This is old technology. I haven't worn hard lenses since the mid 1980s. Sorry to hear about your vision/eyes. If this is the way to go for you then do it. Just realize the limitations. I used to want to tear the damn things from my eyes after a long day of work ... and a night out with friends at a club. They absorb everything in the air and hurt like ^%#$ after 18 hours of use.
Old technology but better. Talk to optometrists and opthamologists and they will tell you about soft lenses. Soft lenses come out drier and are worse for your eyes in the long run. If your RGPs don't fit you, they can get dry easily or pop out. I had this with my previous lenses. They would pop out easily if I turn my head too rapidly (you know how you pop out RGPs you kinda turn your eye one way and blink to kinda pop it out by shifting the lens a little). Yeah. I had my contacts pop out in my snowboarding goggles. I thought I could put them back in and the wind blew them away. I spent the next 5 minutes crawling around in the snow trying to find my contacts. My friends thought I took a nasty fall (on the bunny slope too), but it was just my contacts.
Anyway, my new pair that I got this year fit flawlessly. With any contacts, you should put in drops everyday. I'm fine even after a whole day of wear now.
And RGPs don't hurt. They hurt in the beginning maybe, the first week or so. I've been wearing for 12 or 13 years now. Don't feel a thing.
RGP contacts are awesome. Don't need to take it out every night. When I do take it out I still have good vision for the day. They're great.
Do you have ortho K lenses? Not all RGP = ortho-K. Ortho-K is the special kind where your lenses run for like $500 a pair. I have them and it's not funny when one goes down the sink or something like this past winter. Ugh.
@OP: I just read it more carefully. Are you talking about Ortho-K? You're in the bay and so am I. Which specialist did you go see? PM me if you want more details of where I've been going for the past 13 years. Corrective is nice, but it's not all that great. Your vision deteriorates over time after taking out your lenses. I'm a -5 or -6 probably, and after a day of wear, I can get -2 to -3ish. It's not the same as if your vision is naturally -2 to -3 either. Glasses don't work perfectly. And your vision gets worse. If I don't wear lenses for like 3 days (only tried this once when I injured my eye), your vision goes back to what it was before.
Works well if you're lightly nearsighted or farsighted or whatever. My doctor said he'll wear it overnight and he'll be fine for the day. But he's only a -1.00 or so.