SmartShield is an ultra-thin, permanent layer on the lens surface acting as a barrier against lipids and deposits. Deposit build-up is what makes a monthly lens progressively hazier and less comfortable as its cycle runs on.
HydraGlyde is a wetting matrix that adheres to the surface and helps the lens hold moisture across the whole month rather than just the first week.
The pairing explains the typical recommendation pattern: this lens gets prescribed to people whose problem is the third and fourth week, not the first day.
The numbers
- Material: lotrafilcon B (silicone hydrogel)
- Replacement: monthly
- Water content: ~33%
- Dk/t: around 138
Low water content with high oxygen transmission — the signature of a well-made silicone hydrogel, and the reason it dehydrates relatively little in dry air.
The family
- Air Optix plus HydraGlyde — spherical monthly
- Air Optix plus HydraGlyde for Astigmatism — toric
- Air Optix plus HydraGlyde Multifocal — presbyopia
- Air Optix Colors — the same material base with cosmetic tint. Worth distinguishing from cheap cosmetic lenses: this is a properly fitted medical device with real oxygen transmission and available powers, not a costume accessory. See coloured lenses.
- Air Optix Night & Day Aqua — FDA-approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear
On that last one: approved is not the same as risk-free. Sleeping in lenses raises the risk of microbial keratitis several times over even in approved materials, because tear exchange nearly stops behind a closed eyelid. Read extended wear before considering it, and sleeping in contacts for the general case.
Who it suits
- Anyone whose monthlies degrade before the month is up
- Heavy lipid depositors — often the same people who get recurrent styes or have blepharitis
- Anyone wanting prescription coloured lenses with genuine oxygen transmission
- Anyone needing an approved continuous-wear option within a familiar family
Who it does not
- Anyone chasing the highest Dk/t available — ULTRA and Biofinity sit above it
- Anyone who will not keep a case and solution routine — no surface technology compensates for that
Where it sits in Alcon’s range
Air Optix is Alcon’s long-established monthly line; Total30 is the newer bet built on a water gradient surface.
They coexist because they answer different complaints. Air Optix targets deposits. Total30 targets friction. Which one you need depends on whether your lenses feel dirty or feel draggy — a distinction worth making out loud at the fitting.
See the Alcon range and the brand comparison.
Sources
- Alcon technical specifications for Air Optix plus HydraGlyde (lotrafilcon B)
- FDA approval of Air Optix Night & Day Aqua for continuous wear
We are not affiliated with Alcon. General information, not a substitute for a fitting. Reviewed by Dr. Teresita Bollar, OD.
What this lens costs right now
Per box of 6. Checked 23 August 2026. See every lens →
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