摘要： Some aspects of contact lens design and optics are rarely applied nowadays, as they are less relevant to modern practice, but readers may still need to refer to them. They are available at: https://expertconsult.inkling.com/, whereas the more relevant topics are included here. The appendix, available at: https://expertconsult.inkling.com/, also describes various equations that are used in contact lens work, while the online resources include programs relating to both the optics and to lens design. There are two main aspects to be considered when dealing with the optics of contact lenses: the effects on the wearer of the optical differences from spectacles and the necessity for the practitioner to understand the components which affect the back vertex power (BVP) of the contact-lens/liquid*-lens system. There is some overlap of these two aspects, but for the sake of convenience they are discussed separately in the first two sections of the chapter. In the second section a set of approximate rules is included, the use of which should permit practitioners to make quick and reasonably accurate estimates of changes in power caused by altering certain lens parameters. The Cartesian sign convention2 is used throughout. For further understanding of the basic principles involved, readers are referred to the works of Bennett (1985), Tunnacliffe (1993), Freeman and Hull (2003), Douthwaite (2006) and Rabbetts (2007).